The combination of "tequila-sangrita": a recipe for preparation and proper use

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

After the lifting of the "Iron Curtain", the inhabitants of the former USSR actively and with pleasure got acquainted with new dishes and drinks, which they knew about only from books and rare "bourgeois" films. The list of pleasant "strong" discoveries included tequila; but few people know that sangrita should be her indispensable companion.

What makes tequila unique

Let's deal with a new acquaintance first. Whether out of ignorance, or out of old memory, many consider it cactus moonshine. However, the original plant from which this drink is made, the blue agave, is a relative of lilies, and looks more like the well-known indoor aloe. When cultivating this plant, its shoots are regularly cut off; all unclaimed juices accumulate in a thickening that looks like a pineapple. Such an agave is grown for 12 years, during which time the “pineapple” grows in weight of almost a centner. At the age of 12, the plant is cut, the juice is pressed and used to make tequila.

The drink can be made in different strengths - from 35degrees and up to 55. The most popular varieties of tequila are the usual degrees (38-40). Fans of this drink assure that a hangover after it does not threaten if it is not mixed with anything.

The good news is the absence of low-grade tequila (if it is, of course, real, Mexican). In her homeland, the quality of the drink produced is strictly monitored - this is both the pride of Mexico and an important part of the state's income.

What is sangrita

But this drink is unfamiliar even to many lovers and connoisseurs of tequila. First of all, it is non-alcoholic, which made it, oddly enough, popular in youth clubs, where you can’t even find tequila. Although in Mexico, sangrita was invented specifically for drinking national alcohol.

There are a lot of options for sangrita. The only thing they have in common is that any sangrita recipe you choose must contain orange and tomato juice.

The easiest way

Do you need a sangrita? The recipe at home is not difficult to reproduce. If you don’t want to squeeze juices, you can use ready-made ones. For 1/3 liter of orange juice, 2/3 of tomato juice is taken. You will also need lime - 8 pieces if it is large, and 10-11 pieces if it is small. The only thing you have to work hard with is finding Tabasco, this is such a Mexican sauce. However, today it is no longer a shortage. S alt is included in the sangrita. It is better to take sea food - the taste will be much brighter.

What is good about sangrita - the recipe allows you to adjust the final result in accordance with your ownpreferences. When mixing juices, it is better to leave some part in reserve: it will seem a little orange or tomato - you can add it. The taste of tomatoes should still prevail. Limes are squeezed into the mixture, a little bit of Tabasco is added (it should be felt in the drink, but not overwhelming). The drink is s alted like a soup - sangrita, the recipe of which we are studying, should be s alty, but not overs alted. So, adding little by little these or other ingredients, they achieve the taste that the consumer of the drink likes.

Proper cooking

If you like real sangrita, the recipe will be more complicated. No store bought juices! A kilo of tomatoes, three oranges, the same limes. Tomatoes are scalded, peeled and brought to a mushy state in a blender. Oranges and limes (there are only two in this recipe) are squeezed out for juice.

But then a new one begins. An ordinary onion is either finely chopped, or (better) passed through a blender. Half a teaspoon of sugar is added to the semi-finished product, one - s alt (as in the previous case, it is worth giving preference to sea), and two - ground chili. After mixing all the ingredients, the resulting cocktail should be cooled - and will be ready to drink.

If you know how to cook sangrita in a "natural" way, its flavor nuances can also be adjusted - make it a little sour or a little spicy, add some more spices. In a word, the scope for imagination is wide.

How and with what to use

Of course, the cocktail is delicious on its own. However, let's not forget that the Mexicans invented it in tandem with tequila. Only with her, the flavor and aromatic bouquet of both drinks is revealed together.

Please note that there are also rules for using the tequila-sangrita tandem. The recipe for preparation and the method of use are simple, but all the subtleties should be observed in order to feel all the richness of this combination. First of all, a strong drink is poured into very small glasses (one might say, into thimbles). Glass mugs like beer mugs are reserved for sangrita, only much smaller - 250-300 milliliters. Moreover, before pouring the cocktail, a couple of ice cubes are placed in the container, even if it is well chilled.

According to the rules, a small sip of sangrita is drunk first. After it, a sharp-sour sensation remains in the mouth, preparing the body to accept the strong component of the “union”. With the advent of the desired taste, the same small sip of tequila is taken. These sips alternate with each other.

Other connoisseurs of the tequila-sangrita combination believe that tequila is drunk first, but not swallowed immediately, but rolls on the tongue (like a good cognac) or simply keeps in the mouth. Having tasted the taste of this drink, sip sangrita, and its volume should be twice as much as tequila.

Some connoisseurs advise after three or five alternations to have a bite of lime - they say, this gives the process an extra piquancy. It's up to you.

The option to mix both drinks in one glass is not welcomed by loverstequila. They believe that this is a profanation of the process and a vulgarization of the noble taste of agave vodka.

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