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POTENT POTABLES |
People of the southwest were fermenting and drinking the juices of the maguey cactus
long before the town of Tequila was ever though of, much less getting around to calling
the firey liquid by that name. Early explorers found the Indians getting roaring drunk on
a similar stuff which they called Tiz Win. For many years Tequila was considered to be the
drink of the lowest class of people and not until some enterprising bartender came up with
a way to mix it into a more palatable form did it become the Mexican national drink. After
all, how could one have bad thoughts about a drink named after something as delicate as a
daisy.
There is an old saying that if you are lonely, mix up a batch of margarita, and within
minutes, someone will come along to tell you that you did it wrong. There are probably as
many different recipes for making margaritas as there are mixologists, as bartenders like
to be called.
Some people feel that no Baja evening will be complete unless it begins by shaking hands
with Jose Cuervo.
GRINGO MARGARITAS
Actually, there are three levels of the Gringo Margarita: Chica, Grande and Mucho Macho,
which are really vicious. Get out your blender and go for it. Each of these recipes will
make 32 ounces of Margarita. Serve over ice cubes or add ice to the blender to make them
frozen.
Chica:
1 6 Oz. Can Welche's Frozen Limeade
1 Can Tequila
3 Cans Water
1/2 Can Orange Juice
Grande:
1 6 Oz. Can Welche's Frozen Limeade
2 Cans Tequila
2 Cans Water
1/2 Can Orange Juice
Mucho Macho:
1 6 Oz. Can Welche's Frozen Limeade
1 1/2 Cans Water
2 Cans Tequila
1/2 Can Damiana
1/2 Can Contreau or Triple Sec
BAJA MARIA
1 Shooter Tequila (2 Oz)
6 Oz. Tomato or V-8 Juice
1 Lime cut in half
1 Tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tsp. Tobasco
Squeeze half the lime into a glass and mix in other ingredients. Save the other half to suck on if the Tobasco gets too vicious. It is claimed that this drink will cure anything from hangovers to hangnails.
SHOOTERS
The glasses used for drinking straight Tequila in Baja look something like large shotgun shells, from whence they got their name. A shooter holds about one and a half jiggers. Swapping shooters, a popular game in the local cantinas, is about as hazardous to your health as letting a monkey play with a hand grenade. This should be left to the old hands who have measured well, both their capacity and endurance.
BENIGN BAJA BEVERAGES
For those who want to serve something which is somewhat less deadly than Carrie Nation's ax, here are a few suggestions which will warm the hearts and please the masses.
SUMMER HUMMERS
6 Oz. Kahlu'a
6 Oz. Rum
3 Cups Vanilla Ice Cream
Blend to the consistency of a milk shake and serve in dessert glasses.
YELLOW BIRDS
1 6 Oz. Can Frozen Orange Juice
12 Oz. Canned Pineapple Juice
12 Oz. White Rum
6 Oz. Creme de Banana
18 Oz. Water
Blend and serve with lots of ice cubes in a pitcher or punch bowl.
IT'S RUMMY DUMMY TIME
I first became acquainted with this great cool weather drink while attending the Vagabundos del Mar annual crab and artichoke feed. This is a bash which the club holds each May at a marina and RV park near their Isleton, California headquarters. This particular rummy dummy party began innocently enough, but before the night was over, making the rummy dummies had progressed from a few small containers to one of the pots used for boiling crabs. Everyone kept adding various and sundry things to the mixture until it took on the form of a witches' brew. Some of the participants claimed that it actually glowed in the dark. I doubt that anyone will ever be able to duplicate that particular bunch of rummy dummies, or would want to, but here is the basic recipe. I accept no responsibility for, nor do I guarantee what direction it will take once a Rummy Dummy party gets up a full head of steam. Here is the recipe for four people, but it can be adjusted to fit the crowd.
2 Pkg. Instant Hot Chocolate Mix
2 Tsp. Instant coffee
4 Cups Hot Water
4 Jiggers Rum (mas o menos)
Combine the first three ingredients and pour into four mugs. Carefully pour at least one jigger of rum into each mug. Stir as little as possible or the heat will cause the alcohol to evaporate.
BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS
Lest you think that I am talking about a bowl of Wheaties, read on. Early one morning when I was looking for a cup of coffee in the town of San Felipe, I stopped at a cantina where they also served food. As I sipped my coffee, one of the locals hoisted himself onto a bar stool and ordered "Breakfast of Champions". The bartender handed him a cup of black coffee and poured a shooter of tequila. The customer dumped the tequila into the coffee and sipped away. Talk about the hair of the dog that bit you!