Cinco de Mayo Cocktails

When celebrating Cinco de Mayo, having a good cocktail in hand is a must! 

¡Arriba, Abajo, al centro, a dentro! 

The cocktail recipes I will be sharing with you are made with Wansas Tequila, I was introduced to Wansas while at a Mariano's Tastemasters event and was immediately hooked. In addition, my good friend D.C. Crenshaw is the el hombre behind this amazing tequila! Enjoy! ¡Salud!

Wansas Caliente Rita

1 1/2 oz Wansas Silver

3/4 oz Ancho Reyes Ancho Chile Liquer

1 oz Fresh Lime Juice

1/2 oz Agave Nectar

Directions: Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake and double strain into a salt-rimmed rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a lime. 

El Diablo

1 1/2 oz Wansas Reposado

1/2 oz Creme de Cassis

1/2 oz Fresh Lime Juice

2-3 oz Ginger Beer

Directions: Combine Tequila, Creme de Cassis, and lime juice. Shake with ice and strain into a collins glass with fresh ice. Top with ginger beer and garnish with a fresh blackberry. 

Antique Taco's Grilled Jalapeño Guacamole

Antique Taco is like home to me, as Chef Rick's wife, Ashley, is my friend from High School.  I love their food and drink (the horchata may be the best I have had outside of México), and to make things better their outside patio is opening this Saturday! So I hope to see you there, drinking Rosemary's margaritas al fresco. 

via 

When Mariano's invited me to a tasteMaker event with Rick and Ashley, I wouldn't miss it for the world.  I have been wanting to attend one of these events for quite some time. To find out about their tasteMaster events, head to Mariano's website. 

With Chicago's weather warmed up (Finally!), BBQs firing up, and Cinco de Mayo around the corner, this recipe is sure to be a hit! 

grilled jalapeño guacamole

 yields: 4 serving 

ingredients

2  avocados, ripe

 (Chef Rick's tip on finding the rip avocado... place the avocado in the palm of your hand, gently squeeze the fruit.  It must feel a little soft, but not too tender (not too smoochy and not too firm).  Make sure the stem is intact, and ideally the fruit should have some green color specs in the dark color)

2 Tablespoons of red onion, small diced

1 jalapeño 

1 Tablespoons cilantro, roughly chopped 

2 medium cloves of garlic (minced) 

Juice of a lime (Start with 1/2 a lime) 

1 Teaspoon extra virgin olive oil (EVVO)

1 teaspoon sea salt 

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

preparation

Heat your grill to medium-high heat.  If you don't have a grill, you can char the jalapeño on your stove top with thongs.  Grill the jalapeño for a couple minutes or until charred.  Remove from grill, let it cool, and using a knife gently peel the charred skin away. Make sure cut off the stem! 

Using a sharp knife, carefully open the avocados in halves, remove the pits and cross cut the avocados. Scoop out the green meat with a spoon and discard the peel.  In a mixing bowl, add the avocado and begin smashing it with a fork. If you have a molcajete, put that in use and serve your guacamole from it. Add salt, onion, jalapeño, garlic, lime, EVVO, and fresh ground pepper.  Taste and adjust lime and salt if necessary.  Serve with a few hours. Enjoy!  

I served the guacamole with black bean chicken tacos. ¡Qué delicioso! 

Here's a recap of the Mariano's tasteMaker event with Chef Rick, it was an evening of fun and lots of good food and drink. 

Shrimp Ceviche

Tacos and Tequila are the perfect marriage. Antique Taco's market mushroom taco is any vegetarian's dream come true. The tequila cocktails were provided by Wansas Tequila. 

Behind the scenes, Chef Rick and Host Kiki are power plating the dishes. 

 I inhaled three of these chicken flautas. 

Check sure to register early for the next tastMaker event as seating is limited!