Experimental Mexican Hot Toddy (version 1)

In Scotland we do this thing when the weather gets cold and you discover that you have a sore throat.

We mix whisky, honey, hot water, a dash of lemon juice, and some warming spices and sip it slowly until we completely forget that we were miserable in the first place.

This is called a "hot toddy", and I believe it has caught on in other countries.

A while ago it occurred to me you could probably make a Mexican version by substituting the "Scottish" ingredients for corresponding Mexican ones.

But wait: doesn't Mexico have its own certain already?

Mexico certainly does have its fair share of hot drinks, both with and without alcohol. However, Mexico has a very different climate from Scotland. Even in the dead of winter you're not going to be as desperate to curl up under a blanket with what is essentially a sweetened hot whisky and hide from the freezing rain and the darkness that sets in at 4pm.

So this is purely an experiment; I will doubtless have to refine it and perfect it some more before I call it a success. But here's what I've got so far.

The starting point is a one-to-one substitution of the original ingredients with Mexican ones. I also added some chile, because why not?

Ingredientes

Don Agustín añejo almost tastes like whisky anyway

1 tsp agave nectar (instead of honey)

1 shot of tequila, preferably añejo (instead of whisky)

3 allspice berries (taking a cue from the Yucatán) 

Lime juice (instead of lemon juice)

A dash of tajín or a couple piquín chiles

Hot water

Procedimiento

Basically, put everything in a mug and give it a stir.

If you're using tajín, sprinkle it on top just before drinking; if you're using the dried chiles, they'll need to be in the mug at the start so they can steep and release their flavour (and heat).

Result

Delicioso!

My initial worry was the lime juice: would it clash with the agave and the allspice?

It didn't. In fact, it was such a good addition I used more than I originally intended (about half a lime for one serving).

My second concern was the chile. I was going to make it optional. Turns out it's not optional. It really makes this drink.

You might think it's strange putting chile in a drink that's meant to soothe a sore throat, but as always, you add the chile to taste. If you don't overdo it, you'll get a pleasant tingle in your mouth that won't actually reach your throat.

Also, if you have a sore throat, chances are you have other symptoms of a cold as well. Chiles are full of vitamins and antioxidants to help you get well, and are the best decongestant ever.

What ended up not bringing much to the party was the allspice. I had high hopes for this, but it was undetectable on the palate. This drink was all lime, tequila, and chile.

In that respect, it was somewhat like a warm margarita, which led me to question whether it needs the agave nectar either. But I have decided to keep it in for now because it adds texture as well as flavour, giving the drink a somewhat more silky mouthfeel.

Next steps: try steeping the allspice berries to boost their flavour before I cut them out completely. And maybe up the chile heat as well.

Lunch with MexiGeek: apple and pumpkinseed salad with queso fresco

I don't normally do lunch posts (even though "lunch" is traditionally the main meal of the day in Mexico), but this was a pretty damn good salad.

Salads based on green leaves aren't the most typical of Mexican dishes; mexican cuisine has other ways of getting a good portion of veg into your diet.

But I love a good salad for lunch, especially on a hot day.

The inspiration for this salad came from three things:

1) those blue cheese and walnut salads that were all the rage in middle-brow cafés several years ago (I used LOVE shit like that!)

2) the fact that I have a big block of Gringa Dairy queso fresco in my fridge

3) Gringa Dairy's website, which suggests crumbling their cheese over salads

So I toasted some pumpkin seeds and some sesame seeds, peeled and chopped an apple, and tossed it all with some rocket and a bit of fresh basil.

I "bruised" the basil leaves in my hands, by the way, so they would release more flavour. I probably got that trick off Jamie Oliver.

Then I crumbled some queso fresco over the salad and dressed it with balsamic vinegar and agave nectar (thanks to Luchito for inspiring that!).

They sell agave nectar everywhere now thanks to Chris Martin's wife, but if you really can't get hold of some honey would work fine.

On the side I served some tortilla wedges filled with some of my homemade coriander pesto.

This is totally "fusion food", of course, but still one if the best salads I've ever had. Possibly it could have used some chopped celery, but there you go.