I love tequila. Although in the hard liquor category, I most often drink bourbon, tequila has a special place in my heart. While I associate calm, relaxing, and contemplating with bourbon, I associate happiness, camaraderie, spontaneity, and joy with tequila.
I know not everyone has those same associations with tequila. It is most often used in connection with drunken mistakes, intoxicated blunders, and liquor lapses in judgment. As someone once said, “Computers have enabled people to make more mistakes faster than almost any invention in history, with the possible exception of tequila and hand guns.” Although I once felt that way about tequila, I now know how much more complicated tequila is. The citron and floral notes seduce you, presenting one mood and one side, only to have the more elusive, dangerous undertones catch you unaware.
Sometimes, I like it brown and dirty. Sometimes, I like it clear and clean. Sometimes, I like it to provide a precarious undertone to a green, tangy lime soaked concoction. But, if I’m feeling sassy, just tequila, a slice of lime, soda water, over ice will always leave me content.
When I’ve done tequila infusions, my two favorites were watermelon tequila and pepper tequila. For the watermelon, you just take half a watermelon, cut it up, and leave it to soak in the tequila for a couple of days. Even after you strain out the watermelon, it will have doubled in bulk because of all the water in the watermelon, making the tequila lose a little edge. It makes a great punch with a liter of Sprite or soda water, some orange and lime slices, and some muddled mint. While watermelon tequila is for everyone, pepper tequila is not for the faint of heart. To make this, I let about a tablespoon of peppercorns and a sliced up jalapeno sit in a bottle of tequila for 24 hours. You strain the peppers and just serve on the rocks or with ginger ale. The tequila will take on a fiery bite, so make sure to play nice.
Tequila has battered me, embarrassed me, calmed me, and pleased me, but on this Cincdo de Mayo, I still raise my glass to say, "Here's to Tequila."
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