Monday, December 2, 2013

The Mischievous Mixologist: The Broken Furnace Margarita


The Broken Furnace Margarita
(full pitcher, serves 4-8)

1 ½ Cups Leyenda del Milagro Silver Tequila
3 Cups Stirrings Simple Margarita Mix
(or make your own simple syrup and lime juice, to taste)
½ cup La Croix coconut water
½ Cup lemonade
Juice of two limes
8-10 dashes bitters
ice


We had a lovely Thanksgiving.  My sister hosted the whole family in La Crosse this year.   My brother-in-law was a true Thanksgiving hero.   Despite the fact that he was hobbling around from knee surgery the day before, and was still hopped up on pain medication, he somehow managed to brine and grill a 23 pound turkey.   Honestly, I don’t know how he did it.  Then again, he tore his knee reeling in a fish.   So really, nothing about him makes sense to me.  


Even without the gimp-grilled turkey, it would have been a fun time.  I didn’t have to host.  Everyone pitched in to make tasty side dishes.  The cousins had plenty of time to play together.  For reasons none of us understood, their playtime included setting up a haunted house in the basement, and using red paint for blood.   Fresh, wet paint, which they smeared on everything.   My favorite part was when we all went outside to play a friendly game of football, and nobody got shot by a deer hunter. 

When we got home the next day, I made enchiladas.    Maybe that was a somewhat odd choice for dinner, the day after a heavy holiday meal.   But we didn’t make off with that many leftovers.  Also, we had friends over.  We invited them for dinner, to thank them for having taken care of our cats.   And not just our cats, as it turned out, but also our furnace.  Which sometimes stops working.  Just long enough for us to call somebody to fix it.  Then miraculously starts working again.  

I don’t know what else to say about my furnace.  A furnace is one of those things that you have to talk about sometimes, if you own a home in Wisconsin.   You have to know how old it is.   You have to clean out its tubes, and change its filters.  Against your will, you end up learning about pressure switches, and motors.  Honestly, I can’t imagine a topic more boring than a furnace.    But like their high maintenance cousins -- the gutters -- you ignore them at your peril.   


This is a picture of our broken furnace.   Even the picture is boring. 


Less boring was the drink I concocted on the fly, to accompany our weird post-holiday Mexican meal.  And to express my gratitude that we have friends who are willing to come over on Thanksgiving, walk down into our dark and musty basement, and restart our furnace.     

The boring furnace is still broken, but the drink turned out pretty good.  The key to this drink is the addition of a little flavored seltzer, which gave the drink a tiny bit of effervescence, as well as the slightest essence of sweet coconut on top of the sour lemon-lime.  

Enjoy!  And muchas gracias!





Lemonade not shown, because it was already recycled.  





8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mmmmm.

Nick said...

Mmmmmm.

Unknown said...

Aww, I'm sorry that your furnace broke. It may seem like a boring device but when malfunctioning, it can be really a major source of inconvenience. But I'm sure you know that. At least it inspired you to do something really interesting thing on Thanksgiving. I'm interested in trying that recipe you made. I should do that one of these days. Good luck on that furnace!

Mark Baker @ EscoNow.com

Unknown said...

I agree with Mark. A furnace is indeed a boring device and a source of inconvenience when malfunctioning. I do hope you've already had it repaired. It's hard to stay in a chilly place, especially during this winter and holiday celebrations. Hehe! Happy holidays! :)

Oksana Irwin @ WestCan4U.com

Unknown said...

Talking about a broken furnace is like wasting some time right? However, this is your chance to hear professional advice from furnace mechanics and DIY-ers out there. Anyway, I do hope your furnace is already fixed. Even if you call the furnace boring, I know you love the heat that it gives especially this winter time. Any update? :)

Launce Newlove @ HarrisAireServ.com

Erin Elizabeth Clune said...

I do have an update, friends! And I do agree, it's very important to have a working furnace, especially when you're living through an Arctic Vortex. The furnace mystery was solved in a most frustrating manner. The awesome repairman came to put in a new pressure switch. Then he noticed that the intake pipe (installed by a different furnace company) looked too narrow and long. The furnace always stopped working in the extreme cold, like subzero night temps. He hypothesized that the heavy cold air wasn't being pulled in correctly through the pipe. He disconnected it. And the furnace started working again! Like a charm!

Unknown said...

It's good to know that you were still able to celebrate despite having some issues regarding your furnace. If you have the time, I suggest that you have it checked by experts so that they could find out what's the reason behind your furnace's frequent breakdown.

Christine Allred

Chris Ralph said...

It is helping in regards of HVAC. Heating and Cooling Mississauga
Thanks for spreading a word for furnace maintenance.