¡Tequila!

Before moving to Tucson, we didn't know much about tequila. All we knew were the here-say of "shots" and bad margaritas. That was in New England, home to bogus “Mexican” restaurants, where frijoles in any form meant nothing but New England Baked Beans!

Just before moving here, Markipedia joined many amicipediae at the annual Vernacular Architecture Forum which happened to be in Tucson that year. It is a conference of architecture and anthropology nerds. What could be more fun? (Actually, it did sound really fun.)

The convention’s inevitable final banquet of regional cuisine was preceeded by a tequila tasting. (Now do you see why I thought it sounded like fun?) From what I can tell from the outside POV, it was "educational" because it was about local foods.

To that end, tequila is one of our region’s five food groups. (Others include, tortillas, guacamole, salsa, and limes.)

I got a blurry call from Mark after the tasting. I was in Maine freezing; he was basking in Tucson’s April warmth. He shared with me that he had sipped tequilas - straight, no ice - that were smoky and scotch-like. What's not to like about that?

And then, Markipedia shared the differences between the five categories of tequila: blanco, or silver (unaged in stainless steel or neutral oak barrels); joven, or oro/gold (unaged silver tequila that may be flavored, colored, and/or sweetened); reposado (aged a minimum of two months, but less than a year in oak barrels); añejo (aged a minimum of one year, but less than three years in small oak barrels); and extra añejo (aged a minimum of three years in oak barrels). That is a lot of educational information!

Now that we are a little more knowledgable about the subject, we keep two kinds in the house: tequila for sipping, and tequila for cocktails. We prefer (and can afford) reposado for sipping, and and use blanco/silver for our cocktails. The beautiful blue and white bottle is our favorite reposado - Classe Azul.

Today, was a cocktail day. We are trying to use some of the last lemons on our tree. A tequila cocktail came to mind. With citrus season approaching in the southern hemishere, and summer approaching in the northern, your thoughts might be going in this direction, too.

My guess is that, when you think tequila, you think limes. Me, too. But when we were visiting friends Denny and Trudy in New Mexico, they served us tequila sours. Dare I say they are better than most margaritas we've had?

They shared their recipe - and today I share it with you.

¡Arriba!

~ David

Tequila Sour

6 ounces silver tequila

6 ounces simple syrup *

4 1/2 ounces freshly squeezed lemon juice

The measurements are not difficult: 4 parts tequila, 4 parts simple syrup*, and 3 parts lemon juice.

Blend the ingredients in a cocktail shaker or pitcher. Fill glasses with ice. Pour tequila mixture over ice.

Makes 2 large or 4 small sours.

* Simple syrup: combine 1 cup water with 1/2 cup superfine (or bartender's sugar) in a microwave-safe pitcher or bowl. Cook on high power for 1 minute; stir. Mixture will be a bit cloudy. Microwave another 30 seconds. Mixture should be clear. If not, microwave for 15 seconds more. Stir, and let cool. Keep any leftover simple syrup on the refrigerator for 1 week.

I tend to like simple syrup that is 2:1 (water to sugar) versus the 1:1.