Move Over Paciugo Part Due: Mojito Ice Cream

mojito ice cream

Happy Memorial Day weekend, friends!  We hope that you are out soaking up the sun or spending the weekend with friends and family.  Most importantly, don’t forget why you have this three-day weekend that kicks off the summer in the first place.  It is to remember those who have fallen in service to our country.

Memorial Day Quotes

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Nothing says summer like the taste of homemade ice cream.  Ever since we brought you Kerrygold Ice Cream last summer, we have been wanting to try out some other variations of this easy, tasty treat.

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We are not going to take you through all of the steps of making the ice cream with photographs, because to tell you the truth, they would look almost exactly the same as our first ice cream post. But we will tell you that instead of adding Kerrygold Irish Cream to the mixture, this time we added 1 ounce of Zaya Rum and 1 ounce of Branca Menta.  The addition of rum and mint flavors to the ice cream gave it the familiar taste of a cool, refreshing mojito.  Serve it in a small serving dish with a fresh sprig of mint on the side.

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So easy! So fresh! Just the right refreshing dessert for summer.

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Follow the recipe on our Kerrygold Ice Cream post.  Give it a try this weekend and let us know if you like it.

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Bonus Post: Corralejo Lime Guac

corralejo lime guac

It’s time for our May bonus post.  This month’s bonus is an easy, tasty, fresh recipe that you can whip up with a Mexican meal or if friends are dropping by for a last minute visit.

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With the fresh ingredients of avocados, cilantro, tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, lime and a splash of Corralejo Anejo Tequila, your guests will be singing your praises.  We had family visitors from California last weekend, and wanted to serve a tasty meal with little fuss.  The guac was a hit and so easy to make.  It was a great compliment to chicken enchiladas and a Santorita!

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First slice avocados into a molcajete or other bowl. Smash avocados with a fork.  Next add diced tomato, diced cilantro, diced onions, and jalapenos.  Mix together with the avocados.  Blend in the juice of 1 lime and .5 ounces of tequila.  We used Corralejo Anejo Tequila.  Anjeos are aged 1-3 years, so they have more flavor that comes through in the guac than a regular blanco tequila which is not aged and bottled immediately.   Add a pinch of kosher salt.  Serve with blue corn tortilla chips.  Yummo!

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If you are viewing this post in your email, visit our website for a printable version of the recipe.

Corralejo Lime Guac

Try out this tasty recipe this Memorial Day weekend while you are enjoying the views at the lake.  Let us know what you think.

Santorita!

santoritaIt’s unofficially summer in Texas.  This week in Dallas the temps hit 96 degrees and felt warmer than that with the heat index. When nature is calling for summer, why fight it?  Join in the spirit with a Santorita.

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This delicious drink is a small twist on the typical margarita by using a spirit which is gaining popularity.   Mezquila is a blend of mezcal and tequila. Mezcal is derived from various types of agave plants and  usually has a distinctive smoky character. Tequila is made only from blue agave and comes from specific parts of Mexico.  When blended together you get mezquila.

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Who better to bring you this tasty spirit than Sammy Hagar and Adam Levine?  The two have teamed up to make Santo. Santo is a blend of mezcal and tequila with a touch of smokiness and a soft agave finish.  This smoky flavor makes for an interesting flavor in your margarita.

You all know that Craig has a job where he occasionally gets to meet some super cool people.  These photos are from a Santo kick off party from about a year ago.  When asked if he got pictures with Sammy or Adam, his reply was, “I was standing in the back talking to Adam’s parents.”  Sigh!

 

To make this smoky little number, you need Santo, Cointreau, cocktail ready agave nectar, a whole lime and a half of an orange.  The addition of a little squeezed orange juice to this recipe enhances the smoky flavor of the Santo to give your margarita a richer, smoother taste.  This drink is a great compliment to your next Tex-Mex or Mexican meal.

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Sammy Hagar has a video on youtube making the Santorita, or you can keep reading and get it here.

The Santorita is a delicious twist on the traditional margarita made with the smoky flavor of mezquila.

You can find Santo at most Walmarts that sell spirits, Total Wine, and other fine liquor stores.

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Now we are all set to serve a Santorita at our next pool party. Who knows?  Maybe Sammy and Adam might show up?

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Disclaimer:  Alcoholic beverages shown on this site are meant for adults 21 years of age and older.  We do not condone underage drinking.  Never drink and drive.

Tickle Me Pink

tickle me pink

Happy Mother’s Day a few days early to all of our favorite moms.  We are raising our glass to moms everywhere with this week’s drink — Tickle Me Pink.  This rose’ sangria will be a fan favorite when you serve it from your favorite patio to celebrate the moms in your life.  It fits The Blind Pig criteria because it is easy, tasty and fresh!

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To make this rose’ sangria, you will need a pint of fresh strawberries, 4 fresh limes, 1 bottle of Rose’ wine, 1/2 cup of Zaya Rum, and 4 cups of Diet Sprite.  Most sangria’s call for a white rum, but we like to use a dark rum like Zaya because it has a richer flavor that compliments the fruit and the wine nicely.

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Start by thinly slicing the strawberries and limes.  Place half of the strawberries and limes in a tall pitcher.  Save the other half in a tightly sealed container for garnish.

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Pour the rose’ wine and the Zaya Rum into the pitcher.  Cover the pitcher and place in the refrigerator for 4-24 hours.  We made ours the night before for a get-together we were having the following day.

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Tickle Me Pink Rose’ Sangria

Prior to serving, add 4 cups of Diet Sprite, ice and stir.  We prefer Diet Sprite instead of regular.  Many sangrias can be overly sweet which overpowers the flavors in the drink. The Diet Sprite achieves the bubbly essence of the sangria without the extra sugar and sweetness.

As you serve your guests place a few slices of strawberries and limes in each glass.  It’s a delicious, easy and fun refreshing summer sipper.

For a printable version of the recipe, visit our website.

Tickle Me Pink Rose' Sangria

Don’t forget The Grapefruit Spritz is another great Mother’s Day cocktail.

A special shout out to the special moms in our lives — Ruth, Bonnie, Anita, Anna, Rosemary, Jennifer, LeeAnn, Dee, Kayla, Paula, Margaret and Heather!

Disclaimer:  The beverages shared on this website are for adults 21 years of age and older.  We do not condone underage drinking.  Never drink and drive.

Bar Tools and Supplies We Love

Have you started a new hobby and you weren’t quite sure which tools and supplies you really needed?  You go to the store all pumped up about your new endeavor, but you are not quite sure what to things are a necessity and which things are just fluff?  This post is for you.  Maybe you want to stock your new bar or you are already thinking ahead to Father’s Day gifts? We are going to share with you our top tools and supplies that we can’t entertain without.

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8.  Wine Corker

Although we don’t focus on wine on The Blind Pig Blog, we do drink wine occasionally and especially serve wine when we entertain.  It is worth it to invest in a good sturdy wine corker.  We like this one because it feels sturdy in our hands and is good quality.  You don’t want a corker that will break off cork into a guests wine!  We also like this one because it is easy to store and does not take up a lot of space in our bar area.

7. Strainer

We don’t use a strainer often, there are definite recipes that require a strainer.  It is handy to have one around for recipes like The Cucumber Gin Spritz.

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6.  Muddler

How can you make a Zaya Rum Mojito without a good muddler? This tool may not be used everytime we serve drinks, but it is nice to have one on hand for those special cocktails.  We bought a wooden one similar to this one at Target.

5.  A Variety of Glassware

“Glassware is to a drink as shoes are to a woman’s outfit,” says Rhonda. “A woman can have the cutest outfit, but wear the wrong shoes with it and it just doesn’t work.”  It’s true with cocktails and glassware.  Drinking a spritz? You need a tall skinny glass.  Drinking a hurricane?  You need a big hefty schooner.  Margaritas taste best in a margarita glass.  You get the point?  Your drinks look and taste much better when paired with the correct glassware.

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4.  Jigger

Our jigger is one of our most used bar tools.  We use it to measure ounces for all of our favorite recipes and couldn’t do without it.

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3.  Fun straws and napkins

Okay, Rhonda slipped this one in.  It’s kind of like her shoe analogy above.  Rhonda thinks everything tastes better with a straw, and to save the environment it tastes better with a cute paper straw.  Colorful napkins with funny sayings make entertaining more fun, too.  Rhonda usually picks these up when she finds them at Home Goods or in the dollar section at Target.  We keep them on hand in our pantry for last minute get-togethers.

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2. Lemon/Lime Squeezer

We use our lemon/lime squeezer constantly.  Almost every cocktail we make needs a squeeze of this or a squeeze of that.  In order to make the freshest cocktails we can, we have to have a squeezer. We bought this one years ago from Pampered Chef.  This one has been well worn, but we love this sturdy and durable tool. Skinny Agave Margaritas would not be the same without the squeezer.

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1. Cocktail Shaker

Where would we be without the shaker?  This tool is our most used and favorite bar tool.  Rhonda bought Craig a larger shaker a few years ago for Christmas, but we still gravitate to this one.  It is just the right size to shake a cocktail or two.  It fits nicely in our hands and in the dishwasher.

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What is your favorite bar tool or supply?  What did we leave off of our list that you just can’t live without?  We would love to hear about it.

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