'Tequila makes me crazy!'
This, declared by Mrs. O, who is already a little crazy by nature.
Several of us nodded and a few asserted that there was something different about tequila--some kind of mystery ingredient that riles one up. (This later proved untrue, but nonetheless, it felt like we were drinking a little crazy juice as the night wore on.)
It was the monthly meeting of the NY Cocktail Club, and Angela was hosting. When I arrived several hours late, she was mixing and shaking margaritas with home-infused blood-orange tequila while Mr. Angela manned the stove.
The NY Cocktail Club was launched last year. As LP would say, it's like book club but better. There are eight members, and we 'meet' once a month. The ingredients of study are chosen by the hostess, and each month we seem to outdo ourselves.
Tequila is not my spirit. (I'm a whiskey girl at heart, though I've also grown to like gin quite a bit as well.) There's something tricky about tequila. What exactly does one do with it beyond mixing up tasty margaritas? LP and I went to Mayahuel in the East Village on Thursday night to answer this very question with some pre-meeting research.
Mayahuel's menu is packed with tequila and mezcal cocktails, and the bartenders there know their stuff. We did remarkably well under such circumstances, having only two cocktails each and sharing a third. I started with a Loop Tonic that was made with blanco tequila, green chartreuse, vermouth, celery bitters and lime. It was bright and refreshing.
We had other delicious mixtures with sherry and Cardamaro (an amaro infused with Cardoon--a Mediterranean thistle that is similar to an artichoke except the stalks and roots are used rather than the flowering heads--and Blessed Thistle--imbibed with holiness perhaps because it was used by monks and also helped treat the bubonic plague). It's quite delicious, and I now have a bottle in my home bar.
The drink of the evening, however, was the Senorita, which is Mayahuel's signature cocktail. It's a mix of reposado tequila, Orangerie, lime, agave nectar and grapefruit bitters. Orangerie is a scotch that is infused with orange zest, cassia bark (cinnamon) and cloves. LP picked up a bottle for her collection (because it's tasty and pretty).
Guided by our research, we added these newly discovered liquors to Saturday night's bar along with green chartreuse, St. Germain Elderflower liqueur and mezcal for rinsing. Angela had infused tequilas with regular orange (in addition to the aforementioned blood orange) and jalapeno, and Trader Vicky brought a home-infused hibiscus tequila as well.
Margaritas ensued, of course, as did a wonderful springy mixture of jalapeno tequila, fresh cucumber juice, lime and simple syrup and a fabulous concoction of hibiscus tequila with elderflower liqueur and a few other ingredients. There were other experiments, some successful, some not.
Of course, a tequila evening is hardly complete without tacos. What a feast Mr. and Mrs. Angela laid out before us! Two versions of Mexican-spiced chicken, chorizo, beef, cotija cheese, guacamole, sour cream, corn tortillas and an array of salsas. (I'm secretly a taco-fanatic so I was thrilled. It's true--I had tacos for dinner three times last week!)
And this morning? Well, I turned the coffee pot on, left the kitchen to take a shower and came back to discover I hadn't placed the pot in the maker. Coffee everywhere! Nothing a few hours in Prospect Park gazing at blossoms couldn't cure. A little vitamin D goes a long way on such days.
Stay tuned, my friends. And give it up for Don Nacho... great infusing and mixing tequilas! In fact, you may want to try mixing a few of those tasty drinks. Here are the recipes from Angela:
In the meantime, happy first birthday to AB! You throw a heck of a party! Just ask Elmo.
This, declared by Mrs. O, who is already a little crazy by nature.
Several of us nodded and a few asserted that there was something different about tequila--some kind of mystery ingredient that riles one up. (This later proved untrue, but nonetheless, it felt like we were drinking a little crazy juice as the night wore on.)
It was the monthly meeting of the NY Cocktail Club, and Angela was hosting. When I arrived several hours late, she was mixing and shaking margaritas with home-infused blood-orange tequila while Mr. Angela manned the stove.
The NY Cocktail Club was launched last year. As LP would say, it's like book club but better. There are eight members, and we 'meet' once a month. The ingredients of study are chosen by the hostess, and each month we seem to outdo ourselves.
Tequila is not my spirit. (I'm a whiskey girl at heart, though I've also grown to like gin quite a bit as well.) There's something tricky about tequila. What exactly does one do with it beyond mixing up tasty margaritas? LP and I went to Mayahuel in the East Village on Thursday night to answer this very question with some pre-meeting research.
Mayahuel's menu is packed with tequila and mezcal cocktails, and the bartenders there know their stuff. We did remarkably well under such circumstances, having only two cocktails each and sharing a third. I started with a Loop Tonic that was made with blanco tequila, green chartreuse, vermouth, celery bitters and lime. It was bright and refreshing.
We had other delicious mixtures with sherry and Cardamaro (an amaro infused with Cardoon--a Mediterranean thistle that is similar to an artichoke except the stalks and roots are used rather than the flowering heads--and Blessed Thistle--imbibed with holiness perhaps because it was used by monks and also helped treat the bubonic plague). It's quite delicious, and I now have a bottle in my home bar.
The drink of the evening, however, was the Senorita, which is Mayahuel's signature cocktail. It's a mix of reposado tequila, Orangerie, lime, agave nectar and grapefruit bitters. Orangerie is a scotch that is infused with orange zest, cassia bark (cinnamon) and cloves. LP picked up a bottle for her collection (because it's tasty and pretty).
Guided by our research, we added these newly discovered liquors to Saturday night's bar along with green chartreuse, St. Germain Elderflower liqueur and mezcal for rinsing. Angela had infused tequilas with regular orange (in addition to the aforementioned blood orange) and jalapeno, and Trader Vicky brought a home-infused hibiscus tequila as well.
Margaritas ensued, of course, as did a wonderful springy mixture of jalapeno tequila, fresh cucumber juice, lime and simple syrup and a fabulous concoction of hibiscus tequila with elderflower liqueur and a few other ingredients. There were other experiments, some successful, some not.
Of course, a tequila evening is hardly complete without tacos. What a feast Mr. and Mrs. Angela laid out before us! Two versions of Mexican-spiced chicken, chorizo, beef, cotija cheese, guacamole, sour cream, corn tortillas and an array of salsas. (I'm secretly a taco-fanatic so I was thrilled. It's true--I had tacos for dinner three times last week!)
And this morning? Well, I turned the coffee pot on, left the kitchen to take a shower and came back to discover I hadn't placed the pot in the maker. Coffee everywhere! Nothing a few hours in Prospect Park gazing at blossoms couldn't cure. A little vitamin D goes a long way on such days.
Stay tuned, my friends. And give it up for Don Nacho... great infusing and mixing tequilas! In fact, you may want to try mixing a few of those tasty drinks. Here are the recipes from Angela:
In the meantime, happy first birthday to AB! You throw a heck of a party! Just ask Elmo.
This recipe was slightly modified by infusing the jalapeno and blood organge tequila in separate batches but... great company is what really makes it!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-blood-orange-margarita-s,0,3117458.story