It was a Happy “Five-O De Mayo” around the Dranktank house. Good Mexican fun.
First of all, the beer. Using a Jalapeño Golden Ale recipe that has won awards as the base, I set out to make my most unique beer yet. First, brewed a clean, light Golden Ale (Credit should be given to Sapperox for help on that brew).
Then we infused 8 seeded Jalapeños in about a pint of good Tequila for 3 weeks. (this was the big deviation from the original recipe, which used vodka). Finally, we added the tequila to the beer while in the secondary fermenter.
The final product was a clean, tasty beer with the aroma of fresh cut jalapeños straight from the garden. A good jalapeño flavor that didn’t overpower, and only had the very slightest hint of actual “hot” to it. Almost a full keg got drank, so we must have done something right.
Another interesting Mexican tradition that made an
appearance yesterday was Tequila & Sangrita. Not to be
confused with Sangria (the fruity Spanish wine-based drink), Sangrita is spicy tomato-based chaser that is served virgin in a shot glass, side by side a shot glass of high quality tequila. This is how Tequila is typically drunk in Mexico. A sip if tequila, then a sip of sangrita.
I made this batch with all fresh ingredients (including fresh squeezed lime juice, freshly juiced tomatoes, finely chopped serranos, etc.). There are countless recipes, but here’s the one I used this year. Served with Tequila I got on my last business trip to Mexico, the fire from the tequila is an awesome balance to the fire from the sangrita.
All the themed drinks (several that I didn’t mention) made for a good party. And although I usually stick to drinks, I’ve got to give props for one of the most creative FOOD items that has ever graced any party I’ve ever been to. Check out this Cake that our friend Heather made for my Birthday:
At first sight, it’s your typical well-decorated cake. But instead of white icing, it’s mashed potatoes. Instead of orange icing, it’s potatoes colored with tomato paste. And instead of cake, it’s a spicy MEATLOAF! It was awesome. I had leftover cake for dinner on seis de mayo.
beer,
cake,
cinco de mayo,
jalapeno,
sangrita tequila
And to top it off, the beer is mighty fine to drink.
