Batanga Cocktail

Easy to make great cocktail, which seemingly was created in Tequila, Mexico circa 1960.

 

 

Ingredients (per cocktail):

 

2 ounces tequila

5 to 6 ounces Coca Cola

1 or 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice + more to coat the rim of the glass

ice

salt to coat the rim of the glass (use coarse salt if you have it, but use what you have)

slice of lime for garnish

tall glass (about 10 ounces)

 

Salt the rim of the glass by running a piece of lime around the rim (the top and the outside rim of the glass). Add some coarse salt to a plate. Dip the rim of the glass into the salt, then tilt the glass to get the outside rim of the glass coated with salt too. Add the tequila, Coke and lime juice to the glass, stir to mix, then add ice. Attach a slice of lime to the glass as a garnish.

WORD HISTORY:

Foreign-This word is distantly related to "door," a word from the Germanic roots of English. "Foreign" goes back to Indo European "dhwer," which meant "door, gate," and this gave Latin the adverb "foris"^ meaning "outdoors, outside," which then gave Latin "foraneus" meaning "on the outside, on the exterior," which gave Old French "forain" meaning "external, outside, outer," and also used as a noun meaning, "one from outside of a an area, region or country." English borrowed the word in the early 1300s, initially as "foran/foreyn(e)," adjective use meaning "from outside a given area," and the noun use for persons, "one born elsewhere, one from another area, a stranger." Initially in English, as was the usage in French, the adjective and noun had the same spelling, and it wasn't until the 1400s that English developed "foreigner," initially as "foreyner." Note: "Strange" and "stranger" are English borrowings from French, but interestingly in modern French, forms of these words have come to be the terms for "foreign/foreigner."  

^ Latin also had the noun form "foris" (plural: fores), which meant "door, gate, opening, entrance/exit."

Tequila Sunset

The "Tequila Sunset" simply seems to have been a follow up to the "Tequila Sunrise"

 

Ingredients (per drink):

 

2 ounces tequila

4 ounces orange juice

1/2 ounce blackberry brandy

orange slice and a maraschino cherry for garnish

ice

tall glass (12 ounces)

Add the tequila and orange juice to the glass, stir to mix. Add the ice and stir again. (I put the the tequila and orange juice in first without ice, because it makes it easier to mix those two ingredients, then add the ice and stir again to help chill the drink.) Now add the blackberry brandy along the edge of the glass and let it begin to settle toward the bottom, DO NOT STIR! Garnish with a slice of orange and a cherry and watch the sun set, while you drink the "Sunset."

WORD HISTORY:

Orange-A common word in modern times, but it has an extensive and somewhat complicated history, as the tree, and more especially the fruit of the tree, spread beyond its original homeland in southern Asia. This word seems to go back to a Dravidian language,^ perhaps to transliterated Malayalam^^ "naranja," which seems to have meant "citrus fruit;" as it was used for both "oranges" and "lemons." This was taken by Sanskrit^^^ as transliterated "naranga," which meant "orange tree," which was borrowed by Persian as transliterated "narang," which was then borrowed by Arabic as transliterated "naranji." This came into Italian from a couple of ways, first, apparently via Venetian dialect "naranza;" likely borrowed as a result of trade, as Venice was a major maritime center with ships from elsewhere, but also with ships and their crews from Venice itself and other parts of Italy which returned from other countries, with the natural importation not only of goods, but of "words!" The Arabic form likely also entered Italian via Sicily, and the Venetians and Sicilians gave Italian "arancia," and yes, no beginning 'n,' and this was taken by Latin as "orenge," with the same form passing to Latin-based Old French, but this then became "orange" by "about" 1100. The Portuguese likely had some role in the development of, or reinforcement of, the word "orange," as Portuguese traders went to Asia, including to China and India, and returned to Portugal which likely helped promote the use of forms of "orange" in Spain and southern France (modern Portuguese uses "laranja," from Arabic, for "orange"). English borrowed the word in the late 1300s from French as the fruit and tree name. It was used for the color in the early part of the 1500s, and it pretty quickly overtook the native "yelwered" which came from Old English "geoluread," (literally yellow-red). 

 

^ Dravidian is a family of languages primarily spoken in southern India, but also to some extent in Pakistan and on the island of Sri Lanka. 

 

^^ Malayalam is one of the Dravidian languages, and it is spoken in southwestern India.

 

^^^ "Sanskrit" is an ancient language from the Indo-Iranian branch of Indo European; thus, it is related to English, although much further down the family tree. It is still in use to some degree, especially in India.  

Tequila Sunrise

What has been known as a "Tequila Sunrise Cocktail" for the last few decades is not the same cocktail as had first been given that name in the 1930s. Back then it was made of tequila, lime juice, club soda, and creme de cassis (liqueur made from black currants), served over ice, and invented at the "Arizona Biltmore Hotel," in Phoenix, Arizona. (Note: I've seen the supposed "original" also include some grenadine, for what it's worth.) Now typically served in a tall glass with the basic ingredients below, not totally mixed together, it was seemingly developed in the San Francisco area in the first part of the 1970s.

 

Grenadine is a type of syrup made from pomegranate juice. It is VERY red and it adds that red color and a sweetness to numerous drinks. It is easily found in supermarkets and liquor stores. It is non-alcohol.  

Ingredients (per drink):

3 or 4 tablespoons tequila (depending up desired alcohol content)

1/2 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon grenadine

orange slice

cherries

ice

tall glass of about 12 ounce size, to hold the ice and the cocktail ingredients properly 

Add plenty of ice to the glass. Add the tequila, then the orange juice, stir to mix, THEN add grenadine slowly along the side of the glass (it will sink to the bottom). DO NOT STIR! Garnish with an orange slice and some maraschino cherries.

 

WORD HISTORY:

Strict-This word is related to "strain" (verb and sometime noun, with the verbal meaning of "overexerting, to stress a point to the utmost, to pour a liquid through a sieve"), to "strait" (noun and adjective, meaning "tight or narrow"), both Latin-derived words borrowed by English from French, and to "stringent," another Latin-derived word, borrowed by English from Latin. "Strict" goes back to Indo European "streygh," which had the notion, "to press, to exert pressure on;" thus also, "to pull with force." This gave Latin "stringere," meaning, "to pull tightly, press together." The past participle of "stringere" was "strictus," meaning, "tightened, drawn close;" thus also, "narrowed," and English borrowed this, initially as "stricte," in the first part of the 1400s. By the second half of the 1500s, the word was being used in reference to rigorous adherence to laws, but shortly thereafter this meaning broadened beyond adherence to laws, but to rules or procedures of any kind.   

Paloma Cocktail

This popular Mexican cocktail is of disputed origin; thus, we are unlikely to ever really know its history for sure. The main meaning of "paloma" in Spanish is "dove" or "pigeon," and "paloma" is related to "pale/pallid" (see "Word History," below).    

Ingredients:

2 ounces tequila
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons fresh grapefruit juice
pinch of salt
(optional) coarse salt for the rim of the glass, if desired 
2 to 4 ounces grapefruit soda like Squirt or Fresca or fresh grapefruit juice and club soda
ice
slice of lime for garnish

If you want to salt the rim of the glass, add some coarse salt to a small plate. Rub a piece of lime around the rim of the glass, then dip the rim of the glass into the salt, rolling it around to evenly coat it with salt. To a tall glass, add the tequila, lime juice, fresh grapefruit juice and pinch of salt; mix well, then add ice and fill with grapefruit soda. You can just use grapefruit soda, if you'd like, but the fresh grapefruit juice does add flavor, in my opinion, and yes, you can use red grapefruit juice. 

WORD HISTORY:
Pale (Pallid)-This "pale" is the form, most commonly used as an adjective, but also with usage as a verb, that means, "light in color." English has another, unrelated, word of this spelling, meaning "wooden stakes," most commonly used in reference to the vertical stakes attached to horizontal bars/rails to make a fence. The adjective "pale" is related to "pallor," a Latin-derived word borrowed by English from Latin-based French. "Pale" goes back to Indo European "pel/pelh," which meant, "light in color;" thus also in some contexts, "grey/gray." ^ This gave Latin the verb "pallere," meaning "to be or become light in color;" thus, "to be or become pale." This produced the Latin adjective "pallidus," meaning, "of light color, colorless, wan;" thus, "pale." English borrowed "pallidus" from Latin in the late 1500s as "pallid," meaning, "of light color, lacking color, wan, of dull color, ashen;" thus "pale." Prior to that, "pallidus" had passed into Latin-based Old French as "paile" ("light colored, pale") and English borrowed the French term as "pale" in the 1300s and also meaning "light colored, of little or no color (especially in reference to skin complexion)." The verb form of "pale," also in the 1300s, came from the recently borrowed adjective, probably reinforced by "paleir," the French form of the verb, and meaning "to become less in color," later also used figuratively, "to be or become less important."    

^ The British spelling is overwhelmingly "grey," while Americans overwhelmingly use "gray," and Canadians "seem" split on the spelling. When I was younger, I seem to recall "grey" being seen somewhat frequently here in the U.S., and American author Zane Grey's books were quite popular back then, with several made into movies or used for television stories (there was actually a television series, I believe called "Zane Grey Theater"). I've got to believe his name influenced the spelling back then, keeping the "g-r-e-y" spelling in use, and I must admit to being confused how to spell the word until much later ... I'd say until about 4 or 5 days ago. hahaha    

Tequila Drink: Bahia Breeze Cocktail

This cocktail is easy to make.

Ingredients:

2 ounces golden tequila
4 ounces pineapple juice
2 ounces cranberry juice
ice
lime garnish

Fill a tall glass about two-thirds of the way with ice. Add the golden tequila, pineapple juice and cranberry juice. Garnish with lime.

WORD HISTORY:
Halm-This word, also spelled "haulm," is distantly related through Indo European to "calamari." It goes back to Indo European "kolehmos," which meant "reed;" thus also, "grain shaft, stem, stalk."  This gave Old Germanic "halma," with the same meanings.^ This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "healm," meaning, "stalk of a plant, straw." This then became "halm." At some point, the word also took on the meaning "part of a horse collar or harness," but why is unclear. German has "Halm," meaning, "stem/stalk of a plant, straw," but which is also often used as a shortened form of "Trinkhalm;" that is, "drinking straw"), Low German "Halm," meaning, "plant stem or stalk," Dutch "halm," meaning "plant stalk or stem," Icelandic "hálmur," meaning, "straw," Danish, Norwegian and Swedish "halm," all meaning, "straw." English also has the term "culm" for "the hollow stalk of a flowering cereal plant," but this is a term pretty much confined to botanists. It is from Latin "culmus," meaning, "plant stalk," which Latin borrowed from Greek and which has the same Indo European ancestor as English "halm/haulm."  

^ The Germanic pronunciation emphasized the "h" sound, while Greek, which also had a form of the word, emphasized the "k."

Mango Margarita with Tajin

One of the most famous cocktails in the world, the "Margarita," has an unclear history. According to the online site of the Smithsonian Institution, the time and place of the invention of the Margarita is not really known, but with one possible inventor in the late 1930s being from the Mexican city of Tijuana, located just over the Mexico-US border, south of California. Margarita's are made with tequila, a type of alcohol distilled from the blue agave plant, which is native to parts of Mexico, as well as to parts of the US southwest and Central and South America. Over time, variations to Margaritas have developed, and this one with mango is great. In this recipe, I've also used "agave nectar" to sweeten the drink. This nectar is now pretty common in supermarkets and certainly in Latino shops, so it's easy to find, but you can certainly substitute the "similar tasting" honey for the nectar. Some people put the Mango Margarita mixture into the freezer, where it takes on a "slushy" texture, but it won't completely freeze due to the alcohol. You can also just blend the mixture with ice cubes to give a similar effect, as I've done here. This is sooooooo good!    

Ingredients (per drink):

2 ounces tequila
1 ounce triple sec
1/2 cup mango pieces
juice of half a lime
2 to 3 tablespoons agave nectar (depending upon the sweetness of the mango) 
tajin seasoning for the rim of the glass*
1 to 1 1/4 cup ice

Use a piece of lime and run it over the top and outside rim of the glass. Put some tajin seasoning onto a small plate and then dip the rim of the glass into the seasoning. Tilt the glass and move the outside rim of the glass around in the tajin to coat it. Put all of the remaining ingredients into a blender, but start with 1 tablespoon of agave nectar (or honey). Blend for about 30 seconds, then taste the mixture and add the amount of agave nectar to match your preferred taste, before you blend some more. Don't be afraid to blend for another few seconds, then taste, and add more nectar, if needed, and blend again. There's no law saying you can only blend this once or twice; the "Mango Margarita Police" won't get you. Add some ice to the glass, pour in the mango margarita and a small sprig of mint is good for a garnish. I grow my own peppermint, so I use it. LOVE IT! I've got to go, a car shaped like a mango just pulled up and it's got "MMP" on the side. DAMN! "MMP" means "Mango Margarita Police!" 

* "Tajin" is a dry Mexican seasoning of lime, salt and ground chilies. It has a spicy, tart flavor, but it is not overly "hot." It is available in many supermarkets, Latino markets or spice shops. 

WORD HISTORY:
Mallow (Marshmallow)-The origin of this word for a particular genus of plant is not completely known, although it "may" be from a Middle Eastern source. Ancient Greek had transliterated "maláche" and Latin had "malva," but they seem to have borrowed the word separately^ and the Greeks and the Romans  picked up a number of words from the general area of the Middle East. The Latin word was borrowed into many European languages, including English, long ago, as Old English had "mealwe," as a name for these plants. This then evolved into modern "mallow." "Marshmallows" are so called, because the sap of the mallow plant was originally used to make these sweet, puffy confections, and the plants usually grow in and around marshes, and this was a common name for the plant in English, which prevailed among the English people, rather than the developing scientific term from Latin "malva."     

^ Latin borrowed a number of words from Greek, but "malva" does not appear to be one of them.