CaliGirl’s Chico Cocktail is brought to you today by the feeling that we need SOME sort of alternative to the classic margarita to serve up at our Cinco de Mayo celebrations next week.
You feel me? Now, don’t get me wrong. I LOVE a good margarita, but if you’re as immersed in the food blogging world as me (or, for that matter, any world that doesn’t involve being a total recluse or living under a rock), my guess is you’ll see your fair share of margarita recipes floating around in these next few days leading up to America’s favorite Mexican holiday.
So today I’m here to bring you a little something different. Have no fear, it still involves tequila. In my interweb cruising last weekend, I came across a list of favorite Mexican-inspired cocktails, and stumbled upon one known as the “Chico” which was apparently quite popular in cantinas along the Texas-Mexico border during World War II. Pretty neat, huh? I was immediately drawn to it because of its vibrant ruby color, which it gets from a healthy dose of blackberry liqueur.
I didn’t happen to have any blackberry liqueur on hand, but my eyes went straight to our “bar” (which, in reality, is a bunch of Ikea cube shelves, don’t judge) and set on our bottle of Pimm’s Elderflower & Blackberry liqueur, which would certainly be a suitable substitute.
I also got just a leeetle bit excited seeing that the cocktail called for Simple Syrup, as I had just been introduced to Sonoma Syrup Co. and they happened to have sent me a bottle of their Acai-Black Currant Superfruit Syrup to try out. If that wasn’t a sign that I needed to make my own CaliGirl version of this Chico Cocktail, I don’t know what is!
But let me back up here because I MUST tell you more about this Sonoma Syrup Co. First of all, it’s a genius idea. As you probably know, Northern California Wine Country is a hotbed of creative cultivation, combining outstanding ingredients and unique terroir to make world-class wine and food that is top of its class. Sonoma Syrup Co. applies this same care and creativity to their line of artisan syrups (and other culinary products) to provide a “taste of Wine Country” to home cooks, baristas and bartenders all over the world. They have such a HUGE variety of syrup flavors and other fun items (they even make infused apple cider vinegar!) that I will definitely be sharing more of with you in the very near future.
Okay, reigning it back in here so we can talk more about this Chico Cocktail. Once you have all of the ingredients (yep, all five of them), it is soooo easy to whip up in no time at all. No need to get out a blender or a plate of salt to rim your glasses with this bad boy. We simply throw together white tequila, our Pimm’s Elderflower & Blackberry liqueur, our Acai-Black Currant Superfruit Syrup, some fresh lemon juice and a dash of club soda to finish it off. Easy as that!
I brought my Chico Cocktails over to my brother and sister-in-law’s house for dinner on Sunday and we’ll just say they didn’t quite make it to dinner time. That good.
And, if you MUST have some sort of margarita option at your Cinco de Mayo fiesta (in addition to CaliGirl’s Chico Cocktail, of course) I’ve got you covered on that front too. If you can’t decide between your two favorite Cinco de Mayo libations, you’re going to want to try this Beer-garita. And if you’re more of a traditionalist (with a twist, of course) I highly recommend going the Blood Orange or Pineapple Pummelo Margarita route.
What are your plans for this fun and festive holiday? Will you be hitting the town or lying low at home with a plate full of nachos? Do you have any fun recipes (drink or food) that are your “go-to’s” for Cinco de Mayo? Please share, I love hearing all of your plans and ideas!
CaliGirl’s Chico Cocktail
Ingredients
- 2 ounces white tequila
- 2 ounces Pimm’s Elderflower & Blackberry Liqueur
- ½ ounce Sonoma Syrup Co.’s Acai-Black Currant Superfruit Syrup
- Juice of ½ of a large lemon or more to taste
- Club soda to top off
Instructions
- Fill a rocks glass halfway to three-quarters full of ice. Add tequila, liqueur, syrup and lemon juice. Stir to combine. Top with club soda.
Nutrition
Viva la fiesta!
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