COCKTAILS: Recipes for Cinco de Mayo libations.
There’ll be no big outdoor celebrations for Cinco de Mayo this year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a fiesta at home. We asked three Houston chefs for their best cocktail recipes.
Smoking Pineapple Mezcal Margarita
1¾ ounces Del Maguey Santo Domingo Mezcal (if not available, Monte Alban Mezcal)
½ ounce Cointreau
½ ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice 1¼ ounces Grilled Pineapple Purée
(recipe follows) Hawaiian orange sea salt
One triangle wedge of pineapple
with the outer skin still on Instructions: In shaker, combine mezcal, Cointreau, lime juice and grilled pineapple purée, and shake over ice until well combined. Very lightly coat rim of a martini glass with Hawaiian orange sea salt. Pour margarita into the martini glass straightup and garnish with pineapple wedge.
GRILLED PINEAPPLE PURÉE
1 pineapple
8 ounces pineapple juice
Instructions: Prep pineapple by removing skin and cut into 1-inchthick rounds. Grill three of the rounds, or about 8 ounces, until the sugars have begun to caramelize and there are nice crisscross char-marks on both sides. Remove from grill and roughly chop in bowl or pitcher. Using a hand blender, purée pineapple, making sure not to leave any solid chunks. (Note: You can also use a regular blender or Cuisinart. I prefer the texture the hand blender produces.) Add in 8 ounces pineapple juice to the purée and blend until well mixed.
Makes 1 serving
From chef Hugo Ortega of Hugo’s
Abundio’s Prized Sangria
3 quarts Yago Sangria Wine (or
Presidente brand)
½ cup sugar
12 ounces (1½ cups) brandy 12 ounces ( 1½ cups) fresh orange
juice
6 ounces (¾ cup) fresh lime juice 1 orange, unpeeled and cut into
1⁄8-inch-thick slices
1 lime, unpeeled and cut into
1⁄8-inch-thick slices Instructions: In a large (1-gallon) container or pitcher, combine 2 cups of the sangria wine with the sugar, stirring well to dissolve the sugar. Add the remaining sangria, the brandy and orange and lime juices. Stir or shake well with the lid tightly closed to combine the ingredients. Chill for several hours in refrigerator. Serve in wineglasses, tumblers or plastic cups over ice, garnished with slices of lemon and lime.
Makes about 20 6-ounce servings Tacos A Go Go Paloma
2 ounces Tequila
1 ounce Triple Sec, Grand Marnier or
Cointreau
1 ounce lime juice
½ ounce agave syrup
6-8 ounces Ruby Red Grapefruit
Juice Instructions: Combine all ingredients over ice.
Makes 1 serving
From chef Mallory Buford of Tacos A Go Go and Fajitas A Go Go