Climate change plays havoc with sophisticated gardening

What!  No tequila?  How could this happen? Well, summer's warm weather has lasted up to and past the first day of fall, so the need for a margarita after gardening has continued for much longer than normal, and as a result the usually well-stocked survivalist liquor cabinet and wine cellar were caught short, so no margaritas!  How can you garden without margaritas?  You can but why bother?  It was quite disconcerting to have things so out of sync, and it's all because of climate change?  How will civilization survive? Of course, limes may become a backyard fruit tree for us and blue agave may become a cash crop in Oklahoma, so things may even out, but you begin to understand how climate change begins to affect everything.

A Lame Holiday in February

Someone somewhere, but no one knows who, declared Tuesday February 22nd National Margarita Day. Nothing would please the Phactor more than to celebrate one of his favorite beverages, for which he has generously provided you with a tippler's recipe, but this holiday is just plain lame. You simply can not drink margaritas inside or in weather where you cannot sit outside wearing a Hawaiian shirt. It isn't done, at least not in the best circles, and personally, we do not travel elsewhere, and with perceptive and sophisticated readers, perhaps this is preaching to the choir. So what kind of dolt decided a day in February, a month whose only redeeming feature is brevity, would be a good time to celebrate the best uses of lime juice and tequila, either separately or combined? Clearly they are not of the northern temperate zone, and the southern temperate zone, what there is of it, has just never caught on to margaritas. Officially summer here begins when the Phactors can come home from work, sit on their patio, gaze at their botanical creation, and sip a margarita. Yesterday there were snow flurries, and you can't even have those in the same sentence with. Margaritas. Unless you are one of those low-life, low-class no-nothings who actually drink those abominations called "frozen margaritas". A shiver just ran down my spine and it had nothing to do with the cold. This holiday will be celebrated when the Phactor says it can be celebrated! So don't put all your salt on the sidewalks.

Botanical recipe - Margarita

The Phactor is officially on vacation, and while traveling you may be certain that all of his necessary survival gear is on board, and in this case, this includes my favorite summer vacation recipe, a jug of margaritas. They once saved the Phactor's life, well, OK maybe not my life, but my sanity when my venerable VW van broke down in Provo Utah, which is a pretty city, but you ain't gonna get any of life's essentials, like alcoholic and caffeine beverages. The margarita is an American invention, supposedly first concocted by a Dallas socialite some 60 years ago while visiting Acapulco Mexico to make the most out of Mexico's most venerable invention, tequila. Very few American inventions have been as successful, and presently this particular mixed drink is our most popular (almost 20% of all mixed drinks), and with good reason. It's a wonderful drink, and makes the most out of tequila, itself distilled from the "beer" made from fermented agave (starchy stems).

OK here's the recipe for my travel margaritas, and you don't have to travel to enjoy them, just stash the jug in your fridge.

750 ml bottle of gold tequila
250 ml bottle of triple sec (the original margarita recipe called for Cointreau)
250 ml lime juice (fresh is best)
3 tbsp sugar (do not over sweeten, and if you like things really tart, omit the sugar)
water to dilute to 2 liters (this dictates the volume of your jug).

Shake to dissolve sugar. Rub slice of lime on the rim of a low ball glass and dip the edge in coarse salt. Fill the glass with ice cubes, and then fill with the margarita mix. Adjust your Panama hat to keep the sun out of your eyes, and enjoy. This is not a cold weather drink.

Word of warning, this drink tastes like ever so good limeade, but if you serve it without sufficient ice for dilution, you'll find yourself knocked on your butt. Enjoy.