Flor de Puebla

Today is National Margarita Day! As random as these various holidays may seem, I do love how they bring lots of people together to play with the same recipe or ingredient. If you check Twitter, Instagram, or your favorite blogs today, you're almost certain to find dozens of fantastic margarita recipes. And I'm happy to throw one more into the mix.

For this margarita, I infused blanco tequila with dried hibiscus flowers. This gives it a floral, slightly fruity taste and a beautiful bright pink color. Hibiscus is not as hard to find as you might think. I like getting it from my local natural wellness store, which lets you scoop your own teas and spices. It's great because you don't need much for an infusion. But you can also buy dried hibiscus online. Just a half tablespoon of dried flowers in one cup of your spirit of choice will give you a beautiful infusion overnight.

To give this margarita a bit more depth and spice, I also threw in some Ancho Reyes chili liqueur. This is a surprisingly versatile ingredient that goes with lots of different flavors, but it certainly does shine with agave spirits. If you don't have a bottle, you can still make a more traditional hibiscus margarita by subbing in some triple sec or Cointreau. And if you want to keep it spicy, try adding a few jalapeño slices to your hibiscus infusion. I finished off the drink with a hibiscus-chili salted rim - definitely optional, but a fun touch!

Flor de Puebla

2 oz. hibiscus-infused tequila blanco*
3/4 oz. Ancho Reyes
1/2 oz. lime juice
1/2 oz. agave nectar
Hibiscus-chili salt, for rim**

Prepare glass by running a wedge of lime around the rim and dipping it in the salt. Fill the glass with ice. Combine tequila, Ancho Reyes, lime juice, and agave nectar in a shaker with ice and shake until chilled. Strain into the prepared glass and garnish with a few rehydrated hibiscus flowers.

*For hibiscus-infused tequila, combine 1/2 tbsp. of dried hibiscus flowers with 1 cup of tequila in a jar and let sit overnight, shaking occasionally. Strain out the flowers before using.

**For hibiscus-chili salt, crush some hibiscus flowers with a mortar and pestle. Add kosher salt and chili powder (I completely eyeballed the amounts, but maybe 1:2:3 chili:hibiscus:salt). Crush a little more with the pestle to break up the salt and combine the ingredients.

Mexican Hot Chocolate with Mezcal Whipped Cream

Usually I really enjoy summers in Boston. Sure, it can get pretty hot, but it rarely comes even close to rivaling the Louisiana temperatures of my childhood. Plus we have to make up for all those frigid months of winter. Summer is when I plant herbs on my balcony and vegetables in my backyard garden. It's when my husband and I sit outdoors and sip cocktails and watch the sunset. It's when most of the fun events occur around town. It's a great time of year.

This summer, however, I'm just not having it. Being pregnant kind of negates a lot of that summer fun. Admittedly I've had very few unpleasant symptoms these last few months, but I'm just so tired all the time - thus the lack of any blog posts the last couple of weeks. And the heat seems to make it worse. Instead of working out in my garden or sitting on the balcony, I'd much rather be curled up inside under a blanket. And on some evenings, when I'm feeling particularly achy and exhausted, I pretend it's already fall, take a warm bath (not hot - add that to the list of things I'm looking forward to in October), and curl up on the couch with some tea, warm milk, or hot chocolate. With the AC blasting, of course.

That, I hope, sufficiently explains this hot chocolate recipe in the middle of August. Although I would argue that there's never a bad time for hot chocolate. It's a delicious, comforting, all-purpose beverage. Don't argue with a pregnant woman.

At first, this was going to be a non-alcoholic Mexican hot chocolate, made with cinnamon and chili powder. But then the idea of mezcal whipped cream popped into my head, and I decided it was genius, because one little dash of mezcal is a-ok for baby but adds a surprisingly intense, smoky agave flavor to a batch of whipped cream. And then it occurred to me to add Ancho Reyes to the hot chocolate, and it was really a lost cause at that point. A simple suggestion wouldn't do - I had to at least hash out the proper proportions so that I could guide you all to spicy, chocolatey perfection. You can make this recipe with or without it, but whether you go non-alcoholic or full-on boozy, this hot chocolate is so good I promise you'll enjoy it - even in August.

Mexican Hot Chocolate

1/2 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 oz. Ancho Reyes or 1/8 tsp. cayenne
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Combine chocolate chips, cinnamon, and cayenne (if using) in a small saucepan. Add milk and put on stove over medium heat, whisking constantly, until chocolate chips are melted, spices are incorporated, and milk is warm. Do not allow the mixture to boil. Remove from heat and stir in Ancho Reyes (if using) and vanilla. Serve in a mug topped with Mezcal Whipped Cream, a pinch of cayenne, and a cinnamon stick.

Mezcal Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. mezcal (optional)
1/2 tbsp. vanilla

In a large bowl, whip cream with the whisk attachment of a mixer until it begins to thicken. add sugar, vanilla, and mezcal (if using). Continue to whip the cream until it reaches the desired consistency, with firm peaks that hold their shape.

Tequila Old Fashioned

Since I'm not making cocktails during my pregnancy, I've invited some fellow bloggers and cocktail enthusiasts to write guest posts and share their recipes. Today's guest blogger is Instagrammer Morgan Hufstetler!

This past fall I moved to Florida and wanted an Old Fashioned, however it was 85 degrees outside and well, tequila sounded more refreshing. But don't wait till fall to drink this refreshingly boozy concoction. It's a great little drink that doesn't require too many steps and is extremely well-balanced. The bitterness of the Campari is offset by the elderflower liqueur and the Ancho Reyes and tequila pair nicely together.

Tequila Old Fashioned

1 1/2 oz. tequila reposado
3/4 oz. Ancho Reyes
1/2 oz. Campari
1/4 oz. elderflower liqueur (such as St. Germain)

Stir with ice and strain over a giant ice cube or spherical and garnish with a flamed orange twist.

Spicy Blood Orange Margarita

I will always have a soft spot in my heart for limoncello. I think my husband first introduced me to it. He spent a summer in Europe when we were in college, right after we started dating. He enjoyed the Italian tradition of having a little limoncello after a meal, and introduced me to it when he got back. That was when I wasn't much of a drinker and couldn't stomach anything that wasn't positively saccharine. But limoncello manages to be very sweet and drinkable while still being quite sophisticated.

So when Fabrizia Spirits offered to send me some of their limoncello and blood orange liqueur, of course I said yes. I haven't had limoncello in a really long time - probably five years, when we moved to Boston's North End and bought a bottle because it seemed like a thoroughly Italian thing to do. That was before we had anything in our bar. It lived in our freezer and we would occasionally have dainty little glasses after dinner. I'm quite pleased to have a bottle again!

But to be honest, it was the blood orange liqueur that I was really excited about. It's something new and different for me, and who doesn't love blood orange? It's a delicious liqueur, vibrantly flavored and wonderfully drinkable. I knew right away that I was going to make a cocktail with it. After all, blood orange liqueur means blood orange garnishes, and who can resist that?

After we cracked open the bottles of Fabrizia (pre-chilled by the wintry cold), I asked my husband what spirit I should pair the blood orange with in a cocktail, and he immediately said "tequila." Genius. I used the liqueur where triple sec or cointreau would usually be in a margarita, and it was perfection. But to spice it up a little more, I added some Ancho Reyes chili liqueur. The result is absolutely fantastic - the perfect margarita.

Be sure to check out Fabrizia! I particularly enjoyed reading the story of how the company got started.

Spicy Blood Orange Margarita

1 1/2 oz. tequila blanco
1 oz. blood orange liqueur (Fabrizia recommended)
1/4-1/2 oz. Ancho Reyes (1/4 for a hint of spice, 1/2 for a real bite)
1/2 oz. lime juice
1/4 oz. simple syrup

If you'd like to salt the glasses, mix some kosher salt with a bit of ground chipotle pepper. Rub a slice of lime around the rim of a rocks glass and roll it in the salt. Half the rim is a good compromise. Fill glasses with ice. Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled and strain into the prepared glasses. Garnish with fresh or dried blood orange slices.*

*To make dried blood orange slices, I used a dehydrator. You can also lay the slices on a baking sheet and bake them in the oven for several hours at the lowest possible temperature.

Bottle Swap: Ancho Reyes

It's week 2 of my bottle swap with Mr. Muddle! If you missed it, check out last week's cocktails made with The King's Ginger. This week we're working with the bottle that was at the top of my wish list, Ancho Reyes. Before you read on, be sure to check out Mr. Muddle's cocktail, The Pope of Chili Town!

Ancho Reyes is a liqueur is flavored with ancho chiles, which are dried and smoked poblano peppers. A neutral sugar cane spirit is steeped with the peppers for six months, then aged. According to the makers of Ancho Reyes, it's based on a recipe from 1927. Back then, cantinas in the town of Puebla, Mexico each served their own menjurjes, spirits made with local ingredients. The Reyes family created one with the local dried poblanos that was the inspiration for Ancho Reyes. But though the recipe is old, the spirit itself is quite new; it was created in 2014.

For a great virtual tour of the distillery and the process of making Ancho Reyes from field to bottle, check out Alcademics.

Ancho Reyes

Price: $40
Alcohol Content: 40%
Popular Cocktails: Ancho Margarita, Ancho Old Fashioned... basically add it to any tequila cocktail!

I knew Ancho Reyes would be great for adding a bit of spice to cocktails, but what I didn't expect was its complexity and drinkability. When you first sip it, you get the richness and sweetness of the aging process. Then the spice of the ancho chiles hits you, lingering on your palate. As cocktail ingredients go, it's pretty killer. It's an instant, spicy facelift to anything you add it to. The first thing I made with it was a Margarita, subbing it in for triple sec, and I couldn't believe how great it was. I'm not sure I want to make them without it anymore.

Since the thing that surprised me about Ancho Reyes were those flavors up front, and since they seemed kind of perfect for autumn, I decided to play up the spices and sweetness. I originally wanted to make a bourbon cocktail, but I have to say, the Ancho Reyes just sings with tequila. Tequila anejo aged in bourbon barrels gave me those same smooth vanilla and caramel notes while blending perfectly with the Ancho. I added mezcal for smoke and Besamim by Sukkah Hill Spirits for some autumn spices. (I'm guessing you could sub Allspice Dram but I'm not sure - I don't have a bottle yet. Bottle swap, anyone??) Punt e Mes helped bind it all together.

I think this is a pretty great cocktail. At first you get the sweetness of the Punt e Mes, the Besamim, and flavors of cloves, vanilla, and cinnamon. It drinks like a bourbon cocktail for a split second. Then the mezcal and Ancho Reyes hit you, and you get the smoke and spice at the end of your sip. I can't imagine anything more perfect for a chilly fall day. One of these will warm you right up.

Bonfire

1 1/2 oz. tequila anejo (I used Espolon)
1/2 oz. Ancho Reyes
1/2 oz. Punt e Mes
1/4 oz. mezcal
1/4 oz. Besamim or Allspice Dram

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass with one large ice cube. Garnish with a burnt cinnamon stick.