traditions and tequila with pati jinich
Source: Golin
Pati Jinich is an award-winning Mexican chef and cookbook author. On her hit PBS show, Pati’s Mexican Table, she makes delicious recipes bursting with the flavors she grew up with. I was fortunate enough to meet Pati and attend a tequila tasting dinner she hosted in partnership with Gran Centenario. Together, we sipped on delicious cocktails and made pozole, a traditional Mexican soup made with tomatillos, chilis, and hominy. I spoke with Pati on the traditions she can’t live without and what she’ll be making, and drinking, this holiday season.
What sorts of foods do you typically eat for the holidays?
For Christmas, we do a Mexican style bacalao navideño which is salted cod. In Mexico, we don't celebrate Thanksgiving, but we love turkey and usually eat it for Christmas or New Years. I have two [recipes] that I love the most. One is a Yucatan style turkey that's marinated in a citrusy achiote paste with a cornbread, chorizo, pecan, apple stuffing. Then I wrap it in banana leaves and put it in the oven. You get the [same] effect that you get in Yucatan of cooking the turkey in an underground pit, so it comes out irresistible.
Another one I love that I grew up eating in Mexico City has an adobo style marinade. I make it with candied pineapple and ancho chiles, and it's super delicious too. With the leftover turkey, we make tortas or taquitos or tamales.
Then of course for any kind of celebration, we always have tequila - our drink of choice. I go for Gran Centenario tequila and drink it neat, on the rocks, or in a cocktail. For the holidays when it's starting to get cold, we also make ponche which is like hot fruit punch. You cook fresh and dried fruits with cinnamon and piloncillo, a dark brown sugar, sometimes hibiscus flowers or tamarind. Then you add a splash of your tequila of choice. My preference is plata, the white tequila that’s smooth and clear but also really warming and delicious for the holidays.
Is plata the one that's been aged the least amount?
Exactly. It tastes a little bit like citrus. Then the reposado is the one that's been aged a little bit more, and the color goes kind of amber. It has a deeper flavor of vanilla and almond. Then you have the añejo, which is aged more and has notes of maple and nuts.
Besides the ponche, are there any other cocktails you would say go well with a specific holiday meal or dish?
Yes, absolutely. I have so many! I love using my formula - three two one - for making cocktails, which is three parts whatever flavor you like, like mango, cranberry juice, even coffee or horchata. Then two parts of your tequila of choice. So if I'm going to make a cocktail to start the evening with, I will go with a plata or a reposado. If I'm going to make a cocktail more towards the end of the night or after the dinner, I'll go for an añejo. Then you do one part of your sweetening agent of choice. It can be honey or maple syrup, or you can make your own simple syrup, which is equal parts sugar equal parts water. You can spice up your simple syrup and add star anise, cinnamon, or black pepper. If you want it sparkly, add a little fizzy water. If you want to spice it up, mash in a slice of a jalapeño pepper.
You can play with fruits and herbs too. I love the combination of mango, basil, and jalapeño. Another great combination is pineapple and cinnamon. Cantaloupe [also goes well] with cilantro and serrano chili, so you can mix and match. You can also play with your garnishes and coating the rim of the glass.
Can you speak about your partnership with Gran Centenario?
This is such a natural partnership because since I was living in Mexico, Gran Centanario was me and my family and friends’ tequila of choice. When I moved to the US, it was funny because every time my dad would come visit, he would have a bottle of Gran Centenario in his suitcase. In the beginning I was so grateful. But after 10 years I was like, “Pa, you don't have to bring it anymore because I can find it here! Don't carry it!”
Mexicans, we have this emotional connection to that brand. It’s grand. It speaks to the greatness of our mother cuisine and our traditions, and its family owned. It comes from the Jalisco highlands where tequila comes from, so we know its roots. We know the brand has been there for almost 160 years. This is a tequila that's really infused and bathed in tradition.
Are there any other Mexican traditions that you do around the holidays, whether it involves food or drink or not?
Yes, yes, and yes! I mean, our whole lives as Mexicans just revolve around food, and during celebrations we just go wild with it because it's the best excuse to do more of food. We love cooking together and preparing food ahead of time. Even when you're shopping for the ingredients, there's this rejoicing that you know you're going to be celebrating.
As Mexicans, we love doing sobremesas, which is [when] you don't only cook for the meal, you have things after the meal for people to eat. People linger at the table, and there's more conversation. Then you take out the next bottle of tequila and get hungry again. So I make sure that I either have tamales ready to be reheated or more cookies, like Mexican wedding cookies or bizcotelas.
That's why I think, Mexicans, we love food that can be repurposed. Like turkey that you can make taquitos with. Or chicken tinga you can make tortas with. The same thing happens with drinks. If you go into my kitchen and open the refrigerator, you're going to see an horchata base or a Jamaica base for agua fresca. And you can always add a little spike of tequila too.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
