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.

Today is International Tequila Day

What? Today 24 July is international tequila day?  TPP doesn't understand, every day is international tequila day!  In a remarkable coincidence, six years ago today, TPP provided you with his margarita recipe for travel and survival of vehicle breakdown in Provo Utah (where you certainly cannot get a margarita unless you be having your own materials (salt was borrowed from a tolerant motel host as the camp kitchen was inaccessible.)). Cannot understand how this has not become a way more popular post than artichokes.  A bit later today tequila shall be celebrated including road trip memories, and to help withstand the heat index which is around 110 or basically miserable.    

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.