EATDRINK: Mad about margaritas

2009/11/07

ANUSHA K

ANUSHA K. throws caution to the wind and soaks up on some margaritas with the help of some friends.

NOTHING beats the feel-good feeling of sipping margaritas with a bunch of girlfriends on a Friday night.

The main ingredient is usually tequila mixed with lime juice or triple sec, to give it the added sourness.

Served in a margarita glass, it is rimmed with salt on the glass and decorated by a lime or strawberry, depending on the flavour of your choice.

My favourite has always been the frozen strawberry margarita, which is sweet and a little sour. The subtleness of the alcohol is usually felt at the back of your palate, after many sips. The Feeling of Margarita, a promotion highlighting three types of margaritas — Soursop Dream, Happy Days and Green Lover — is available throughout the month of November at The Sphere, in One World Hotel at Petaling Jaya.

All the margaritas retail at RM30++ and the other two signature drinks, Tom Collin and South Pacific, retail at RM26++.

anusha@nst.com.my 1.Soursop Dream The pale colour of the soursop complements the bright red watermelon cubes. Does it taste as good as it looked? It certainly does. It has a mixture of all the flavours on your palate, from sweet to sour to salty.

I suggest you drink it with the cubes for a different texture altogether. The strong taste of soursop is rather prominent. Mix together: • 30ml tequila • 30ml triple sec/cointreau • 15ml lime juice • 3tbsp soursop Blend the ingredients with ice cubes until smooth. Rim the glass with salt and some grenadine syrup.

2.Happy Days This first sip delivers a rather strong taste of alcohol — this is one drink that’s more appropriate for those who favour bolder or aggressive flavours.

Quite surprising for a ‘happy’ cocktail; it’s a mixture of sweet peaches and the drink is similar in consistency to a puree or mild yoghurt. This is a drink that should be savoured in small sips.

Just mix: • 30ml tequila • 30ml triple sec • 15ml lime juice • 3 peaches Blend all the ingredients with ice cubes.

Rim the glass with salt and blue monin syrup. Now, take a long, cool sip! 3.Green Lover This drink had a subtle saltiness to it.

The seeds, however, dissolve on your tongue as you sip.

In this cocktail, the kiwi left a subtle flavour of sourness with a tinge of citrus in it. The alcohol is hardly noticeable in the first few sips but becomes more noticeable as you go on. This is my favourite.

Blend together: • 30ml tequila • 30ml triple sec • 15ml lime juice • 2 kiwi fruits (peeled) Blend with ice cubes. Rim the glass with salt and cranberry monin syrup.

4.Tom Collins The colours in this cocktail are a blend of many different hues of red, which is pleasing to the eye.

This drink tastes exactly like an iced lemonade, with a touch of alcohol.

There is a strong fizziness to this drink, which is and best consumed on a hot, sunny afternoon.

You will need: • 30ml Beefeter • 15ml lime juice • 30ml grenadine syrup Shake ingredients with ice cubes. Strain into a serving glass and top up with some soda water. 5.South Pacific South Pacific has all the characteristics — from taste to the colours — of a sunny day.

With strong notes of citrus, orange and peach, it is a drink ideal for summer.

The strong taste of pineapple and orange hits your palate first. It also has a pretty smooth consistency and is a tad sweet on your tastebuds.

Mix together: • 15ml Hennessy VSOP • 15ml Smirnoff • 15ml Southern Comfort • 90ml orange juice • 90ml pineapple juice • 10ml grenadine syrup Mix all ingredients into shaker with ice cubes. Shake well and strain into a glass.