A Killer Summer Margarita
Summer’s drawing to a close, so get in those last summer drinks while you can. Now, I know it may sound strange to some people, but if there’s one thing I love in my summer cocktails, it’s cucumber, and cucumber is the star of this drink.
Starting with an excellent recipe from Rick Bayless, I’ve fiddled a bit to reduce the sweetness of the drink and highlight the cucumber. Here’s how you make one (actually, this recipe makes two servings, so get help drinking it or prepare for drunk):
- 1/2 of a mini (a.k.a., “kirby”) cucumber, peeled and diced
- 3oz silver/blanco tequila (100% agave only, please)
- 1.5oz simple syrup
- juice of 1.5 limes
In a shaker, muddle the cucumber, then add the tequila, simple syrup, and lime juice. Throw in some ice, shake for approx. 20 seconds, and fine strain into two chilled martini glasses. Garish with a small slice of the cucumber, and you’re all set.
If this drink doesn’t brighten up the end of your summer, then it’s possible nothing will.
A Mojito Alternative: the Caipirinha
Tired of mojitos? Had enough of that sweet, tangy, minty deliciousness? After making far too many of our mojitos, I began searching for an alternative, and thankfully, finding one was easy. It’s called a caipirinha (kaip-eh-reen-ya). It’s Brazilian, simple to make, and isn’t a huge departure from the mojito, making it the perfect, slightly under-the-radar replacement.
Here’s what you’ll need to make one:
- A muddler
- Crushed ice
- one-half of a lime, cut into wedges
- approx. 2 tsp of sugar (more or less to taste)
- approx. 2.5oz of Cachaça (vodka or any non-spiced rum would also work)*
…and here’s how you make it (you can do this directly in a glass if you like, but I prefer to do it in a shaker. Once I’m done shaking, rather than straining, I empty the entire contents of the shaker into the glass):
- Muddle together** the lime wedges and sugar.
- Fill glass with the crushed ice.
- Add booze, mix, and serve.
And that’s it. Simple, tart, slightly sweet, and delicious. If someone you know likes mojitos and is looking for a change of pace, steer them toward the caipirinha. And while you’re at it, make one for yourself. You can thank me later.
* When made with vodka, this drink is called a caipiroshka. When made with rum, it’s called a caipiríssima.
** If you aren’t familiar with muddling, check out our mojito post for an explanation.
Dial M for Mojito
With the summer months nearly upon us, I thought I’d post my favorite warm-weather drink: the mojito.
Muddle together in a tall glass:
- A large sprig of mint
- 3/4 oz of simple syrup
Add:
- The juice of half a lime (drop the hull in after juicing)
- 2 oz light rum
- Enough crushed ice to fill the glass
- Soda water
Stir gently.
Muddling, for those not familiar with the technique, is the process of combining a solid ingredient with a small amount of liquid by mashing it with a blunt object (you can buy a muddler designed for the task, or use a similarly shaped object like a wooden spoon). In this case, it’s nigh-impossible to over-muddle, so don’t skimp. If you can still see whole mint leaves, you aren’t done yet.
A common mojito mistake is muddling the lime together with the mint and syrup. Don’t do this; you’ll just end up imparting an undesirable bitter flavor to the drink.
Be sure to use crushed ice, not cubes, and completely fill the glass with it. You should only need a few ounces of soda water to fill the cracks. Somewhat counterintuitively, using more ice will actually result in a colder, less diluted drink.
Also make sure you use a light rum, such as Bacardi Superior or Cruzan Light (my personal favorite). Dark and/or spiced rums will overpower the delicate lime/mint flavor of the drink.
A Simpler, Better Margarita
After tackling Dark and Stormys, I turned to my favorite spring/summer drink: margaritas!
If you’re looking at the picture above, you might notice something strange: these margaritas are served in martini glasses. I serve this drink “up” because, like a martini, it’s mostly booze, and unlike the classic margarita, there’s little to this recipe:
- Fill shaker with ice
- Combine 2oz tequila, 1.5oz triple sec, and 1.5oz fresh lime juice
- Shake, serve up in a salt-rimmed glass (optional)
And that’s it; simple, right?. Keep in mind, though, this recipe is not for those of who you baulk at tequila since it’s the dominant flavor. Being the dominant flavor, spring for good tequila (I prefer silver, 100% agave tequila for this recipe), and the freshly-squeezed lime juice is crucial (seriously, kids, nothing out of a bottle). Careful, though, if margaritas are your bag, this just might be the only margarita you order from here on out.
A Dark and Stormy is Delicious and Simple
My choice of drink, much like my music, depends on the season. I don’t drink margaritas in winter the same way I don’t listen to “sad bastard music” in the summer. So with Spring upon us, it’s time to put away the winter booze and break out the fun stuff.
Rum may not be my usual go-to liquor, but I thought it high-time I try something new. Enter the Dark and Stormy. A rum-based “fizz”, the recipe is simple:
- Fill highball glass with ice
- Add 1 3/4oz dark rum
- Cut 1/2 lime in 4 slices, squeeze into the drink and drop them in
- Top up with ginger beer and stir
That’s it. The hardest part of this recipe will be finding ginger beer (I finally managed to find a 4-pack at World Market). Ginger beer, which shouldn’t be confused with ginger ale, ginger beer’s weaker cousin, is non-alcoholic, so it doesn’t add any alcohol to drink, but it does add the sweet spiciness on which the drink hangs. If you’re looking for the perfect spring/summer “adult” drink, the sweet/spicy fizziness and overall refreshing nature of the Dark and Stormy is exactly what you want.
Martini
- 2.5 oz gin
- 0.5 oz dry vermouth
- 1-2 dashes orange bitters (but not more than 2)
- lemon twist
Shake & serve in a chilled cocktail glass. Don’t use an olive for this one, as it will destroy the delicate flavor imparted by the orange bitters. Instead, squeeze a lemon twist over the top of the drink and drop it in.
Welcome to Mixellaneous!
Mixellaneous is a drink blog born out of Ian Gowen and Bill Israel’s mutual love of fine liquor and drinks mixed therefrom. We’ll be publishing recipes, reviews of various liquors, and general ramblings on the subject of alcohol.
Welcome aboard, stay tuned, and feel free to contact us if you have any questions or comments!
Want to Play With Your Liquor?
For those of you who aren’t satisfied with just drinking the liquor you buy off the shelf, here are two recipes that let you play with your liquor:
Bacon-Infused Bourbon: the few people I know who’ve made this all say it’s worth the effort.
Skittles-Infused Vodka: despite the unnatural colors, I’m really interested to try this.
It is such a simple idea, so plainly obvious that many Southerners can’t believe they didn’t think of it first: take the South’s trademark refreshment — sweet iced tea — and make it alcoholic.
This is high on my list of to-try liquors.
“igowen and I just happen to share a love of the taste of alcohol and like to talk about it.”
cubicle17
