Sangrita

Back from Mexico about three weeks ago and just too darn busy with family, life, work, dog, et al until now to get back blogging!  What a fantastic trip!  Officially known as Hubby's retirement bash, we spent two and a half weeks in Cabo in our new Villa with friends and family.  Perfect.  And come Wednesday, we will be back there again!  No rest for the wicked, is there?

I found some great new places, a quirky cooking school and some new favorite foods.  But for now, I think I'll start my blogging with Hubby's favorite Mexican drink: tequila banderas, or banderita.  This is one shot of a moderately good drinking tequila (we use reposado) with a shot of lime juice and a shot of a chaser, called Sangrita.  There you have it: three shot glasses filled with the colors of the Mexican flag (bandera).  Very patriotic, very Mexican and full of flavor from start to finish.

Let's start with a quick Tequila 101.  There is the Jose Cuervo line, perfect for campus or those looking for a good time and cheap time.  Then there are three levels of tequila: Blanco, Reposado and Anejo that are distinguished primarily on the length of aging, similar to a scotch or other fine liquor. Blanco is a good, light tequila that is often used in high end cocktails (think PATRON Blanco Tequila).  I believe it is roughly aged a few months and like the word "blanco", is very light in color.  The next level is reposado, aged slightly longer, about a year, and slightly darker in color.  This is a great sipping tequila.  Smooth and not too expensive, a reposado is often considered in Mexico to be a "lady's tequila" (think HERRADURA Reposado Tequila).  And last but not least, there is tequila Anejo.  Anejo means aged, and with that, this tequila is typically aged anywhere from one to three years.  It's generally considered the top shelf of tequila, used for sipping the same way you'd enjoy a single malt scotch and can vary in color from pale to a deep and beautiful amber color.

Once you chose your tequila, on to a freshly squeezed ounce of lime juice and then, the Sangrita....

Sangrita was difficult for me to wrap my head around.  First off, I don't and I won't drink tomato juice.  No issue with the tomato itself, but the thought of a cold glass of tomato juice just doesn't do it for me.  So, a drink that is predominantly tomato is well...unappealing.  That said, Sangrita is more than just V8.  It's a complex drink that includes vegetables, fruits, spice, sugar and a real savory finish.  I found several recipes online for Sangrita - most fairly labor intensive with fine dicing involved. David loves it, so after spying on the bartenders mix this flavorful concoction together, I headed back to the lab to hammer out my own recipe:

Sangrita Gringa

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups V8 Juice (I use the low sodium with mixed vegetables)
1 1/4 cup Orange Juice
1 Tbsp. and 1 tsp. Grenadine
3/4 tsp. Tabasco Sauce
3 tsp. HP Sauce
3/4 tsp. Worchestershire Sauce

Directions

Whisk all ingredients together until smooth.  Store in a glass bottle in the fridge, serve cold.

How easy is that? :-)

If you need help, start with sipping the tequila, then lime and finish it off with a sip of sangrita.  Repeat until you need another...

Saludos!