Tequila! *da duh da da da da duh dun*

Now that song is stuck in your head, right? There are worse anthems for a Friday.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to participate in the Dip & Sip Challenge in honor of National Guacamole Day (Monday, September 16) sponsored by Piedra Azul Tequila. Now, the full coverage of my answer to the challenge will be on Monday’s Nibbles post, but today I wanted to share some thoughts and a recipe for Piedra Azul Blanco that I received as part of the Challenge supplies.

Even though I generally don’t drink tequila straight, that’s always my first step when reviewing a new-to-me spirit and this one, like most blanco tequilas, is clean and “crisp” (their word from the tasting notes, mine would edge more towards sharp–as in I can feel the edges of the alcohol poking around in my mouth). But unlike a clean, sharp vodka, this tequila also carries with it the characteristic warm almost-saltiness that comes through even when mixed with fruit juices and other liqueurs.

Experimenting a little, I paired it 1-to-1 with Limoncello and was quite pleased with the result. A bit of pink grapefruit juice and you’ve got a nice flavor combination going on. Then I decided to pull out one of those cocktail books that I love to buy, love to flip through, but then never mix out of and change that last fact!

That’s where I found a recipe for a Tequila Canyon, which I tweaked ever so slightly.

Tequila Canyon
(adapted from the Complete Home Bartender’s Guide–affiliate link)

4 oz Cranberry Juice
2 oz Blanco Tequila
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Orange Juice
dash of Limoncello

Add ingredients to a highball glass over ice and stir to combine. Sip and enjoy.

The original recipe called for lemon juice but I was feeling in a Limoncello mood as mentioned above so stuck with it. The only other change I made was to use 1/2-ounce pours of the other two juices for ease of mixing (originally they were 1/3-ounce measures). I’m all about keeping things simple as long as it doesn’t hurt the outome, and int his case I don’t  think it did. The drink is a lovely combination of fruit juices with that underlying tequila warmth, an ideal cocktail to take you into fall.

But what did I serve my guests for the official Dip & Sip challenge? Here’s a peek:

Cheers!