Plus, if you’re hosting Cinco de Mayo at your home, tacos happen to pair perfectly with tequila for the ultimate fiesta nibbles to have on hand this year. So make your celebration a hit with your guests by whipping up this yummy Coconut Tequila Lime Fish Taco recipe thanks to Altos Tequila and Grilled Cheese Social!
TACO PREPARATION
INGREDIENTS:
• Tomatillos – 2
• Garlic – 1/2 clove
• jalapeno pepper (remove seeds if you don’t want it too spicy) -1/2
• Cilantro – 1 bunch, divided
• Avocados – 2
• juice of 2 limes, divided
• salt to taste
• purple cabbage, roughly chopped – 1/2 head
• raw sugar – 1/2 tbsp
• corn tortillas
• cooked fish (from below)
DIRECTIONS:
1) Bring a pot of water to a boil and add tomatillos, garlic, jalapeno pepper and
salt. Cook until soft.
2) Strain and reserve a half cup cooking liquid.
3) Add those ingredients to a blender along with the meat from two avocados, the juice of 1 lime and a handful of cilantro.
4) Add cooking liquid until a creamy consistency is reached. Salt to taste.
5) Meanwhile, add chopped purple cabbage to a bowl and toss with lime juice, sugar, and salt.
6) Let sit you cook the fish component of the tacos below.
FISH PREPARATION
INGREDIENTS:
• garlic powder – 1 tsp
• chili powder – 1 tsp
• Cumin -1/4 tsp
• Salt – 1/4 tsp
• fresh mahi, cut into 2.5″ fillets -1 lb
• Altos Tequila Plata – 1/3 cup
• fresh jalapeno, seeds removed – 1/2
• juice of half a lime
• coconut oil – 1 tbsp
DIRECTIONS:
1) Combine garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, salt, lime, jalapeno and Altos Tequila Plata in a small bowl and whisk until combined.
2) Add the mahi and let sit for 5-10 minutes.
3) Add coconut oil to a pan and turn the heat to medium-high.
4) When it’s hot, add the fish with the liquid that it is marinated in.
5) Let the fish cook on one side until golden brown and then flip and sauté until the fish is fully cooked through.
That’s it! Once it’s all ready, pour yourself a Tequila Paloma cocktail to pair with the tacos (trust us, it’s a win-win pairing), and enjoy!
Tequila is just part of the equation for the ultimate Cinco de Mayo celebration. The other part is food. Like delicious, homemade shrimp tacos!
Our friends at Altos Tequila teamed up with author Rebeca Hubbel of Sugar & Soul to come up with this tropical shrimp taco recipe to pair with the Altos Fresh cocktail recipe.
This post is brought to you by Altos Tequila. The content and opinions expressed below are that of Sugar & Soul.
Sauce Directions:
Stir all ingredients together and place in the fridge to set while
you prep and cook the other components of the dish.
Shrimp Ingredients:
• Oil for frying
• All-purpose flour – 1 ½ cups
• Salt – 3 tbsp
• Black pepper – 1 tbsp
• Cayenne pepper – 1 tsp
• Cumin – 1 ½ tsp
• Paprika – 2 tbps
• Frozen shrimp, thawed – 30 pieces
Shrimp Direction:
Heat oil in a deep pan or fryer on medium high heat, drops of water should sizzle when added to the oil, that’s how you know it’s ready. Combine the flour, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, cumin, and paprika in a medium bowl. Pat the thawed shrimp dry, and toss them in the flour mixture one by one, shaking a little to remove any excess, then adding to the hot oil. I usually cook 10 shrimp at a time, 2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Repeat with the rest of the shrimp, switch out oil if
necessary. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to rest for a few minutes after cooking.
Salsa Ingredients:
• Pineapple, finely chopped – ½ cup
• Mango, finely chopped – ¼ cup
• Chopped mint – 2 tbsp
Salsa Directions:
Stir all ingredients together and place in the fridge to set while you prep and cook the other components of the dish.
Taco Assembly Ingredients:
• Pea shoots or watercress
• Kumquats, thinly sliced – 3
• Pickled onions – 6 tbsp
• Small flour tortillas – 6
Taco Assembly Ingredients:
Spoon a tsp of the sauce down the middle of the tortillas, top with 3 shrimp. Top shrimp with a small bunch of pea shoots or watercress. Spoon on some of the fruit salsa, followed by 3 or 4 slices of kumquat, and a tbsp of pickled onions, and 2 more shrimp each. Top with more tequila lime sauce and enjoy!
Don’t forget to pair it with the perfect cocktail – the Altos Fresh Cocktail!
We’re shaking up great cocktails for spring, featuring some of our favorite spirits and ingredients. Light and refreshing drinks like these are the perfect way to toast the official start of a new season. And you can save now when you pick up the spirits you’ll need for spring at Total Wine & More.
Every town has its favorites when it comes to cocktails. However, when we think spring our minds can’t help but go to a Margarita. This season, we love a twist on that classic cocktail: the Tequila-Berry Twist.
Pour tequila and strawberry liqueur into tall glass with ice. Stir. Add bitters, lime juice and club soda. Stir and garnish with lime slice.
The gimlet dates back to the 18th century, but it accrued true cultural cachet when it appeared in Raymond Chandler’s famous crime novel “The Long Goodbye.” This easy recipe calls for fresh lime juice plus sweetener, instead of the more conventional bottled lime juice, because hey – it’s spring.
Add spirits, lime juice and simple syrup to a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass, or strain over ice into an Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.
Rum is a versatile spirit that adds great flavor to a variety of cocktails. This brilliantly colored drink offers juicy flavor and a preview of hot, sunny days to come.
You may have heard that J.J. Abrams has a new movie out and we’ve been celebrating its arrival all week. We collaborated with mixologist Beautiful Booze to create cocktails that are out-of this world and today we’re sharing our final two.
If you missed our first set of cocktails, head over to Part I to get the recipes for Paradise on a Desert Planet and the Cantina Cooler.
Rebel in Red
After vanquishing the galactic forces of darkness, it’s important to celebrate accordingly with your fellow rebels and favorite droids. Here’s a delightfully sweet take on the Tequila Sunrise:
4-6 oz. of orange juice depending on serving glass
½ oz. of cherry syrup
Cherries, for garnish
In a serving glass, add ice then orange juice and tequila. Stir cocktail and add cherry syrup.
Yield: 1 serving
Shots for Smugglers
We’ve developed a recipe perfect for those who spend their days evading space gangsters and transporting off-the-books cargo to the outer reaches of space.
In a saucepan, add cranberry juice and tonic water. Turn heat on low and sprinkle in two envelopes of gelatin. Stir mixture until the gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat and stir in gin. Pour mixture into shot glasses. Put in refrigerator and let shot glasses chill overnight.
Yield: 10-15 jello shots (depending on size of shot glasses)
Today is part two of Seattle-based mixologist and blogger Natalie Migliarini’s favorite tequila cocktail recipes. We shared her first beautiful (and tasty) recipe for a Paloma Chili Flake Jelly Shot with you yesterday. In case you missed it, you can check it out here.
Today, we’d like to share another eye-popping cocktail from her with you. This recipe takes the traditional Paloma’s citrusy zing of grapefruit and enhances it with the sweet heat of chili oil. We think it’s the perfect drink recipe for Cinco de Mayo!
In a cocktail shaker add Don Sergio tequila, grapefruit juice, agave nectar, sliced Fresno chili and ice
Shake for 20 seconds and then pour mixture into serving glass
Top with chili oil
Garnish with chili stem and grapefruit slices
Yields: 1 serving
Natalie Migliarini is a mixologist, cocktail stylist, photographer, and recipe developer based out of Seattle, Washington. Her passion is discovering new and creative ways to use booze through fabulous cocktails featuring seasonal ingredients. Check out her other delicious creations on her blog Beautiful Booze.
Seattle-based mixologist and blogger Natalie Migliarini’s beautiful cocktail photographs caught our eye, so we asked her if she’d share one of her favorite tequila cocktail recipes with us and she kindly obliged!
Here’s her clever jelly shot recipe which combines the citrusy zing of grapefruit and lime with the spicy warmth of red pepper flakes.
Garnish: Grapefruit slices and/or sprinkled with sugar and salt mixture (1 tablespoon salt and 1 tablespoon sugar mixed)
Materials: Natalie used a 1 pound loaf pan then cut into squares but you could also use round molds
Instructions:
In a saucepan add grapefruit juice, sparkling grapefruit soda, red pepper flakes, and lime.
Turn heat on low and sprinkle 2 envelopes of gelatin into saucepan with other liquid, then stir mixture until the gelatin is dissolved.
Remove from heat and stir in tequila.
Pour mixture into loaf pan or molds, and place in refrigerator to chill and set (For best results, chill overnight).
After shots are chilled and ready to serve cut into desired shapes (Natalie used squares/rectangles).
Garnish with grapefruit slices and/or salt and sugar mixture sprinkled over shots.
Yields
14-18 jelly shots (depending on mold used)
Natalie Migliarini is a mixologist, cocktail stylist, photographer, and recipe developer based out of Seattle, Washington. Her passion is discovering new and creative ways to use booze through fabulous cocktails featuring seasonal ingredients. Check out her other delicious creations on her blog Beautiful Booze.
To get an early start on Cinco de Mayo, we recommend this bubbly and delicious cocktail from Victor Ponce, the head bartender of Zapata Tacos & Tequila Bar (Norcross, Georgia) and a certified Tequiler by Academia Mexicana del Tequila, A.C.
0.25 oz simple syrup or several drops of Agave nectar
Glassware: Champagne flute
Preparation:
Gently pour 1 oz of Jarritos Grapefruit soda* in the champagne flute. Add .25 oz of grenadine (or slightly less). Combine in a shaker 2 oz of Rudo Reposado tequila, 1 oz Arrogante Damiana liqueur, a splash of coffee liqueur, 1.5 oz of pineapple juice and .25 oz of simple syrup (can be replaced by several drops of agave nectar). Shake with ice and strain into the flute.
Victor’s comments:
Jarritos adds bubbles, grenadine gives the cocktail a pretty pink color. Rudo Reposado was selected because its taste and flavor are very dominant and will not be masked by other ingredients. The resulting cocktail is insanely delicious. Perfect for Sunday brunch and any time when you feel like indulging yourself. Despite of almost 3 oz of potent liquor, the cocktail is smooth and you just want to keep sipping. The rich flavor profile is really outstanding.
*Other grapefruit sodas could be used instead of Jarritos (Q Grapefruit is our suggestion), but Jarritos is the best and can be found in any Latino grocery or farmers markets with Hispanic sections.
It’s super frosty for many of you out there, and one of our favorite ways to ward off the chill is with a piping hot mug of cocoa — especially when it’s given a caliente kicker with the addition of reposado tequila and spices!
What gives this delicious and unique hot chocolate recipe its authentic Mexican character is the combination of bitter or bittersweet cocoa powder with aromatic vanilla, cinnamon, allspice and the mild spicy addition of red chile powder.
Preparation:
In a small pan combine:
2 oz. strong black coffee
6 oz. whole milk
1 oz. agave nectar
2 tablespoons of spicy cacao/bitter chocolate powder (see recipe below)
Heat ingredients until steaming. Pour into a heated mug and add 2 oz. of Tecnico Reposado tequila. Serve hot. Optional touches to decorate the cocktail: sprinkle with cinnamon powder, ground cocoa nibs or add a cinnamon stick.
To make the Spicy Mexican Cocoa Powder
Take 4 tablespoons of bitter or bittersweet hot chocolate powder to make two servings of drink and add to it one little pinch each of the following:
Vanilla powder (you can substitute a dash of vanilla extract if powder isn’t available)
Ground cinnamon
Ground allspice
Red chile powder
The original recipe was developed by Warren Bobrow, the author of Apothecary Cocktails book, recipe adapted for home use.
Tequila-like spirits have been produced in Mexico from the age of the Aztecs, long before the arrival of the Spanish conquerors in the 16th century.
It was in 1795 that Jose Cuervo, under a license from the government, began distilling tequila in the region of Jalisco (which includes the town of Tequila), where there was an ample supply of the agave (pronounced ‘ah-gah-vay’) “cactus.” In actuality, the agave is not a cactus at all but a type of succulent, related to the aloe and lily family.
Tequila is made from at least 51% blue agave, sourced from defined regions (similar to DOC regulations for wine). Originally, all tequilas were 100% agave, but with an increased demand for agave in the 1930’s where there was a limited harvest, steep increases in price were avoided by the addition of non-agave sugars for many entry-level tequila brands. These basic tequilas are known as “mixto,” but you won’t see the term used on the label.
The blue agave, Agave Tequila Weber Azul, is just one of approximately 136 different species of agave plants, most of which grow in Mexico, that have an industrial use. These uses include planting as ornamentals, food, a source of material fiber, and beverage production.
Agaves, like grapes, are sensitive to region of cultivation (sometimes known as terroir). The place of cultivation produces different characteristics among the same species. The final aroma and flavor profile of tequila comes mainly from: agave, distillation process and aging. Tequila producers will sometimes blend agaves from different growing regions to affect a certain flavor profile.
The Spanish introduced distillation, probably in the 1520s. All of the different forms of distilled spirits made from agave plants were originally called “agave wine”’ or “mezcal wine.” Tequila did not emerge as a separate drink until the late 1800s.
Agaves are harvested by jimadores using a special razor sharp shovel called a coa. The coas allow the jimadores to both uproot the agave and take the tips of the agave plant to create piñas. The resulting piñas could weigh well over 100 pounds. The agave plant grows in the form of a rosette of long sword like leaves with thorns on the tips and along the edges. An agave can be large: the blue variety may reach a height of five to eight feet and a diameter of eight to twelve feet. The length of time needed for the various types of this plant to reach maturity varies somewhat, but for the blue agave; it will normally take from six to eight years. The plants are not permitted to reach sexual maturity. Before they can flower, the flower stalk is cut. This injury changes the growth of the plant causing the central stem to become swollen. This swollen, juicy stem is the part used for making tequila. It is sometimes called a piña, because it resembles a pineapple, and sometimes a cabeza, meaning “head.”
The starch-rich hearts of the agaves are cooked in adobe clay ovens at temperatures reaching nine hundred degrees Fahrenheit. This slowly converts the agave’s starches into sugars. They are then ground, mixed with water and fermented.
The resulting low alcohol musto is then distilled, with the best tequilas crafted using the traditional pot still – basically a giant pot with a long-necked cover welded on and a coil of steam-carrying pipe around the bottom of the pot. The must is pumped into the still and heated so the alcohol vaporizes off and is condensed back into a liquid.
The fresh tequila is then placed into barrels for aging and maturation. This is the stage at which all spirits gain their coloration, either by the addition of artificial coloring or by aging in oak barrels. All distilled spirits are clear when they come from the still and the transformation into brown spirits is caused by the interaction between the spirit and the wood or the addition of other forms of coloring.
There are several basic styles of tequila: White (or blanco) is a clear spirit which looks much like water. It is typically either bottled immediately after distillation, or allowed to rest in stainless steel tanks.
Reposado, meaning “rested,” is placed in wooden storage containers or barrels for not less than two months. The barrels are usually ones used previously by the whiskey producers of Kentucky or Tennessee.
Añejo, meaning “aged,” is placed in small wooden barrels for not less than a year. The finest añejo tequilas take on a deep color and rich flavor from the wood which enhances their complexity, creating fine spirits rivaling the top cognacs of the world.
“Margarita: it’s more than a girl’s name.” According to The Complete Book of Spirits, a man named Vern Under advertised Jose Cuervo with that catch phrase in 1945. Why is that significant? Well, there are at least three or four established stories that claim the invention of the margarita, and the date of that quote questions one of the most popular.
In 1948, Margarita Sames was experimenting with tequila during a vacation in Acapulco. It’s probably safe to say she didn’t have Google or Twitter to know about the Jose Cuervo ad. She was just having fun when she stumbled into a recipe that everyone in her group enjoyed. Being a popular person with many connections, she was able to spread the word about this new cocktail quickly, even without Facebook. Now Margarita being her name and the name of the cocktail is highly coincidental, I know, but I guess it is possible she could have independently invented the drink. She is at least responsible for helping to spread its fame.
Another contending inventor, Bartender Danny Herrera, in 1938, was said to create a cocktail for actress Marjorie King at his Tijuana bar. The drink was to be a tequila drink as Marjorie was supposedly allergic to all other alcohol. And he concocted the first margarita, named after Marjorie’s translated name.
Those two stories sound the most believable, though there are others. The popularity of the drink has exploded in the past 60 years, making the margarita the #1 cocktail in the US today. Certainly Jimmy Buffett’s 1977 classic song Margaritaville has had an impact on reaching that designation. The song is as popular today as it was three decades ago. And Jimmy continues to live his motto: “If life gives you limes, make margaritas.”
The Classic Margarita is made with 2 ounces blanco (or resposado) tequila, 1 ounce triple sec (or Cointreau) and 1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice. There are also bartenders that prefer a 3:2:1 ratio (amongst others) of the three ingredients. Mix the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Serve in a cocktail glass with its rim moistened with a lime wedge and dipped in salt. Using quality tequila, Cointreau, and freshly squeezing your lime juice will offer the best cocktail.
There are many variations of the margarita, too many to count. We found a few nice alternative recipes here, with Giuseppe Gonzalez’s “Joey’s Margarita” the one we’re going to check out next. The addition of an egg white and the herbal French liqueur Chartreuse are said to make this a sophisticated “Grown-up’s Margarita.”
How about you? How will you be celebrating National Margarita Day on February 22nd? Classic, a variation, something really exotic? Share your favorite recipe and be sure to let everyone know what makes it special!
“Margarita: it’s more than a girl’s name.” According to The Complete Book of Spirits, a man named Vern Under 
of the margarita, too many to count. We found