Infusion de Miguel

This recipe is 100% Michael. And 100% awesome. He got the inspiration from a local restaurant called The Mission. It's a perfect late summer cocktail when watermelon is in season and tequila is tasty (tequila is always tasty, but it does lend better to summer days).

First, you need a big jug. Anything glass with a lid works. You can get one like in the picture at TJ Maxx or Marshall's for less than $20. For 1.75 liters of tequila blanco you need the following:

1/4 of a watermelon, cut into triangles with the rind left on.
1 cucumber, sliced into 1/2" round
2 medium hot peppers, cut into thin rounds (jalapenos was in the original recipe, but our grocer was fresh out [pun intended] so I used two red chili peppers and a habanero)

Place fruit & veg in the big jug then top it off with the tequila. A little note on tequila while I'm at it- do yourself a favor and don't buy anything less than 100% agave. Jose Cuervo is not tequila...And don't be   tempted by Patron. It's a decent tequila masked by a fancy label and a Cadillac status. Branch out- try Milagro, El Jimador, Camarena, Hornitos. And for this recipe make sure you buy a blanco (aka: clear) tequila.

To make the actual cocktail, shake up 1 shot tequila infusion, 1/2 shot lime juice (about 1/4 lime squeezed), and a teaspoon-ish of agave nectar. Cocktails are all about preference. You like sweet cocktails, go heave on the agave. Potent cocktails, heavy on the tequila.

The infusion should keep a good couple weeks at room temperature, maybe longer. And now that you have a big jug, you can infuse your own concoction. Let me know if you have any successes!

Cheers!