TIP OF THE DAY: A New Take On Margaritas For National Margarita Day

February 22, 2013 at 8:42 am · Filed under Cocktails & Spirits, Food Holidays, Recipes

Something different: a Pineapple Cilantro
Margarita. Photo and recipe courtesy Sauza
Tequila.

Today is George Washington’s birthday. It’s also National Margarita Day.

Washington (1732-1799) never had a Margarita: The cocktail wasn’t invented until 1948, as the prevailing story goes (history of the Margarita).

But that doesn’t mean you can’t toast to both Washington and National Margarita Day, with two specialty Margarita recipes from Sauza Tequila: Pineapple Cilantro Margarita and Banana Margarita. Yum!

PINEAPPLE LIME CILANTRO MARGARITA

Ingredients For 6 Cocktails

2 cups pineapple juice

2 tablespoons (1/8) cup minced cilantro leaves

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup orange juice

6 parts blanco-silver Tequila

2 parts orange liqueur (Grand Marnier, triple sec, etc.)

2 cups ice

1 lime and 1 orange for garnish

Coarse sea salt or kosher salt for rim

Preparation

1. RIM glasses with salt: Rub the rims with a lime wedge, then dip into a plate of salt.

2. COMBINE in a shaker the pineapple juice, cilantro, lime juice, orange juice, Tequila, orange liqueur and ice. Shake until cold. Serve up or on the rocks. Salud!

BANANA MARGARITA

Ingredients For 9 Cocktails

1 13-ounce can of frozen pineapple-orange-banana concentrate

13 parts reposado Tequila (the different types of tequila)

4 frozen bananas

1 can of light beer

Juice of 3 limes

Optional garnish: brown sugar-broiled bananas

Optional glass rim: brown sugar

Preparation

1. PREPARE optional banana garnish: Roll banana in brown sugar, slice and broil for 2-3 minutes on each side or until sugar caramelizes.

And now for something completely different: a banana Margarita with beer. Photo and recipe courtesy Sauza Tequila.

2. COMBINE the first 4 ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a pitcher, add beer and stir.

3. RIM glasses, if desired. Serve with or without ice.

GEORGE WASHINGTON’S FAVORITE FOODS

A wealthy gentleman farmer, George Washington “kept a bountiful table,” as the saying went. And he kept it daily: According to TheFeastingQuest.com, he and Martha entertained constantly during his presidency; and during the 20 years after Washington left office, George and Martha only dined alone twice!

Washington was extremely fond of fish, eating it almost daily, served in many different ways. At breakfast he favored hoe cakes, cornmeal pancakes served with melted butter and honey (the name references the original way of cooking them, on a hoe that had been heated in a fire). Also appearing regularly on the Mount Vernon table:

Mashed sweet potatoes

String beans with almonds

Steak and kidney pie

Fish Muddle

Tipsy cake (trifle)

Martha Washington’s Whisky Cake

And to drink? Washington was very fond of porter, a strong, dark ale; Madeira, a fortified Portuguese wine made in the Madeira Islands, and other wines were also served. He loved pickles and other condiments, particularly mushroom ketchup (which was popular long before tomato ketchup was first made, and it’s still available).

And yes, Washington did love cherries in every form, including cherry pie. But he did not chop down a cherry tree—his biographer made it up (here’s the legend of the cherry tree).

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