It’s time for more cocktail craziness, and this one comes replete with broken glass and DANGER. Such is the way of The Quaff.
Back a few weeks ago, IndianJones was in town (when isn’t he in town? He has no friends), and so he, jash, and I all decided to make drinks. Once again we mined the pages of Organic, Shaken, and Stirred by Paul Abercrombie and decided upon the rather intriguing Saffron Margarita. Our adventure, including the aforementioned glass-saster, after the jump…
Things start with IndianJones attempting to wrangle the Cointreau bottle free from its plastic wrapping. It proves to be an extraordinary ordeal.
At last the bottle is liberated.
Next I get to slicing limes.
This leads to juicing, which inevitably leads to…
The traditional and phallic lime rind tower.
IndianJones then takes over, as evidenced by his need to paw at the book.
Around this time, IndianJones decides to go to the freezer where he has insisted that we chill the martini glasses we’ll be using (ridiculous — as these are supposed to be margaritas, but technically it IS what the book calls for).
Unfortunately, IndianJones forgets about the aforementioned martini galsses. He opens the door violently, causing two glasses to topple out and shatter on the floor. Look closely, and you’ll see the damage.
Ugh.
Double ugh. Mind you these are silver-tipped vintage martini glasses purchased from a thrift store. Like a Beyoncé song, they are IRREPLACEABLE.
Well, no use belaboring a point. I get to work cleaning up.
An exciting interlude comes to a close.
Luckily I still have two more glasses. I immediately remove them from the freezer before IndianJones can attack again.
Soon we resume our scheduled programming. Time for tequila!
Next goes some Cointreau.
Lime juice enters the mix.
IndianJones inspects a fresh mango purée. He has a tendency to sniff a lot of things.
The purée joins the group.
We add a pinch of saffron and some ice to the shaker. Now it’s time to get down to business.
jash arrives and happily applies salt to the surviving martini glasses.
His work is appreciated.
Meanwhile, IndianJones giggles away as he shakes up the margaritas. We cover his face to protect his true identity.
Finally, it’s time to pour out the cocktails. The kitchen is particularly messy because we were also making ribs earlier.
Because the shaker is overloaded, we have a hard time getting liquid out. We inventively eschew the cap and use a larger strainer instead, to wonderful effect. We’re so smart.
And now the tasting.
Note the lime wedge garnish. That’s a claaaaaassic IndianJones touch.
Quaffing!
I have a look of disdain, but it’s really not reflective of my reaction. The drink was quite nice. Not amazing, but solid.
Seriously, I liked it.
Of all the drinks I’ve made from Organic, Shaken, and Stirred, the saffron margarita has probably been the least successful creation. Don’t get me wrong — it was certainly very good, and anyone who makes it should be quite happy. However, it wasn’t amazing the way some of the other drinks have been (Green Tea Mojito, Snap-Pea-arhina, Basil Margarita come to mind).
One problem we faced with the drink was that we under-puréed the mango. It was consequently too pulpy, which sort of screwed up the texture of the drink. In the future, I recommend really going at it in a food processor or blender so that you get a nice, smooth addition to the drink.
Also, proportion is very important to this drink. jash made himself one but upped the tequila and reduced another ingredient (don’t remember which one now). It wasn’t much of a variation on either front, but the result was most certainly less palatable. This is one recipe that should probably be followed carefully, not eyeballed.
On to the next drink…
Speaking as someone’s mother I feel compelled to quote my father:
“If you are going to break a glass at least wear shoes g**d*mn it!”
And don’t get me started on the cigarette butts in the corner – that is a job for my mother and she would have nothing nice to say!
Ugh, recalling the parents. I am going to need several saffron margaritas regardless of how ‘solid’ they are.
Wow, i do not know what those cigarette things were. I can assure you they weren’t cigarettes though. either way, they’re long gone now.
Not cigarettes? Then carry on Sir.
i take it the lime wedges were an attempt to up the class factor of the evening? nothing says ‘classy’ like a wedge of lime as a garnish!
You can get vintage martini glasses for great prices on Etsy. Check out the vintage section.
Please note that I donated a large beer stein to B-Side to make up for the martini glass disaster.
On the useful scale:
Martini glasses > novelty beer glass
And you only donated that glass because you didn’t want to take it on the plane.
Friendship FAIL.
On second thought, since I only have three martini glasses now, the next time Sly, jash, IndianJones and I decide to make a batch of fancy cocktails I’ll be sure to serve IndianJones’s in the beer stein.
hmm….looks like all the best quaffs have been quaffed in my company. coincidence? please.