Thursday, May 1, 2014

Margarita Revisited

THE MARGARITA
revisited with
Sriracha Margarita and Watermelon Margarita




So remember when we first started this blog?  No you don't, because we actually started it on Xanga in like 2005, but you might remember when we migrated the whole thing to Blogger when we got bored one decade.  If you do (and we're pretty sure you still don't), then you might know that our very first drink we presented to you was the Margarita.  No, not one of those frozen bowls of nastyness or some artificially flavored soda syrup out of a plastic bottle, but a real proper margarita.  

In honor of the upcoming holiday of Cinco de Mayo, we are once again revisiting the margarita, as our methods have evolved.  And we'll also be bringing you two more variants, including a sriracha and watermelon version, to make you popular with all the hipsters in your life.   So let's get started.



 photo MAG01_zps438a23c4.jpg


 photo MAG02_zps3bdbc7ca.jpg



Now we don't want to come over all "Fox News" about this, but it's obvious that there is some little fucker out there trying to cancel fun because they got hurt in the feels.  Yep, an American college student named Daniela Hernandez thinks it's somehow wrong for anyone who isn't Mexican to celebrate cinco de mayo and so she canceled it.  Well, here at Pinky Mixology, we hate anyone who tries to cancel fun, so while we sit here and silently hope that Daniela Hernandez gets hit by a bus, we want you to go out and have as much Mexican themed revelry that you can!



 photo MAG03_zps54bdc9aa.jpg

Camarena Tequila is all in all an ok one to use for cocktails.  It's not the tippy-top shelf stuff that will cost you a fortune, but it's a good one to have if you're going to be mixing a lot of sweet drinks of different types, as we are about to do here.  It also comes in a pretty bottle.



 photo MAG04_zps2f83a3c3.jpg



 photo MAG05_zpscc6870f6.jpg


We're gonna be ripping on Daniela for a while, because deep down, we think she's awful for canceling a charity fundraiser over some sort of butt-hurt.  However, the more important part, is to ditch the orange liqueur.  The only reason it's in there in the first place, is most likely the margarita started out as some alternate version of the side-car, and that did need orange stuff in it.  That's not to say that the margarita doesn't benefit from orange notes, and so that's where using orange zest to make an infusion comes in.  This works wonders and is seriously the only way to go when doing a margarita.


 photo MAG06_zps0437f37e.jpg



 photo MAG07_zps65a4a04a.jpg


Just shell out for the goddam limes.


 photo MAG08_zpsc3977418.jpg


Citrus press juicers are extremely handy and no home bar is complete without one.


 photo MAG09_zpsbce98ad5.jpg



 photo MAG10_zps658392c3.jpg


The amber agave nectar can darken a drink to the point where it looks weird.  The lighter stuff doesn't do that as much, and of course simple syrup doesn't do that at all.  It all comes down to what your own personal tastes are.  Just avoid using the pre-sweetened lime juice that's out there, because it's absolute crap.


 photo MAG11_zps8e1f56c1.jpg



 photo MAG12_zps8b5c6bae.jpg



 photo MAG13_zps81e1f5ec.jpg


We're done with mason jars and other drink weirdness.  We're coming back to the basics.


 photo MAG14_zps3965abad.jpg


The whole trick of assembling the ingredients in the same glass you're going to serve it in, means that you'll never end up making too much or not enough to fill it up just right.  As you can see, the amber agave nectar has darkened up the drink a bit, but not to the point where it looks actually bad or anything.


 photo MAG15_zps641c1630.jpg



 photo MAG16_zpsac0d4901.jpg



 photo MAG17_zpsca616675.jpg


We promise not to go sriracha-crazy and start putting it in everything, but seriously, this kind of thing is totally perfect for it.


 photo MAG18_zps7488e1cb.jpg



 photo MAG19_zps27370c48.jpg


The color can lead people to think that it's a fruit based drink rather than a spicy one, and so having a chili pepper hanging off the glass sends a clear message about what to expect.



 photo MAG20_zps0c4134b9.jpg


You can check out our other watermelon margarita recipe, which is meant for big groups, as it produces
a large amount of punch style beverage.  This one is for individual servings.



 photo MAG21_zps31ccbb58.jpg



 photo MAG22_zps9b7143b1.jpg



 photo MAG23_zpsb6d3830d.jpg



 photo MAG24_zpsea1f2f50.jpg


It really is weird but watermelon juice really is kind of bland, and nowhere near as satisfying as actually chowing down on watermelon itself.  That being said, a little sugar and tiny bit of salt (yes you need that), will fix that situation.



 photo MAG25_zpsc64f9b93.jpg



 photo MAG26_zpsd821766b.jpg



 photo MAG27_zps7423af2a.jpg


We think she may be murdering puppies at this very moment.


 photo MAG28_zps6349a3a3.jpg


If you don't know who Antonio Aguilar is, then you are missing out on life.

Most people already know this, but Cinco de Mayo is much more of an American holiday than a Mexican one (it's very regional, and only significantly celebrated in Puebla in Mexico).  So as long as you're not going to be a total asshole to people, go have fun.  Frat-boy types are always going to use anything as an excuse to get fall down drunk... take away Cinco de Mayo and St. Patrick's Day and you'll just end up with drunken keggers on Arbor day and shit.    



 photo MAG29_zps2c8ae5f0.jpg


The orange can overpower the tequila a bit if you use a lot and leave it in there for a long time.  But 3 days to a week is perfect for this. 


 photo MAG30_zpsb264da33.jpg



 photo MAG31_zps8ac241a7.jpg



 photo MAG32_zpsf51e517a.jpg



 photo MAG33_zps8ea5cd7f.jpg



 photo MAG34_zps38911c80.jpg



 photo MAG35_zps0c508c54.jpg



 photo MAG36_zpse2968175.jpg



 photo MAG37_zps717eb05d.jpg



 photo MAG38_zps5a2f9bae.jpg



 photo MAG39_zps27fd98cc.jpg



We're back, pants-less cautionary tales and all!   We're also going to be coming to you twice a month now, because ...why the hell not, right?





2 comments: