Marialada with Exotico Tequila
Sometimes...sometimes...you just need tequila and beer for breakfast. Brunch? Should we say brunch just to make everyone a little more comfortable? I digress. Tequila and beer... combine them with fresh citrus juices, tomato juice, some kick-you-in-the-teeth habañero, and then a taquito (why not stick a taquito in your beverage? WHY NOT?); that's a pretty well-rounded meal, IMO.
I've always been a total Bloody Mary person--but I love the spin-offs just as much. Especially, the Bloody Maria--which is the tequila version of the classic, and the Michelada, which uses beer as its booze base. So when award-winning, 100% Agave Exotico Tequila approached me about creating a cocktail for them, I knew I had to put those two together to form a Marialada (patent pending). And because spring has finally kicked into gear in the cocktail garden, I pulled as many ingredients as I could from the yard: citrus, early tomatoes, peppers, and taquitos from the taquito tree. What? Nevermind.
M A R I A L A D A
Makes one serving.
3 oz. habañero pepper-infused tomato juice (instructions below)
2 oz. of your preferred Mexican style lager beer
1.5 oz. Exotico Reposado Tequila
1 oz. fresh orange juice
.5 oz. fresh lime juice
.5 oz. Chile Honey Syrup (instructions below)
3 dashes of habañero hot sauce
1 pinch of salt
1:1 mixture of salt and grated cotija cheese to rim glass
Garnish: habañero peppers, cherry tomatoes, lime wedge, scented geranium leave, and taquito picked fresh from the tree.
To make your infused tomato juice, slice two habañero peppers in half, place them in a 16 oz. sized mason jar filled with plain, store bought tomato juice and let infuse overnight in the fridge or until desired level of spicy mouth hurt is achieved. Strain peppers from juice and store juice in airtight container in fridge for up to a week. Or just buy spicy tomato juice from the store.
To make your Chile Honey Syrup, combine either equal parts water and chile-infused honey (such as Mike's Hot Honey) in a small sauce pan, or combine equal parts water and honey and one sliced habañero pepper. I used 1/2 cup water and a 1/2 cup honey. Let ingredients come to a boil and make sure honey is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool. If you used peppers in yours, strain peppers. Place syrup in airtight container and store in fridge for up to a week.
Can we make that cocktail yet?!!
No. Patience is a virtue. Now you gotta prep your glass. Rim the edge of a 12 oz. beer glass with lime juice and roll it in your mixture of salt and cotija cheese. Place several large ice cubes in your glass.
NOW we can make the cocktail. In a shaker over ice, combine spicy tomato juice, orange juice, lime juice, tequila, chile honey syrup, salt, and hot sauce. Shake until chilled and pour into prepped glass. Top with beer and garnish with all sorts of ridiculous garnish. Including a taquito. Hell, make it two. I LIKE TAQUITOS WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME.
I know what you're thinking...this is a pretty crazy cocktail. Between the beer, and the tequila, and the tomato juice and the orange juice, and the salt and the sweet and the hot. And the taquito. What is even happening?! But if you like Bloody Marys this one is pretty delicious and complex. The oak and caramel of the Exotico Reposado plays so well with the sweetness and spice of the honey and the earthiness of the tomato juice. And the beer just makes it extra refreshing.
And, since it's finally so dang springy in the garden, it's the perfect place to enjoy a tall, frosty, overly-garnished Marialada.
It's always a fun time chasing chickens out of your tomato plants while drinking a tomato cocktail. Just don't set your drink or your pretty tequila bottle down at chicken eye level. Trust me on this.
This post is a paid partnership with Exotico Tequila. Please drink responsibly. Especially around a bunch of lightening-quick chickens.