saffron-margarita.jpg

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…

DSC00235.jpg
Things start with IndianJones attempting to wrangle the Cointreau bottle free from its plastic wrapping. It proves to be an extraordinary ordeal.

DSC00237.jpg
At last the bottle is liberated.

DSC00241.jpg
Next I get to slicing limes.

DSC00242.jpg
This leads to juicing, which inevitably leads to…

DSC00245.jpg
The traditional and phallic lime rind tower.

DSC00247.jpg
IndianJones then takes over, as evidenced by his need to paw at the book.

DSC00248.jpg
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).

DSC00249.jpg
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.

DSC00250.jpg
Ugh.

DSC00251.jpg
Double ugh. Mind you these are silver-tipped vintage martini glasses purchased from a thrift store. Like a Beyoncé song, they are IRREPLACEABLE.

DSC00252.jpg
Well, no use belaboring a point. I get to work cleaning up.

DSC00253.jpg
An exciting interlude comes to a close.

DSC00254.jpg
Luckily I still have two more glasses. I immediately remove them from the freezer before IndianJones can attack again.

DSC00255.jpg
Soon we resume our scheduled programming. Time for tequila!

DSC00257.jpg
Next goes some Cointreau.

DSC00258.jpg
Lime juice enters the mix.

DSC00259.jpg
IndianJones inspects a fresh mango purée. He has a tendency to sniff a lot of things.

DSC00261.jpg
The purée joins the group.

DSC00262.jpg
We add a pinch of saffron and some ice to the shaker. Now it’s time to get down to business.

DSC00263.jpg
jash arrives and happily applies salt to the surviving martini glasses.

DSC00265.jpg
His work is appreciated.

DSC00268.jpg
Meanwhile, IndianJones giggles away as he shakes up the margaritas. We cover his face to protect his true identity.

DSC00269.jpg
Finally, it’s time to pour out the cocktails. The kitchen is particularly messy because we were also making ribs earlier.

DSC00270.jpg
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.

DSC00271.jpg
And now the tasting.

DSC00272.jpg
Note the lime wedge garnish. That’s a claaaaaassic IndianJones touch.

DSC00273.jpg
Quaffing!

DSC00274.jpg
I have a look of disdain, but it’s really not reflective of my reaction. The drink was quite nice. Not amazing, but solid.

DSC00275.jpg
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…

9 replies on “THE QUAFF: Saffron Margarita Edition”

  1. 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.

    1. 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.

  2. Please note that I donated a large beer stein to B-Side to make up for the martini glass disaster.

    1. 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.

    2. 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.

Comments are closed.