Okay, I'll admit it: I love tequila. I'm one of the few and proud whose college memories (thus far) have not been tainted with visions of one too many salt-and-lime shots in dive bars on Friday nights, so perhaps I can be forgiven for not approaching tequila with the same "oh God, not that shit again" mindset. Tequila is a damn fine spirit, for both mixing and enjoying neat - Mexico has known this for years, and it seems like America is (finally) jumping on the tequila bandwagon, declaring their favorite premium brands and endlessly debating their own personal ratios of ingredients in their Margaritas. (For the record, mine is 2 oz tequila, 3/4 oz lime, 1/2 oz Cointreau, and 1/2 oz simple syrup. I like to taste the hooch, and anything over an ounce of lime is usually overkill for me.)

Tequila is fun, like rum or sambuca. It doesn't concern itself with snobbery, doesn't waste time with multiple distillations or OCD-worthy filtration counts. It doesn't care whether you drink it straight in a snifter or toss it back with a lime wedge and a bunch of frat boys cheering you on. It's endlessly mixable and almost always signifies good times. And for some reason, it goes really well with pineapple.

Which brings me to my entry for this month's Mixology Monday, hosted by Matt at My Bar, Your Bar. (See, I do get to the point eventually.)

Flipping through my copy of Mr. Boston (which seems filled with an equal number of hits and misses, taste-wise - c'est la vie, I suppose), I came across something called a Big Red Hooter. Yeah, I know. But the ingredients - tequila, pinapple juice, amaretto, and grenadine - sounded like an intriguing mix. Tequila has an inherent sweetness that seems to go well with other sweet stuff like fruit juices and liqueurs. I didn't have any grenadine on hand, so I used the other three ingredients to create something of my own.

This makes a great party drink - ice cold and sweet, sweet, sweet. (Cut it with a squeeze of lemon if so desired, but don't go overboard.) It's better than a vodka-cranberry or your millionth Screwdriver, anyway.

Sandstorm
2 oz gold tequila (Olmeca)
pineapple juice, unsweetened
3/4 oz amaretto (Di Saronno)

Add tequila to an ice-filled highball or hurricane glass. Top with pineapple juice and stir. Float amaretto on top, watch it sink defiantly.


(It wasn't until hours later that I realized this is basically a variation on the Tequila Sunrise. But still.)

This entry was posted by Darryl, on Monday, May 14, 2007. You can leave your response.