Cinco de Mayo – Tequila, tequila and tequila!

Cinco de Mayo is not a holiday even remotely acknowledged here in the UK.  However, with the internet and the fact I look for any excuse to make a drink, I figured I would celebrate it with two tequila based cocktails.

A classic summer cocktail comprising of tequila, triple sec, lime juice and agave syrup. Seen here in a martini glass and on the rocks, both with a salt rim.

This is a summer classic and a worldwide favourite, not to mention one of my personal favourites.  It could rival a Vesper for the classic question “if you had to have one cocktail for the rest of your life, what would it be?”

As you can see from the picture, there is two main ways it can be served.  On a hot summers day, you cannot beat it on the rocks.  However, I’m quite partial to it being served in a Margarita glass – granted it’s in a martini glass above, but I have to make do with the tools I have, so no judging.

Simply made by shaking two measures of tequila. one of triple sec (I’ve substituted Cointreau) and a spoon of agave syrup, strain and serve with a lime wedge!  The salt rim is optional as some people may prefer a sugar rim, or no garnish at all.  I love the salt rim.  There is even a version where Marmite is used on the rim (because it is slightly salty), but that is a disgusting suggestion and should never be spoken of again.

The margarita is one of those cocktails where many people have claimed to have invented it all around the same time.  So many so that I would spend a lot of time writing them all for you to look at.  However, recently an English drink was uncovered called the Picador which has the exact same measurements of the Margarita without the salt rim.  It actually came about roughly sixteen years before any written reference to a margarita.  Does this mean that someone ripped off the recipe?  Possibly, but no-one will ever know.

Irrespective of that, it is a cracking cocktail with a wonderful tangy, citrus flavour combined with the earthiness of the tequila.  Such a great drink for a summers day and a fine use of tequila.  If you’ve never had a margarita (I find that nigh on impossible to believe), rectify that immediately.  Make a pitcher, invite a few friends over and have a barbecue!

A tequila take on the classic dry martini.

Next up we have the Tequilatini.  A play on words and a take on the dry martini.  So simple, so tasty and oh so very effective.

Two measures of tequila, one of dry vermouth and half a measure of sugar syrup and three dashes of Angostura bitters, serve and garnish with a lime twist.  However, I’ve had to change the recipe as I managed to leave my bottle of bitters in Portsmouth, so out went the bitters.  Shake it all up and strain into a chilled martini glass.

The tequila and vermouth combine very well and the sugar syrup stops the drink from becoming too dry and harsh on the palate.  I think my homemade sugar syrup is slightly too sweet, but it doesn’t affect the drink too much.  After all, it doesn’t stop this becoming a very potent drink.  If you like strong drinks and strong flavours (especially tequila), or if you just feel like making a change to your usual dry martini, this is a drink for you.

Just for clarity, I know there are two cocktails in each picture, rest assured I had a friend over so they weren’t all for me!

A Classic With A Twist – Gin And Tonic

A timeless classic with a twist. Two measures of Gin, topped up with Indian Tonic Water built over ice with a few dashes of Angostura Bitters… and a lime wedge.

Lets get it out of the way: this is not the prettiest cocktail I’ve made, but that’s my own fault.  However, the Gin and Tonic is quite possibly the most timeless cocktail ever invented, as well as being quintessentially British.  A perfect cocktail for a hot summer day, which is why I chose a freezing and rainy day in March to blog about it.  But could it even be defined as a cocktail?  Diffordsguide says it can as it’s a highball, but others may not be so forgiving and class it alongside things like “whiskey and coke”.  Fortunately for me, I don’t have to worry about trivial matters as this is a blog about alcohol, not specifically cocktails.  Lucky me.

Widely accepted as being created around the late 1800s, when the British Empire was still in India.  It was here that Gin and Tonic Water  It was originally used as a preventative for malaria due to the use of Quinine in the tonic water.  Tonic Water incidentally, is the oldest soft drink in the world, with it first appearing around the 1770s – Schweppes didn’t launch their own brand until 1870.  Whereas gin (or at least an early version of what we now know as gin) was being consumed, for medicinal purposes of course, from the 1600s.

The key to the Gin and Tonic is it’s utterly simplicity.  Not to mention that the flavours compliment each other perfectly.  There are four ingredients, no complicated layering, fancy garnishes; just two measures of Gin, topped up with Tonic Water, plenty of ice, a quick stir and a wedge of lime.  That is, until I spotted this variation utilising Angostura Bitters.

This particular recipe was in the Autumn/Winter 2012 edition of The Cocktail Lovers magazine.  It calls for a Gin and Tonic with a few dashes of bitters on top.  What a marvellous call it is too.

The glass looks a bit more aesthetically pleasing with a thin layer of deep orange at the top.  Of course, that’s the general idea.  With my very unsteady hand and lack of skill, I end up with a diluted orange, rather large layer, as you can clearly see in the picture.

The bitters add an extra subtle flavour, a splash of colour and a bit of depth.  In my opinion, the bitters make the drink that little bit more-ish.  Of course, bitters aren’t to everyone’s liking and if layered thinly at the top, may be the first flavour people come into contact with.  However, it is an excellent drink to make if you fancy a little bit more colour or depth to your Gin and Tonic.