Mexican themed dinner. Need a cocktail for tonight
Just got sprung on me. The host going Mexican (not Tex-Mex) and is starting with "tequila cocktails and beer". I need to bring a cocktail, so I want something interesting (no Margaritas), no beer -- something unexpected so I don't duplicate her.
I had this in Mexico, but it's not very authentic:
Akumal Ginger "Martini" (hey, it wasn't my name)
2 oz Gin
3/4 oz Cointreau
1/2 oz Gran Gala
1/2 oz fresh grated ginger
1 oz Lime
I wouldn't mind something challenging, although Chartreuse, Benedictine, Campari, and other amari don't seem too Mexican to me. Maybe something like Averna for the spice?
Any ideas?
By EvergreenDan
on Mar 6, 2010 05:12 AM
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I are big fan of Rick Bayless for introducing me to Mexican cooking in terms I can understand.
He has a number of drinks on his website that might give you some inspiration...
http://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/cat...
I've done Michelada's before.
Beer with lime, Worchestershire, and hot sauce.
His Banana daiquiri sounds good, but I wonder if you could use creme de banana (instead of fresh banana), with white rum, orange juice, and a bit of lemon, if your oranges are too sweet.
The Mexican Snakebite "La Culebra" sounds good if you can find Goya brand frozen tamarind pulp near you on short notice.
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how about a version of Drink's Villa de Verano?
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I checked out the Villa de Verano and it seems interesting, but I didn't have the chocolate or the time to make the syrup. I also worried that the Fernet might be too challenging for the "general public". Sounds like a great drink, though.
I tried combining Anejo Tequila, Meletti, and unsweetened cacao powder, without much success. With more time, I think there's a drink there, possibly including Punt e Mes or Carpano Antica for a bittersweet spice. It would be sort of a Manhattan-type drink.
I ended up with this:
Quatro Naranjas
1 oz Anejo Tequila
2/3 oz Aperol
1/3 oz Creole Shrubb
1/3 oz Campari
2/3 oz Lime
1 dash Angostura Orange
Expressed lime and orange zest
Shake, strain, rocks.
Big in on the three people that tried it (myself included). We'll see tonight how the bitter part goes over. Even though I said "no Margaritas", it's basically a bitter, complex Margarita without salt.
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I was going to suggest something similar, which is basically a Paloma with a Cynar or Campari float. I call it A Real Tequila Sunrise.
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Interesting. I'm not sure what you'd use for the grapefruit soda around here. I don't think I could get "Ting" easily, and Fresca is diet (yuck).
I think the combination of fresh grapefruit, tequila, lime, soda, and a float as you suggest sounds very good. Campari loves grapefruit. Cynar would be interesting to try. I wish there were amari other than Campari that had that bright, clean not-too-sweet taste. Most have more complex spicy/herbal flavors. Aperol is interesting, but its very sweet, which makes it harder to work with (at least to my taste).
The cocktail I made was a big hit, although one person wrinkled up their nose at the thought of a bitter drink and didn't try it. You can lead a horse to water and sometimes you need to stick a hose down its throat to make it drink.
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You can find "Jarritos" brand grapefruit soda in mexican grocery stores. Hansen's is pretty widely available- used to be only Trader Joe's and Whole Foods but now I feel like I see it in conventional suprmarkets in the Boston area. I love the stuff, but I think your drink would be too bitter for me.
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I usually use fresh grapefruit, seltzer, simple syrup and lime, not the actual flavored soda stuff.
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