July 24th is National Tequila Day in the United States.
Distilled from the blue agave plant, the spirit was first exported from Mexico to the U.S. by Don Cenobio Sauza, the founder of Sauza Tequila and Municipal President of the Village of Tequila from 1884-1885.
In 2008, the The Consejo Regulador del Tequila (Tequila Regulatory Council) noted that there were currently 28 different producers of tequila, with 901 registered brands on the market, and more and more are on the way.
This National Tequila Day grab your favorite bottle and try celebrating with one of these unique cocktails.
Bazaar Bloody Maria
By Pam Wiznitzer, Trademark & Belle Shoals
Ingredients for ice cubes:
Red tomatoes + Pinch Piri Piri (Portugal)
Orange tomatoes + Habanero (South America)
Yellow tomatoes + Saffron (India)
Green tomatoes + Zaatar (Middle East)
Pinch Salt
Pinch Pepper
2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce (UK)
2 oz Water
Directions for ice cubes: Blend ingredients together well in a blender and strain for seeds. The night before serving, make Bloody Maria ice cubes and freeze each color individually (orange tomato cubes, yellow tomato cubes, green tomato cubes).
Directions for cocktail: Ccrush/smash 1-2 Bloody Maria ice cubes of each tomato color. Fill a highball glass with the ice, layering by color. In a desperate glass combine 2 oz. Patron Reposado, .75 oz. lemon juice, 3 dashes bittermans hellfire bitters, 5 dashes horseradish tincture. Pour mixture into the highball glass over the layered ice. Add straw and garnish with a skewer that has multi colored tomatoes, fresh squash blossom, exotic international peppers and celery with leaf still attached.
Clementine Crush
Ingredients:
1 part Sauza® Signature Blue Silver Tequila
1 part clementine juice
1/2 part lime juice
1/2 part agave nectar
1 orange wheel
Directions: Add ingredients to an ice-filled shaker. Shake and strain over ice into glass and serve. Garnish with an orange wheel. Sugarcoated rim is optional.
