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Slush Fun

By Derrik Chinn

Slushies inarguably rank as a timeless childhood antidote against the summer heat.

So it's odd that at most bars and restaurants, in terms of blended cocktails -- nothing more than the grown-up version of the slushy, really -- the buck stops at margaritas, daiquiris and pina coladas.

"You'd think they'd be more popular in Southern California," says Merritte Powell, manager of La Puerta in the San Diego, where the cocktail roster includes a frozen mojito. Powell hails from Texas, where he says it seems as though every bar boasts a blended specialty, from frozen Bellinis to frozen Cape Cods.

So what's to blame for the absence of blended variety in America's Finest? The lack of Lone Star humidity? The complicated cleanup and added noise that come with keeping a blender on hand? Or the collective memory of falling into a conga line to the beat of Jimmy Buffet at some tropical resort with a herd of sunburned strangers, fueled by a frozen cocktail frenzy?

While few and far between, San Diego's options in terms of original blended drinks include tamarind martinis, mango margaritas and Bloody Marys by the bay. And, in all fairness, if there's a blender on the premises, most bars will gladly whip whatever's in your glass into a spiked trip down memory lane.

It would be all too easy to imagine Ernest Hemingway rolling over in his grave if he knew his most beloved cocktail now falls in line with convenient store cuisine, if it weren't for one tiny detail: No one can really prove whether the author and purported patron saint of the mojito even cared for the drink to begin with.

In accordance with its classic rock theme, La Puerta named its blended take on Cuba's liquid icon after Jim Morrison's favorite anagram, "Mr. Mojo Risin'," so the urban saloon is off the hook as far as accurate cultural references are concerned.

The Ecto-green slush involves two rums, Bacardi Superior and Limon, and mint, and arrives in a frosted mug, the very same sort you'll find in the hands of the bros downing beers at the next table. Bartenders are commonly known to loath the cocktail in its traditional form because of the amount of elbow grease that goes into muddling mint, but La Puerta keeps its staff happy and curbs the blender noise by keeping the stuff on tap in a frozen cocktail machine.

Pro: There's no need to fish scraps of mint out of your teeth.

Con: No matter how butch a blended cocktail looks in a beer mug, it's still a blended cocktail.

The classic beverage of choice for liquid lunch fans, the bloody Mary arguably stands as a meal in itself. Spiked gazpacho that, when laced with the all the right ingredients and accessorized with the proper garnishes, is so filling, a second round is usually out of the question.

You'll no doubt want to eat the in-house mix that goes into the Hilton's Frozen Heirloom Bloody Mary with a spoon. With Worcestershire, horseradish, minced red and green jalapenos, Campbell's tomato juice (thicker than the Mr. & Mrs. T variety), Tabasco, A1 and olive juice, it rivals many a Sicilian nona's marinara sauce.

But just sit back as bartender Travis Conn blends it with a shaker full of ice, a swig of vodka and a few frozen heirloom, beefsteak and roma tomatoes. A quick spin in the blender yields a lighter, salmon-colored froth, a result of the ice and green tomatoes. Conn, who comes up with many of the bar's more atypical libations, one-ups the regulatory stalk of celery and olives with a slice of red pepper.

Item No. 1 on Costa Azul owner Brant Sarber's fact sheet regarding his restaurant's blended mango margarita: It involves not one drop of high-fructose corn syrup. All juices are natural, from the lemons and limes used to make the from-scratch sweet-and-sour mix to the 100 percent pure mango puree. The place even stirs together its own simple syrup solution.

Item No. 2: "We pour a very fair drink," says the San Diego native, referring to the amount of Sauza that goes into the blender. You wouldn't know it, though, based on the first few sips. A full 10 on the sweetness scale, the mango masks nearly all traces of tequila, a simultaneous danger and delight for those who prefer to not taste their alcohol.

The drink totes a strawberry sibling, but Sarber says the mango tends to win popularity contests around this time of year. Both are served in a simple 16-ounce pint glass, respectable attire for an undeniably frou-frous libation, the sort that usually comes adorned with paper umbrellas and plastic jungle creatures.

But if the mixers are all-natural and the pour long and friendly, then quality and quantity do indeed possess the power to live in harmony. So who cares about the tchotchkes?

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MR. MOJO RISIN'

1/4 cup Bacardi superior rum

1/4 cup Bacardi limon rum

1/4 cup simple syrup

2 limes, juiced

12 mint leaves

2 cups ice

Makes 2 drinks

Blend all ingredients in a blender. Serve in frosted mugs.

-- La Puerta

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FROZEN HEIRLOOM BLOODY MARY"

3/4 cup tomato juice

2 lemons, juiced

2 limes, juiced

4 tablespoons jalapenos, minced

2 tablespoons Tabasco

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons A1 steak sauce

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 teaspoon celery salt

2 tablespoons prepared horseradish

2 tablespoons olive juice

1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1/4 cup vodka

2 frozen beefsteak tomatoes

2 frozen roma tomatoes

2 frozen heirloom tomatoes

2 cups ice

Makes 2 drinks

Blend all ingredients except vodka, frozen tomatoes and ice in a blender until smooth. Add vodka, tomatoes and ice, and blend until slushy. Serve in tall pilsener-style glasses.

-- Hilton Bayfront

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THE MANGO MARGARITA

6 tablespoons tequila

3/4 cup mango puree

1/2 cup sweet and sour mix

2 cups ice

Makes 2 drinks

Blend all ingredients. Serve in tall, pint glasses.

-- Costa Azul

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(set image) cco082109-visual.jpg (end image) (set caption) The Mango Margarita. Photo by David Brooks. (end caption)

Derrik Chinn writes about food for The San Diego Union-Tribune.

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COPYRIGHT 2009 THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE. DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS SYNDICATE INC.

This news arrived on: 08/27/2009

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