happy national guacamole day! did you guys know there was even such a thing? i guess there's a holiday for everything now though, so not a huge surprise. mostly i was excited to mix up some pairings that the experts from Dos Caminos sent over to try. they all start with the basics, avocados and tequila obviously, so it would be super simple to prepare a fun tasting for your friends by just switching out a few ingredients in each!

in our house we appreciate the difference in a meal, appetizer, or cocktail made from scratch with fresh ingredients. so we stocked up on those in preparation. i even substituted a few of the ingredients for something a little more fresh. for example, you can use a little lime juice and agave nectar rather than the limeade. and always fresh squeeze your juices whether they are for the guac or margs!

Pairing 1

The sweet and fruity flavors of the

Marvelous Mango Margarita

provide the perfect complement

to the smoky heat of the

Chipotle-Goat Cheese Guacamol

e.

Marvelous Mango Margarita

1 part Sauza® Blue Silver 100% Agave Tequila
½ part JDK & Sons™ O3 Premium Orange Liqueur
½ large ripe mango
2 parts fresh orange juice
⅔ part lime juice
½ part simple syrup
4 parts ice

Preparation: Peel, seed and chop your mango. If you have time you can freeze your prepared mango at this point. Otherwise, put all ingredients except for the ice into your blender and blend until smooth. Then add the ice. Pour the margarita into a glass and enjoy!

Chipotle-Goat Cheese Guacamole

2 tbsp. finely chopped cilantro leaves
2 tsp. finely chopped white onion
2 tsp. minced jalapeño or Serrano chilies (Optional: remove seeds and membranes)
½ tsp. teaspoon Kosher salt
2 large ripe avocados, peeled and seeded
1 small plum tomato, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
2 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice

4 oz. crumbled goat cheese
2 tbsp. chopped canned chipotle chilies

Preparation:

In a medium size bowl, use the back of a spoon to mash 1 tablespoon of the cilantro, 1 teaspoon onion, 1 teaspoon of minced chile, and ½ teaspoon salt together against the bottom of the bowl.
Add the avocados and gently mash them with a fork until chunky-smooth.
Add 4 oz. crumbled goat cheese and 2 tablespoons of chopped canned chipotle chilles.
Fold the remaining cilantro, onion, and chile into the mixture.
Stir in tomatoes and lime juice, taste to adjust the seasonings.
Serve with warm corn tortilla chips.

**Makes 4 Servings

Pairing 2

Turn your cocktail up a notch this National Guacamole Day with the

Spicy Sauza

®

-

Rita

. This spicy cocktail brings the heat with red and chili pepper flavors and pairswellwith the mild flavors of the

Artichoke Guacamole with Toasted Pine Nuts.

Spicy Sauza-Rita

1 part Sauza® Blue Silver 100% Agave Tequila
2 parts beer
1 part frozen limeade concentrate
1 part water
A dash of hot sauce
Sugar (for garnish)
Salt (for garnish)
Red pepper (for garnish)
Chili pepper (for garnish)

Preparation: In a glass, combine all ingredients. Chill and serve in glasses rimmed with sugar, salt and red pepper. Garnish with a chili.

Enjoy!

Artichoke Guacamole with Toasted Pine Nuts

2 tbsp. finely chopped cilantro leaves
2 tsp. finely chopped white onion
2 tsp. minced jalapeño or Serrano chilies (Optional: remove seeds and membranes)
½ tsp. teaspoon Kosher salt
2 large ripe avocados, peeled and seeded
1 small plum tomato, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
2 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice

1 cup marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
¼ cup toasted pine nuts

Preparation:

In a medium size bowl, use the back of a spoon to mash 1 tablespoon of the cilantro, 1 teaspoon onion, 1 teaspoon of minced chile, and ½ teaspoon salt together against the bottom of the bowl.
Add the avocados and gently mash them with a fork until chunky-smooth.
Add 1 cup of marinated artichoke hearts chopped with ¼ cup of toasted pine nuts and stir.
Fold the remaining cilantro, onion, and chile into the mixture.
Stir in tomatoes and lime juice, taste to adjust the seasonings.
Serve with warm corn tortilla chips.

**Makes 4 Servings

Pairing 3

Try the

Strawberry Sparkler

with the

Lobster Guacamole

for a fresh take on the traditional lobster/champagne pairing.

Strawberry Sparkler

1 part Sauza® Blue Silver 100% Agave Tequila
½ part DeKuyper® Strawberry Liqueur
½ part (chilled) rose champagne
½ part limeade
3 strawberries
1 tbsp. sugar
1 lime wedge

Preparation: Wash, stem, quarter and freeze strawberries for at least 1 hour (can be done the day ahead). Run a wedge of lime around the rim of your champagne flute and dip in a plate of sugar to coat rim. Place 3 frozen strawberries in the bottom of the prepared flute. Pour champagne into the glass. In a shaker filled with ice, combine tequila, limeade, and strawberry liqueur. Shake and pour into glass. Add a squeeze of fresh lime if desired and serve immediately.

Lobster Guacamole

2 tbsp. finely chopped cilantro leaves
2 tsp. finely chopped white onion
2 tsp. minced jalapeño or Serrano chilies (Optional: remove seeds and membranes)
½ tsp. teaspoon Kosher salt
2 large ripe avocados, peeled and seeded
1 small plum tomato, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
2 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice

1 lb. whole lobster or 4 oz. lobster meat, steamed, cleaned and rough chopped
Japanese pickled ginger for garnish (Optional)

Preparation:

In a medium size bowl, use the back of a spoon to mash 1 tablespoon of the cilantro, 1 teaspoon onion, 1 teaspoon of minced chile, and ½ teaspoon salt together against the bottom of the bowl.
Steam, cool and pick meat from lobster and rough chop. Then add to bowl.
Add the avocados and gently mash them with a fork until chunky-smooth.
Fold the remaining cilantro, onion, and chile into the mixture.
Stir in tomatoes and lime juice, taste to adjust the seasonings.
Add Japanese pickled ginger for garnish (optional).
Serve with warm corn tortilla chips.

**Makes 4 Servings