Cookerati

Tequila is one of our favorite basics for our movie night cocktails.  Recently we tried some Partida Tequila and we think it’s delicious (is that a good word for alcohol?). It really has a clean smooth taste, and has a waaarrrrmmmm in your belly, mmmmm.

Partida Tequila  is made from blue agave that it gets from one place,  it’s very own Partida Estate in the heart of Mexico’s historic Tequila region. Partida Estate is a family plantation who have been growing blue agave for several generation. The heart of the agave plant – la pina is baked slowly and gently for 20 hours, then distilled twice – not steam blasted. These agaves are used to create four tequilas: Blanco (not aged), Reposado (aged 6 months), Anejo (aged 18 months) and Extra Anejo Elegante (aged 36 months).

Partida also has an Blue Agave Nectar they produce that is 100 percent made from blue agave plants and is organic.  Blue Agave Nectar is a sweetener made from the blue agave plant, similar to honey, only lighter tasting and it has a lower glycemic index than other sweeteners.  My son uses agave nectar with his peanut butter instead of honey because it gives a little more sweetness similar to honey – and it doesn’t crystallize like honey (but maybe that’s just ours). 

So here I had this great tequila –  that I used to make Margaritas – plus I had this book to review called Spice & Ice by Kara Newman, what a great pairing.  I’m not big on heat in everything but this book is really a neat recipe book for making spicy cocktails.  Some of the ingredients are different from what you might have sitting around, but there are quite a few that use Reposado or Anejo Tequila, so I thought it was a perfect fit. 

  As the author of the High Spirits column for Chile Pepper magazine, Kara Newman is the perfect coach for crafting beverages that bite.  She offers spicy spins on classic cocktails, including Wasabi-tinis, Jumpin’ Juleps, Blackberry-Poblano Margaritas and Spiced Tangerine Caipirinhas.  Serve Hot Flashes at your next party with the girls.  Get seriously hot under the collar with a sweet/piquant Peppadew Cocktail, a Sangria Scorcher, or The Bloody Scary.  Next time you’ve got a crew of jaded cocktail enthusiasts to satiate, steam up the punch bowl with Spicy Pisco Punch.       

Funny true story.  I made the Dragonfire Cocktail twice.  The first time I wasn’t sure about the heat so when I put the pepper in the tequila, the first drink was made after it soaked for 2 hours.  My husband and I drank it, no problem a little heat it was fun.  Then I let the pepper sit in the rest of the batch of jalapeno infused tequila (I used a different pepper, I didn’t have a jalapeno available) for days.  I made up the Dragonfire Cocktail again took a itty bitty sip and boy that sucker was hot.  So I brought it to my dear husband  and asked him to take a small sip.  He took a sip, but not an itty bitty one like he should have – and gasped and coughed and drank water. I asked what he thought and he said unbearable.  Letting it sit for days might not be the way to go for us. 

I am keeping the Partida Tequila for us, we like margaritas and other drinks with Tequila plus Partida Tequila is amazingly good.  Spice & Ice is going to be a gift for my niece.  She made her mother a cayenne pepper chocolate cake for her birthday, and then made one for the family for Thanksgiving.  I think she’d get such a kick out of this book that I’m going to stick it in her Christmas gift bag. She’ll forgive the re-gifting because she’ll love the book. This book was very well put together, with lots of fun cocktails.  My grade A, but you have to like heat.

Dragonfire

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces jalapeno infused (vodka or) tequila (see below)
• 1 ounce triple sec
• 1 ounce orange juice
• 1 ounce lime juice
• 1 lime wedge for garnish(optional)

Mix together the tequila, triple sec, and orange and lime juices in a cocktail shaker filled with ice.  Shake, strain into a tall glass, and garnish with the lime wedge.

Jalapeno Infused Tequila

2 cups Tequila ( Preferably Reposado Tequila)

1 to 2 hot peppers, washed and cut lengthwise

Combine the ingredients in a small container with a lid.  Steep for as little as 2 hours and as long as two days, until desired heat is achieved.  Strain with a fine mesh sieve, cover tightly.

If you don’t like spice, here’s a Partida Margarita Recipe for you.

Partida Margarita with 100% Organic Agave Nectar

• 1 1/2 ounces Partida Tequila
• 1 ounce fresh squeezed lime juice
• 3/4 ounce Partida Agave Nectar (to taste)
• 3/4 ounce pure water

Shake all ingredients with ice in standard bar shaker. Taste, Add additional lime juice if you prefer more tartness; add more agave nectar for more sweetness;  serve in glass on rocks.  No garnish, no salt.

Disclaimer: Both Spice & Ice and Partida Tequila were given to me to review.  The opinions expressed are my own.  No payment received, no warranty implied.