Made from the blue agave plant, primarily in the area of the central western Mexican state of Jalisco, Tequila is a distilled alcoholic beverage and a type of mezcal. Across the rest of the world, Tequila is served as a shot with salt and lime or as an ingredient in a cocktail and in Mexico it is commonly served neat. Being that salt and lime are so frequently a part of tequila, many people equate them to the holy trinity of drinking. However, though this is a common way to drink it around the U.S., there are more enjoyable ways, especially found in Mexican restaurants such as Eddie’s Mexican Restaurant and these drinks include Sangrita and Spicy Matador Cocktail.
What is Sangrita?
Sangrita is a more traditional way to consume tequila. A traditional spicy juice mixture that’s sipped alongside a shot of tequila, Sangrita, means “little blood” in Spanish. Do not confuse sangrita with sangria, the fruit, wine, and brandy drink popular the world over. Sangrita is used to enhance the spirit’s earth-driven nuances. It is actually a beverage enhancer, meant to magnify, not mask, the flavors within the spirit.
Authentic Sangrita Recipe
The below recipe is a general guideline and can be adjusted as you see fit. Sangrita was originally designed with leftover juices.
Ingredients:
– One-part grenadine or pomegranate juice
– Chile powder and other spices to taste
– Two-parts orange juice
– One-part lime juice
Matador Cocktail History
The spicy matador cocktail is another tequila-based drink. Its structure is similarly simple and significantly less known widely than the margarita. It has three primary ingredients being pineapple juice, lime juice, and silver or blanco tequila. A variant of the Screwdriver, which substitutes pineapple juice for orange juice to mix with vodka, with its chief coupling of pineapple and a single spirit resembles a Jackhammer. They are often presented in either a martini glass or a champagne flute. As mentioned, this cocktail combines three Mexican exports lime, pineapple, and tequila. Additional sweeteners are not typically added due to the general high natural sugar content in many pineapple varieties and commercially produced pineapple juice sweeteners. There is a commercial brand of tequila frequently used for spicy matador cocktails, but usage of a specifically branded spirit here is variable in other cocktails.
Spicy Matador Cocktail Ingredients
For the Drink
1oz Lime Juice
1oz Tequila
½oz Vodka
½ Cup Pineapple Juice
1tsp Agave Nectar
Pinch of Chile Piquin (or Cayenne if you can handle the heat)
For the Garnish
Vero Elote Paleta
1 TBSP Tajin
Directions: Rim the glass with tajin by pouring the Tajín onto a small plate, then rub a lime wedge around the rim of the glass then dip it into the Tajín. Next, mix tequila, vodka, California chili powder, pineapple juice, and lime juice in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously. Pour in a glass of a handful of ice and garnish with the vero elote paleta.
Traditional Mexican Cuisine in Las Vegas, Nevada (Just Minutes from Summerlin, North LV & Henderson, NV)
We at Eddie’s Mexican Restaurant are looking forward to serving our guests their favorite drinks alone or with their favorite Mexican dishes!
