Ingredients:

• 1 – 250 Gram Package Polvorones Orange Flavored Cookies (Graham Cracker Cookies may be substituted)
• 6 to 8 Tablespoons (about 1 Stick) Unsalted Butter
• 3 – 8 Ounce Packages Cream Cheese, at room temperature
• 2 Cups Sour Cream
• 1/3 Cup + 2 Tablespoons Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice
• 1/3 Cup Tequila
• 1/3 Cup + 1 to 2 Tablespoons Grand Marnier
• 1 + 1/4 Cups White Sugar
• 1 to 2 Teaspoons Lime Zest
• 4 Eggs
• Lime Slices, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

One (250 gram) package of Polvorones cookies makes about 2 & 1/2 cups of cookie crumbs.

Crush the cookies with a rolling pin or use a food processor to break them up into crumbs.

Place the cookie crumbs in a medium bowl.

Melt the butter. (If using Polvorones, you’ll probably only need about 6 tablespoons of butter. If you decide to use graham crackers, you’ll likely use a whole stick of butter.)

Pour the melted butter into the bowl with the cookie crumbs and mix until well blended. In a 9-inch springform pan with 2 & 3/4-inch high sides, press the cookie crumb mixture onto the bottom and 1 inch up the sides.

Refrigerate the crust while preparing the cream cheese filling.

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese in a large bowl until fluffy.

Measure out 1 cup sour cream and pour into the bowl with the whipped cream cheese.

Add 1/3 cup of the freshly squeezed lime juice.

Add the 1/3 cup tequila.

Measure out 1/3 cup Grand Marnier and add it to the other ingredients.

Measure out 1 cup of sugar and add it.

Add the lime zest.

Beat the ingredients until well blended.

Add one egg and beat until just blended.

Repeat, adding one egg at a time and beating until just blended after each addition.

Remove the chilled cookie crust from the fridge and pour the cream cheese filling into it.

Bake the margarita cheesecake until its center is softly set, about 50 minutes.

While the cheesecake is baking, prepare the topping.

Measure out the other 1 cup of sour cream.

Add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar.

Pour in the remaining 2 tablespoons of lime juice.

Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of Grand Marnier.

Mix the topping ingredients until well blended and set aside.

When the cheesecake is done, remove from the oven, but maintain the oven temperature. Pour the topping over the cheesecake and smooth the surface using a spatula.

Bake the cheesecake about 5 minutes longer. Remove it from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.

When ready to serve, run a knife around the sides of the pan to loosen the cheesecake. Garnish with lime slices, as desired.

Remove pan sides. Slice the margarita cheesecake to make 10 to 12 servings.

Enjoy!

Recipe Posted by Lindsay

Tequila Sunrise (CC photo by Ankale courtesy of Flickr)

Yes! A Tequila Sunrise…who can deny that this drink looks so refreshing and delicious! It’s no wonder that this drink inspired songwriter Glen Frey of The Eagles (one of my favorite bands) to name one of his classics “Tequila Sunrise” because, as the story goes, he had just finished writing the song, along with his tequila, right before the sunrise.

But it’s not only because of the song that this drink is among those that characterize Mexican Drinks, right up there with the Margarita and Piña Colada. You may think it’s not a big deal to prepare this drink, but as you can see, it’s not just a matter of mixing ingredients. You have to carefully follow a few steps so the warm red and yellow hues stay in place, thus mimicking a beautiful Mexican Sunrise!

Tequila Sunrise (CC photo by CJDCathyD courtesy of Flickr)

Ingredients:

• 2 Measures Tequila
• 2 Dashes Grenadine
• Orange Juice

Directions:

Pour the tequila into a highball glass filled with ice, and then add the orange juice. Stir well. Add the granedine by tilting the glass and pouring grenadine down the inside of the glass while simultaneously flippingthe bottle of grenadine vertically very quickly. Then grenadine should straight down to the bottom and then rise up slowly through the drink. Of course, finish off with a straw, and garnish with a maraschino cherry and orange slice.

Posted by Magdiel

Shot of Tequila (CC photo by im.no.hero courtesy of Flickr)

No one can deny that Tequila is unique and no other drink in the world can be compared with it. It is an amazing product and is the result of the fusion of 2 different cultures. If we talk about the pre-hispanic people that lived in Mexico, they used to drink the fermented juice of the Agave, supposedly for curative purposes. The process of extracting the juice at that time was rudimentary until the Spanish came to Mexico and taught the native people the distillation process, giving birth to the famous Tequila.

There are many types of Agave plants in Mexico, but Tequila is made only from the Blue Agave. Tequila Blanco, Tequila Reposado and Tequila Reserva are the basic styles of this drink. It is worthwhile to mention that this plant requires a period of 8 to 12 years to reach full maturity. So to be able to enjoy a Reserva bottle of tequila we consider that 16 years are needed to produce this style of Tequila.

Tequila Styles (CC photo by Tim Yates courtesy of Flickr)

The process of making Tequila is quite simple. First, they harvest the Agave plants, cut off the sharp leaves and put the core or piña into ovens for cooking. after they cook them, they extract the juice, ferment it and put it through a distillation process, to finally be bottled and stored for ageing.

Tequila Ovens (CC photo by gbauer001 courtesy of Flickr)

There are no rules about how you should drink Tequila, but the most popular way to drink a Tequila shot, is as follows: first you moisten the area between the index finger and the thumb while keeping your palm facing down and your thumb sticking outwards. Mexicans moisten that area by licking it. Now you pour some salt on this area while at the same time you keep a lime slice in the same hand ready to be squeezed. Now you lick the salt on your hand and drink the shot of Tequila, followed by squeezing the lime juice into your mouth. Very simple hah?

Salt, Lime & Tequila (CC photo by ghholt courtesy of Flickr)

By custom, people in Mexico drink Tequila at room temperature and use it to mix a wide variety of drinks, but that will be another story!.

Posted by Magdiel