It's A Margarita Kind of Day!
Yes! It's National Margarita Day! Who says you have to wait for just one day to relax on your back porch with this south of the border cocktail?
In Texas, it's tradition to drink a salt rimmed margarita alongside your favorite Mexican foods. At our ranch, margaritas aren't just for southwestern fare, but with our Hereford steaks, seafood and as a night time tonic after a long day. Someone once said...when life gives you lemons, get some limes and salt and make margaritas! Now just for fun and as an added kick for a few years on our ranch, we place a few home grown jalapenos in our margarita!
The Ranch Kitchen's Rancharita - Jalapeno Margarita was inspired from one of our favorite restaurants Ranch 616 in Austin, Texas and their famous Jalapeno Margarita. My oldest daughter resides in this fun, eclectic city that has more trendy bars and restaurants than any city in Texas. Ranch 616 is a spot we always stop at when visiting Ilissa. This restaurant definitely has that Austin vibe to it with it's tin roofed outdoor porch and southwestern inspired menu. Special thanks to dear family friend Terry Barber for introducing us to this fun restaurant more than 15 years ago!
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| The Ranch Kitchen's Rancharita - Jalapeno Margarita! |
A few years back friend Gerald Jones, owner of Los Pinos Winery helped Ilissa and I reinvent their trendy margarita for us to enjoy at home and post on the blog. My husband Scott especially loves the addition of jalapeno peppers freshly cut and placed in to these Rancharitas. The longer the jalapenos sit in this drink, the bigger the kick! We usually don't have to worry about that though as they don't last long!
Make sure to also check out Los Pinos and their winery in the heart of Northeast Texas. Their Rodeo Red is our all time favorite wine and perfect with anything in my books. If you are an Amazon member, you can order their wines there. Their winery has amazing food, live music on the weekends and a lovely porch area to sit, sip and enjoy the pines of East Texas and the beautiful views of their vineyard.
If you have a sweet tooth like me, rim your Rancharita with sugar instead of salt. Just dip the top rim of your glass in lime juice and gently swirl in the sugar for a tasty addition to your cocktail. The picture above shows the addition of chili powder to the rim of salt on my Rancharita.
So tonight or any night, try The Ranch Kitchens' recipe for this Rancharita - Jalapeno Margarita. It's a family favorite and becoming the trendy margarita in the southwestern parts of the US. Promise, you may never go back to a traditional margarita again!
Enjoy!
Alise - The Ranch Kitchen
