Thirsty Thursday | The Mexican Hipster

You guys, this is a cocktail you're going to want to learn to make. I wouldn't go as far as to say that it is easy, but boy is it worth it!! It is inspired by my favorite tequila cocktail from my favorite Mexican restaurant. It is refreshing, and a tad bit spicy. It tastes like summer, and fresh cucumber -- you're going to love it!

Looks pretty tasty, huh? I wish I could reach through the screen of your computer / iPhone / iPad and hand you one! Wouldn't that be nice?

The main, and most important ingredient to have on hand is the Jalapeño Tequila I introduced last week. It really is easy to make, so if you'd like to try your hand at crafting this cocktail I'm about to tell you about you'll want to infuse yourself some spicy tequila first.

The bottle I use to store my tequila is the Bormioli Rocco Moresca Swing Bottle ($6) from Sur La Table, but I just saw some that are even cheaper at Home Goods last week!

Ingredients:  (makes one cocktail)

• 1 1/2 ounces cold Jalapeño Tequila (I keep mine in the refrigerator)
• 1 cup crushed ice
• a handful of peeled and sliced cucumbers
• 2 limes for juicing + zesting
• 1 tablespoon light agave
• sugar

Directions:

1. Put the cucumbers and 1/2 cup of crushed ice in a sturdy glass and muddle them together. If you're fancy (or just well prepared) you can use an actual muddler. I don't have one (need one of those!), so I used the end of a whisk that had a similar look to a muddler. Once the cucumbers look kind of mashed, but still have a desirable look (you don't want this to look like baby food), stop the muddling.

To rim the glass: put about 1/2 cup of sugar in a bowl, and (using a zester) zest the lime on top. Use what's left of the limes to rub some lime juice around the rim of your glass, and then dip the glass into the sugar so the rim is coated with sugar + lime zest.  
 
2. Pour the ice / cucumber mixture into a cocktail shaker, add the agave, tequila, juice of both limes, a tiny bit of sugar (to your liking) and the rest of the ice (1/2 cup). Seal it up and give it a good shaking!

3. Pour the entire contents of the cocktail shaker into your beautifully rimmed glass and enjoy!

This is a great cocktail to serve up for taco night in the summer! Now I just need to figure out how to make it in a large batch, because I am dying to make this for some of our friends!

Happy Thirsty Thursday, friends!