The El Paso Chile Company Margarita Cookbook

The El Paso Chile Company
Margarita Cookbook

By W. Park Kerr

Margarita Cookbook
The Margarita, that sublime mixture of tequila, lime juice, and orange liqueur, is more than just a drink: It is a concept. Drinking a Margarita arouses feelings of relaxing in a tropical paradise, a place where you and the world are at peace, everything is beautiful, and everyone is having a wonderful time. Learn how to bring the Margarita experience home with The El Paso Chili Company Margarita Cookbook.

Where did the Margarita come from? No one really knows, but author W. Park Kerr believes that when tequila started being readily available north of the border in the early forties, an "enterprising bartender at some happening joint somewhere between Houston and Tijuana" took the popular Sidecar cocktail (brandy, Triple Sec, and lemon juice) and traded the brandy for tequila. Park goes on to explain the different types of tequila, how tequila is made, and what the deal is with the worm.

Moving on to recipes, the first one gives the ratio of ingredients for what Park's father believes is the original Margarita. Created at the Kentucky Club just across the border from El Paso in wild and wooly Juarez, Mexico, Kentucky Club Margarita is strong and relatively tart. For those who like a sweeter drink, try the Margarita 101.

The El Paso Chili Company Margarita Cookbook also has 12 other Margarita concoctions, including My Frosty Frozen Margaritas, Pineapple Margaritas, Blue Margarita made with blue Curacao liqueur, and the Santa Fe Silver Satin, made with lemon juice.

The Margarita Cookbook has more classic and "nuevo" cocktails made with tequila, like a Tequila Sunrise, Texatini, Tequila Colada, Bloody Maria, and a Tequila Cosmopolitan. and what is a drink without a nibble? Park offers "bocaditos" (little mouthfuls) for nibbling on while drinking a Margarita, including Margarita-Marinated Cocktail Olives, Meatballs in Tangy Tequila Sauce, and Grilled Chicken Tortas.

Sidebars called Tequila Tips are splashed across the Margarita Cookbook that help make the perfect Margarita. Consider that the limes in Mexico, which make superior Margaritas, are not the thick-skinned Persian limes commonly found in American supermarkets but are the same as the sweeter, less acidic Key limes from Florida. Margarita glasses can be salted before your party starts so no one misses a beat. !Olé!

The El Paso Chile Company
Margarita Cookbook
By W. Park Kerr
William Morrow & Co.
Hardback, $12.95
Color photographs
Publication date: May 1998
ISBN: 0-688-16826-4
Information provided by the publisher.