TEQUILA CON VIBORA

 
A while back, the Los Angeles Times printed a drink recipe, along with an article about Mr. Francisco Dario, the man who makes it down in Tijuana. Here's why I was ... unenthusiastic to try it.

Tequila con Vibora
Specialty of the house, Rancho Agua Caliente, Ensenada, Mexico

1 gallon (or so) of cheap white tequila
1 small rattlesnake (red diamondback preferred)

Catch the rattlesnake with a "special stick". Place the rattlesnake into a gallon jar, then fill with the cheap white tequila. As the snake drowns, it (allegedly) emits "minute amounts of compounds with certain medicinal properties." When the snake is dead, remove from jar, gut snake, then put back in jar. Put the jar in the sun for three months, then in the shade for three months. Serve as shots. "It calms the nerves," says Francisco, "and is a fine remedy for arthritis, kidney problems and cancer."

Um. No. Definitely not. No thank you. No, gracias.

I think I'll stick with the Tequila por mi Amante (which at this writing we decanted and strained last Sunday; it's a gorgeous shade of red, and now it'll age until July).

 

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Chuck Taggart   email chef (at) gumbopages (dot) com