my new favorite tequila cocktail, the prado

I'm talking about one of the absolute best tequila cocktails, the Prado. I'm not talking Prada, the designer, or the art museum in Madrid. No, no, no! Tequila is playing a big, big, big role in my house these days with the launch of my new TEQUILA book and for the last 3 Saturdays I've shaken up this tequila cocktail. Inspired by Kacy Fitch of ZigZag Cafe in Seattle, this is what I call sophistication in a glass. Throw a couple ounces of blanco tequila into a shaker with lime juice, Maraschino liqueur and egg white. Maraschino liqueur is made from crushing Marasca cherries pits which give the liqueur a mellow almond-flavor. Kacy doesn't do it, but I like to add a teaspoon of agave nectar. Next, shake it up so vigorously that you're winded and don't need to work out! Open the shaker and the trick is with a small whisk, I go like crazy to add some additional foam! Strain it into chilled martini glasses. It's sexy, it's frothy, its luscious. Check out the recipe.

the perfect margarita

You missed the launch party last night for my new TEQUILA book at Tres Agaves. Two hundred very fun tequila-lovers and 800 tequila drinks later! This photo is of my fiance, Joe, Valerie Shilgalis of Partida Tequila, me smiling, Jon Bonne, wine editor for the San Francisco Chronicle, and Laura Werlin, cheese aficianado and tequila pal. Several very high profile bartenders who contributed tequila cocktail recipes to the book showed up, H Ehrmann, Joel Baker, Ronaldo Colli and Ashley Miller plus several Agave Girls,-- Mariangela Sassi, Carolyn Alburger, Renee Behnke, Shannon Smith, Amy Sherman, blogger extraodinaire, and Marcy Carmack, dresser to the stars. Thought you might like the recipe for the perfect margarita we drank. It was inspired by the folks at Partida Tequila and Julio Bermejo, acclaimed Ambassador of Tequila. For years people have been making a margarita with crappy tequila, sickening sweet triple sec and lime juice. A few years ago, Julio introduced a margarita using agave nectar and the perfect margarita was truly born! And if you like this cocktail recipe, my new book contains 37 other equally as delicious cocktails!

THE PERRFECT MARGARITA

1 1/2 ounces 100% agave tequila of your choice
3/4 ounce agave nectar
3/4 ounces water
1 ounce lime juice

Place all of the ingredients in a shaker with plenty of ice. Shake vigorously for 5 seconds. Pour into an old fashioned glass filled with fresh ice.

Serves 1 very happy margarita lover