Cena para desayuno, or Tommy's Margarita vs. Tequila Sunrise

Two tequila drinks in one challenge - I'm not a tequila guy, so this should be interesting.  I've never understood taking a shot of tequila - you know, salt on the hand, lick the salt, take a shot, eat a lemon wedge.  Maybe it's the brand I've always had it with (Jose Cuervo), but I've never been able to enjoy doing tequila shots.  Someone once told me to skip the salt and lemon and just chase it with a shot of tomato juice - that worked but then what was the point?

First up is Tommy's Margarita.  Who is Tommy, and why does he get his own Margarita?  I searched high and low, just for you (well okay, for me too). The deal is that this Margarita was created by Julio Bermejo whose family owns Tommy's Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco, and if you're in town and feel like tequila, this is the place to go.  Tommy was Julio's dad who passed on in 2011, and is the namesake of the drink.

Tommy's Margarita Ingredients

Tommy's Margarita

1 1/2 oz. Tequila

1/2 oz. Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice

2 Bar Spoons of Agave Nectar

Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Tommy's Margarita

Now the Tequila Sunrise is a gorgeous looking cocktail tha....OH I JUST REMEMBERED!!!  IT NEEDS GRENADINE!!!  Man oh man!!!  Remember when I said that I let myself down because I used the bottled stuff and I said that the next time I'd be making grenadine?  Well this is the next time!  Aren't you excited?!?!?!?  Woo hoo!!!

Ready?  Here we we go:

Ingredients

Grenadine

1 Cup Granulated Sugar

1 Cup Freshly Squeezed Pomegranate Juice

1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

2 to 3 Drops Orange-Flower Water

1. Heat pomegranate juice in a small saucepan over medium heat until steam rises from the surface and a few bubbles have formed around the perimeter of the pan, about 5 minutes. (Do not boil.) Remove from heat.
2. Add sugar and stir until it has dissolved and the liquid is no longer cloudy, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in lemon juice and orange-flower water and let the syrup cool to room temperature, about 40 minutes. 
4. Transfer to a container with a tightfitting lid and refrigerate for up to 1 month.

The above was borrowed stolen from Chow.com - awesome site if you have a chance.

Clear - kinda

Cooling

So the Tequila Sunrise has been around for a while, in two versions - the one the IBA uses was introduced sometime between 1930 - 1940 and it is fantastic!

Tequila, Orange, and Grenadine

Tequila Sunrise

1 1/2 oz. Tequila

3 oz. Orange Juice

1/2 oz. Grenadine

Pour tequila and orange juice directly into highball with ice cubes.

Add a splash of grenadine to create chromatic effect (sunrise), do not stir.

Garnish with orange slice and cherry.

Tequila Sunrise

Wow this was tough deciding which one I liked better.  Tommy's Margarita has it's charms, but the Tequila Sunrise is so good that I just couldn't eliminate it.  So what could I do?

Well...if it can be done on American Idol, gosh-darn-it, it can be done on Drinking the IBA - both drinks are moving on to the next round!  Don't tell Simon I'm using his idea.

To keep things even, I had to decide on a drink to drop - that was fairly easy - the White Lady was gone.  No tears spilled over that one!

The Winners!

Now - if I could only remember where I left that worm...

The Ingredients

For Tommy's Margarita:

Tequila - Espolon Reposado Tequila

Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice

Agave Nectar - Madhava 

For the Tequila Sunrise:

Tequila - Espolon Reposado Tequila

Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice

Homemade Grenadine

Up Next - Lounging with the Scorpian, or Between the Sheets vs. Stinger