Infrequent is the moment I relax. There always seems to be something to do. Now that the kitchen is on the verge of major reconstruction, I’ve had to somewhat relinquish my OCD ways. In order to do so, I had to leave the house. Hubs and I recently enjoyed a rare opportunity to spend a long weekend at my homestead. We swam with the kids, we picked veggies and herbs from Papa Foodie’s garden. We cooked, ate and created drinks.
The Esco, is an ode to the old homestead. We used herbs and veggies picked right from Papa Foodie’s garden and the booze, of course, was taken straight from his bar. It’s a delightful summertime drink for a hot day. Who doesn’t want to think they are eating their veggies while sipping a cocktail and enjoying the views?
While I mixed drinks in the cabana, Hubs and friends floated in the pool, empty glasses raised. I’d catch them looking longingly in my direction; in hopes I would fill pity on them and refill. I did once, but certainly not twice. I’m no waitress.
Papa Foodie always says, “if you can’t beat em’, join em'”. So I did just that. It was glorious. In a rare moment, I jumped on a float and joined in on the poolside cocktail party. It almost made the kitchen flood worthwhile.
Esco is short for Escondido, which in Spanish means “Hidden”. The hidden depths to this drink are many. The jalapeno heat is subtle against the refreshing cucumber which zings to a splash of lime. I had to work in my favorite Tajin rim, which made it even better.
The Esco
Makes 1 batch or 4 drinks
16 oz Tanquery Gin
2 oz simple syrup
16 oz club soda
4 oz lime juice
2 jalapeno’s, thinly diced
1 bunch cilantro, stems removed, diced fine
1 half medium cucumber, sliced in rounds
12 cilantro leaves diced
Tajin, chili-lime spice (see Grapefruit Margarita for purchasing details)
Mix all ingredients in a pitcher and refrigerate 1 hour. Rim each cocktail glass in extra lime juice and Tajin. Strain if desired. Serve over ice.
Truly it was irresponsible to exit the pool while the children swam about. We weren’t being lazy I promise. -Hubs
looks refreshing and a great way to get veggies in the diet. 😉 sounds like you had an awesome time away from your OCD ways….i need one of those getaways myself…
Thanks for posting this. It was super refreshing. My wife isn’t huge on the cilantro and thought my first batch was a bit too spicy so I halved the cilantro/jalapeño and made some cucumber infused simple syrup and it was just as good but with a little less heat.