Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Chipotle-Infused Tequila Bloodless Maria's

For a long time I hated bloody Mary's. I wasn't a girl who liked fruity drinks by any means--Jack and Coke was my cocktail of choice for years. In fact, drinking a Jack and Coke still takes me back to my 21st summer at my husband's family's lake cabin in northern Minnesota. We would take the boat over to the creaky old bar at the other end of the lake in the afternoon to drink Jack and Cokes and eat tater tots while grumpy old men with John Deer hats filtered in and out, some picking up a to go cup on the way... a to go cup of bourbon and coke that is.

Only in Minnesota. 

Anyways, my mom has always been a big fan of Bloody Mary's. I'm sad to say I don't know when I came to the Bloody Mary dark side, but at some point I realized that they are pretty darn good. I also realized that Worcestershire sauce is pretty darn not vegan (it's got anchovies in it--so beware brunch-lovers!). 

So that became a problem. Over the summer I also saw someone post pictures of a Bloody Mary they had in Manhattan. It was basically a cocktail with an entire appetizer resting skewered on top of the drink. I think maybe aside from the lone olive, none of it was even vegetarian. But I was so jealous at the same time! I really wanted a Bloody Mary with an appetizer on top of it too! 

So I did some thinking. And Field Roast did some cheese-creating, which made appetizer-worthy garnishes possible. I did some learning about Bloody Mary's and came across the Bloody Mary's even more exciting relative, the Bloody Maria. Bloody Maria's are made with tequila instead of vodka. I was suspicious, but seeing as I've come around to liking tequila a bit more (another one of my mom's favorites that I have previously shunned), I thought I would give it a try. 

I didn't want to be boring and stick with tabasco, and the tequila had fanned the flames of my New Mexico heritage, and so I decided to experiment with a different pepper altogether. I decided to try infusing the spirits with dried chipotle chiles. Chipotles are just smoked jalapeños. To be on the safe side, I tried infusing both vodka and tequila, and while both came out well, I ultimately preferred the tequila. I'm not an expert on tequila by any means, but I can tell you that Jose Cuervo is bad, bad, bad. I've been drinking Espolón for quite a while now, and I personally really enjoy it. For this recipe I used their tequila reposado. 

Because the infused-tequila has a complex flavor all it's own, I kept the rest of the Bloody Maria (from here on known as Bloodless because it is more accurate) very minimal, to let the tequila shine. I only make one cup of tequila in the recipe, but you will be able to make many Bloodless Maria's from it. It ended up quite spicy, so for one cocktail I would use about 1/3 shot infused tequila and cut it with 2/3 shot regular tequila. This allows you to adjust the spice level to your own taste. 

The Bloodless Maria's will be delicious on their own without the garnishes, if you're not into that or don't have the time. But, if you're feeling celebratory (or hungry) for any reason, they make a great addition! I hope you enjoy!

Chipotle-Infused Tequila Bloodless Maria

Makes: 1 drink

Time: To infuse the tequila 3-4 days, to make the drink, 10 minutes



For the Tequila

1 cup tequila
3 dried chipotle peppers

Place the tequila in a sealable glass container, such as a mason jar. Add the three peppers and close the lid. You can keep infusing the tequila for about five days. I noticed that after one day the tequila was spicy, but didn't have much depth of flavor. By day three, the tequila was picking up a noticeably smoky flavor. I stopped at day four because I thought it tasted just about right, and I'd read that the longer you infuse chiles the spicier they continue to get. 


For the Garnishes

1 slice sourdough bread
2 slicess original flavor Field Roast Chao Cheese
1/2 Field Roast Italian sausage, sliced widthwise
1 pimento-stuffed olive

Heat a nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Meanwhile, place two slices of Chao Cheese onto the sourdough and toast in toaster oven (or toast bread in toaster, place cheese on top, and broil until melted). While the open-faced grilled cheese is cooking, place the bacon strip and sausage in the pan. Cook until browned on one side, flip, and brown the other side. Once finished, remove from heat. 

Returning to the bread and cheese, once melted you can cut the bread into 1 inch squares. Add the grilled cheese squares, fakin' bacon, sausage, and olive to a cocktail skewer to complete the garnish.


For the Bloodless Maria

2 shots organic tomato juice (the good stuff)
juice of 1/4 lime
1 tablespoon olive brine (from a jar of pimento-stuffed cocktail olives)
1 tablespoon Annie's vegan Worcestershire sauce (I actually think it's better than the other stuff!)
1 generous pinch black pepper
1/3 shot infused tequila (to taste)
2/3 shot plain tequila 

While the garnishes are cooking, add all the ingredients to a tall glass and stir. Add ice and stir again. Add your garnish and you're ready to go! 

¡Salud!

*Please note that while I have linked to several products in this post, I've done so only to help out readers who aren't familiar with these vegan items, and am not making commissions of any kind from these links.

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