Made homemade sangrita today. mmmmmmm

Sorry, this is spirits-related, but I don't know anywhere else to put this---and besides, its good enough to drink all by its own self.

Inspired by my recent trip to Jalisco, I made up a big batch of homemade sangrita----no, not sangria: sangrita.

Anyone that has been down to Mexico should know what that is, but it's hard as hell to find up here in Gringoland del Norte. Shouldn't be; it's fine stuff, and the single best way to drink good Tequila.

There are as many recipes, I think, as there are people drinking the stuff, which is a lot, so here's one I winged this time:

Tomato Juice (you can juice your own if you're a purist, but I use Knudsen's). A liter.

Orange Juice. A pint. (or you can figure 1 part OJ to 1 part TJ)

3 limes squeezed.

2 Tablespoons hot sauce (I used Cholula because that's what I had, but you can use Tabasco, Tapatio, or whatever the heck you want. Some people use chile powder)

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

Some folks advocate Maggi Sauce, but I didn't have that.

Salt

Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Liquefy/puree half a sweet onion and about four tomatoes.

Mix it all together. If you don't like lumpies, you can strain it, but that makes you a wuss.

Pour a shot of good tequila. If you use Cuervo or crap like that, I will hunt you down and beat you to the same pulpiness of the sangrita. So use good tequila, and make sure it says 100% Agave.

Pour a side shot of Sangrita. Sip the Tequila. Sip the Sangrita.

You won't believe how good this stuff is. You will believe this is the best way to drink good Tequila.

(Once you've made Sangrita, you can try all the infinite variations. I've even seen some Sangritas with pomegranate juice/grenadine in it, and some that don't even use tomato juice [!!!], so anything goes.)

Kinda like a bloody mary with Tequila, Hoke ?

Sorta-kinda, Celia. As a matter of fact, if you serve the tequila IN the sangrita, they call it a Vampiro!

But the combo of tomato, oj, lime and spices makes it taste different from a Bloody Mary; I think far superior.

Some folks, those who have a bit more of a sweet tooth, add grenadine or pom juice, but I don't care as much for that style.

The beautiful thing, though, is that the sangrita changes the way you drink the tequila---it becomes more of a slow sipping sensory/savory experience.

The other way Mexicans like to drink their tequila, by the way, is mixed with Squirt grapefruit soda and a squeeze of lime on the rocks. I was told that 75 percent of the Squirt sold in Mexico is mixed with tequila--it's called a La Paloma.

I've made my own a number of times after first having the stuff in Nogales. That's a border town in Southern Arizona that's pretty sleazy but also has some excellent restaurants. There's nothing like the combination of a good tequila chased by sangrita.