AUTHENTIC MEXICAN MARGARITAS
Easy, quick and always a hit, these Margaritas are the real thing. We have one rule in Baja. No mix. It just ain't the same! These are a great way to jump start any party. You can serve them on the rocks or blended, whichever way you prefer. Me-I like them both ways so I switch off. One blender-ful serves four.
4 ounces tequila
4 ounces Mexican Controy (Cointreau or Triple Sec may be substituted)
juice from 10 - 12 Mexican limes, freshly squeezed
crushed ice to top of blender
Margarita salt (optional)
Place tequila, Controy, lime juice in blender. Fill until almost full with crushed ice. Shake well or blend until very slushy. Wet rim of martini or Margarita glass with water and swirl in small dish of salt. Pour Margarita into the glass. Ole!
CHIMAYO COCKTAILS
The apple cider used in this authentic but little-known Mexican cocktail makes it a refreshing change from the typical Margarita. While seldom ordered by tourists, a perfectly chilled Chimayo Cocktail is a real treat to the initiated. But beware-this is just as lethal as a Margarita, so take it easy! This recipe serves four, but if you want to try serving it as a punch, triple the amount of cider in relation to the tequila. It's an excellent, more mellow alternative.
12 ice cubes
5 ounces tequila
1 tbsp Creme de Cassis
1/2 cup apple cider
2 tbsp lemon juice
4 apple wedges for garnish
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Add tequila, creme de cassis, cider and lemon juice. Shake well and strain into four glasses. Add the ice cubes and garnish each glass with an apple wedge.
TEQUILA MARYS 
For a wonderful change of pace, try making Bloody Marys (Mexican style with Tomato Clam juice) with tequila instead of vodka. You will be a convert, I promise! Makes eight drinks.
Margarita salt
8 ounces tequila
1/2 gallon Tomato Clam juice
10 limes
3 dashes Worcestershire sauce per glass
pepper to taste
hot pepper sauce to taste
3 sprinkles celery salt per glass
8 celery or carrot sticks for garnish
Rub the rims of eight highball glasses with lime and dip in Margarita salt. Fill glasses with ice and to each glass add: one ounce tequila, the juice of one lime, three dashes Worcestershire sauce, pepper, hot pepper sauce and three sprinkles of celery salt. Fill each glass to the brim with Tomato Clam juice.
Garnish with celery or carrot sticks. Distribute among guests. Close your eyes, imagine yourself having brunch at an exquisite resort, on a patio overlooking the azure blue Pacific. Now take a long swallow. Aaaaaaah ....
TOTALLY TROPICAL TEQUILA PUNCH
This one will make you smile as you imagine yourself in a tropical Mexican setting, sipping these exotic, fruitful drinks! Serves four.
>6 ounces tequila
6 ounces cranberry juice
6 ounces peach juice or any other tropical juice
4 16 ounce neon plastic cups
ice
4 paper umbrellas
4 chunks fresh pineapple
4 slices Orange
Fill cups with ice. Add rum, juices and stir. Top with pineapple chunks and Orange slices skewered onto the paper umbrellas. Place on tray and serve outdoors with Jimmy Buffett or mariachi music playing in the background.
MEXICAN COFFEE 
Want something to sip after dinner on these cold winter nights? Try this incredibly delicious recipe for Mexican Coffee. It's incomparable. Serves four.
4 cups steaming coffee or decaf
2 ounces tequila
2 ounces Kahlua
2 ounces brandy
2 ounces Rompope (a creamy vanilla Mexican liqueur) or Irish Cream if unavailable
whipped cream to garnish
Heat four mugs by placing in hot water or heating in microwave. Into heated mugs, add half an ounce each of tequila, Kahlua, brandy and Rompope. Top off with hot coffee or decaf and whipped cream. Serve immediately in front of a roaring fire.
Click here for a Tequila History lesson!
Recipe and tips provided by Ann Hazard.
| Join author Ann Hazard, as she leads you through four generations of historic Baja culinary adventure. She shares not only her family's favorite travel tales, but also the delicious, easy-to-prepare recipes she has collected and created. By the time you've cooked a meal or two and finished reading the book, you're guaranteed a lasting dose of Baja Magic. The book may even turn your perspective slightly to the South, lighten your heart and forever transform your outlook on life! |  |
