It's that time of year again when green prevails and shamrocks bloom. St. Patrick's ushers in, if not a patented Irish pride and acknowledgment, a certifiable reason to drink to one's unashamed delight. Now while the Irish are known for their whiskies and gins, this here modern gent will toast the day with that spirit that will get me into the intoxicated mood to say "I don't care if I'm Jamaican, kiss me regardless!" That spirit is tequila.
Now while there are many things that start a great party, one of the sure-shot party starters are tequila shots. So when I combine festivity with the herbal rich crispness of tequila, I can't help but think that it's not a party till the Patron is popped. How ironic that the makers of Patron also know how to throw a great party as well. A couple weeks ago for National Margarita Day, Patron hosted a grand party on New York's Westside to introduce this year's selections for their annual Margarita Of The Year Contest while celebrating the beloved sweet and tart cocktail.
On hand adding to the festivities of the day were the seven contenders for the contest all offering up freshly-made delicious variations inspired by a curated selection of great ingredients for their cultivated offering of a margarita. The global spin of flavors was pretty epic from the English Garden Margarita to the Pacific Rim Margarita to the Mumbai Margarita to my personal favorite, The Tropicante Margarita which incidentally happens to fit in splendidly if honoring green is your St. Patty's thing or you just desire a pretty amazing margarita.
The Tropicante Margarita was a standout for me because of the flavor and textural harmony. Using Patron's Reposado and Citrónage Mango, this cocktail delved into flavors involving heat, tartness, sweetness, island life that were all rounded-out by the surprising creaminess added by the fresh avocado.
Saint Patrick's Day is this Friday, March 17. Check out the photos from Patron's Margarita Of The Year Contest and see the recipe for the Tropicante Margarita below and with whatever you choose to imbibe in this St. Patty's Day, please remember to drink and enjoy responsibly.
TROPICANTE MARGARITACreated by Alex Kady and served at 12 @ Madison in Denver
Ingredients1.75 oz Patrón Reposado
.5 oz Patrón Citrónge Mango
.5 oz Light agave syrup
1 oz Fresh lime juice
.25 Medium avocado
+ Short dash celery bitters
+ Short dash grapefruit bitters
+ Chipotle chili salt* (.5 Cup of salt : 1 T chipotle powder)+ Sliced mango for garnish
Directions 1. Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit.
2. Scoop out half of one side and add to cocktail tin, mashing with spoon until soft.
3. Add liquid ingredients to the tin, use a spoon to release avocado from the side of the tin, and “dry shake” the contents (without ice) until the avocado is broken up and emulsified.
4. Rim a double old fashioned glass with chipotle chili salt* and fill with ice.
5. Add ice to shaker tin and shake vigorously until well chilled.
6. Use a mesh strainer to “fine strain” the cocktail into the iced glass.
7. Garnish with a ribbon of mango.
