rojo

Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner, and although many Americans think that it is Mexico’s version of our Fourth of July, it is a holiday that celebrates the date of the Mexican army’s 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. Cinco de Mayo is a relatively minor holiday in Mexico. In the United States, Cinco de Mayo has evolved into a commemoration of Mexican culture and heritage. Americans don’t need much of an excuse to have a party.

When planning this post we were going to introduce you to another great margarita recipe, because everyone loves a good marg, right? Then we started to scroll through our past posts and realized that we could put together a whole menu of easy, tasty and fresh ideas for your Cinco de Mayo party.

Appetizer– Tequila Ceviche.

We shared this post with you last summer, and it became a huge hit in TBP household. This is often a go-to for us when friends and family are joining us for dinner. Hosting tip– this is delicious if made ahead of time. It gives the flavors time to meld together and you time to take care of other pressing matters.

Cocktails! You can’t have a Cinco de Mayo party without a yummy margarita. We have some marg suggestions for you.

Skinny Agave Margarita: This one is a crowd pleaser. Easy to make and easy to drink.

Jalapeno Popper Margarita: Need to spice things up a bit?

Watermelon Jalapeno Margarita: Fresh and spicy. What else is there to say?

Merry Margarita: We know it’s not Christmas, but this drink will keep your guests merry all year long

Santorita: This marg is made with mezquila. You can also substitute your favorite tequila. It’s an excellent recipe.

In keeping with other yummy Mexican beverages we have some margarita alternatives.

Rojo: This drink is made for the more sophisticated palate. With a name like Rojo, how can it be left off the list?

Carpano Antica Sangria: Need a large batch recipe? This is your friend. For the busy host, this recipe also can be made ahead of time.

Paloma: Palomas are more popular in Mexico than margaritas which are more of an American invention. If you really want to be true to Viva La Mexico, go with the Paloma.

The Paloma is a refreshing alternative tequila cocktail to the typical margarita.

Main Course: We have 3 wonderful choices for you for the main course.

Hatch Tequila Chicken: This recipe is a little more time consuming, but if you plan ahead you can prep much of this a day ahead in order to make the day of your celebration a breeze. This chicken is so yummy. It is well worth the extra effort.

Corralejo Honey Lime Chicken: This is a great choice, especially if you are in the mood to grill. This chicken is very versatile. It can stand alone, be sliced up and served in tacos or fajitas. This is a TBP family favorite.

Tequila Fish Tacos: These tacos are very yummy and flavorful. Fish tacos aren’t for everyone, but we highly recommend this recipe.

Dessert: Tequila Strawberry Lime Ice Cream Pie

This pie recipe will need to be prepped the day before your party. With its yummy strawberry ice cream, pretzel crust and touch of tequila flavor, your guests will be blown away!

Choose one or choose them all, you can’t go wrong with this line up for your Cinco de Mayo.

Disclaimer: Beverages on this site are meant for adults 21 years of age and older. We do not condone underage drinking, and never drink and drive.

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rojo

Happy Fall Friends! Just when we think it is never going to return, we feel that crisp breeze and the scent of Fall is in the air. In Texas, Fall is a very welcome old friend and a great time to sit on the patio with friends and loved ones sipping on a delightful cocktail. This week we are sharing a cocktail with you that complements the season well. The Rojo has a full bodied flavor that is perfect for sipping on a cool autumn night around a fire.

To make the Rojo, you will need Zaya Rum or another high quality dark rum, fresh lime juice, brown sugar syrup, and medium bodied red wine. To make the brown sugar syrup, follow the same directions for making simple syrup. This time you will use a 1:1 ratio of brown sugar and water.

The Rojo gives us an opportunity to share some new elements with you that are popular on the cocktail scene. The first new element is the trend to garnish drinks with dehydrated citrus fruits. We adapted the recipe a bit, and noticed that it was garnished with a dehydrated lime. So we partook in a little experiment to see how to go about creating this effect. Apparently, dehydration has become popular in many bars and restaurants to prevent wasting so many citrus fruits at the end of a shift.

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To dehydrate limes we thinly sliced a lime. Then we placed the limes on parchment paper on a baking sheet. We set our oven as low as it would go, which was 200 degrees. If you can set your oven lower, we would suggest trying it. Place the baking sheet in the oven and let the limes slowly bake. This process will take almost all day long. We checked on our limes every hour- two to make sure that they were not burning. After about 4 hours, we took our limes out of the oven and flipped them over. As you can see, our limes dehydrated and caramelized a bit. However, if you are lucky enough to have a dehydrator, your limes will only dry and not change color. We still think that our dehydrated lime gives our drink and interesting garnish, and the limes are now sitting in our pantry ready to be used for other drinks or plopped in a glass of ice water for a lime flavor.

Another fun element that brings a little extra sizzle to your cocktails is adding a red-wine floater. To create this effect in your cocktail you make the cocktail as directed and pour into your glass. Then very gently drizzle wine over the back of a spoon to disperse the wine atop the cocktail. This creates a thin layer of wine at the top of the drink, and makes for a visually pleasing cocktail. If you need to see how to make a float in action, we found this helpful video on YouTube.

The last element that makes this drink special is ice. We have shared with you before the importance of matching the right ice to the right cocktail. You want to use a large cube with the Rojo. If you don’t, the floater will not have as big of an effect and the drink will have less visual appeal.

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If you are viewing this post through email, you can visit our site theblindpig.blog for a printable version of the recipe.

We would love to hear what you think about the Rojo. It is a fun drink to make and even better to drink! Happy Fall.

Disclaimer: Beverages posted on this site are meant for adults 21 years of age and older. We do not condone underage drinking, and never drink and drive.