In honor of Cinco de Mayo, we’ve partnered up with Sommelier, Rebecca Rose Phillips from @letstacoboutwine to bring you some delicious taco and margarita pairings, featuring Quady Wines! These recipes offer a full-flavored match-up that is sure to send your guest’s taste buds into a festive celebration!

Classic Essensia Margarita + Classic Carne Asada

This carne asada recipe is slightly smoky from the chipotle with just a hint of heat from the jalapeño, making it a delicious playmate with the soft, luscious and orange blossom packed sweetness of the Essensia Margarita. The combo is so juicy and flavorful you won’t need salsa!

Ingredients:

For Margarita:
1 3/4 oz. Quady Essensia Orange Muscat
2 oz. Tequila
1 oz. Lime juice
1/2 oz. Agave nectar
Garnish: Lime wedge
Rim: Salt*

Preparation:

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake. Strain over ice into a salt-rimmed rocks glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.

*Place salt on a small plate. Rub a lime wedge around the rim of a rocks glass. Dip the rim into the salt.

Ingredients:

1 package of Corn tortillas

For Carne Asada:
1.5 lbs. Skirt, flank, or flap steak
1/2 tsp. Cumin
Kosher salt to taste

For Marinade:
1 large Plastic Ziplock bag
1/2 Lime
2 tbsp. EVOO
1/4 cup of Fresh orange juice
1 tsp. Soy sauce
1/2 Jalapeño (chopped)
1/4 Onion (chopped)
1 Clove of garlic (chopped)
1 Handful of cilantro (chopped)
1.5 oz. Adobo chipotle chili
1/2 tsp. Cayenne pepper for added heat (optional)

For Topping:
1 Handful of cilantro (chopped)
1/2 Onion (chopped)
Lime wedges

Preparation:

Start by laying out the steak and seasoning it with the kosher salt and cumin. Let it sit while you make the marinade. For the marinade, mix all of the ingredients in the bag until the ingredients are evenly incorporated, then add the steak. Make sure that the steak is evenly submerged in the marinade. Let sit in the fridge for 8 hours and flip the bag halfway through. Grill the steak or sear it in a hot cast iron pan. For medium rare (125 to 130 degrees), cook for about 2 minutes on each side. Let it rest for 10 to 20 minutes and then be sure to slice it against the grain. Place the carne asada in corn tortillas and top with freshly chopped onion and cilantro and serve with a wedge of lime.

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Spicy Apricot Margarita + Killer Carnitas Tacos with Mango Salsa

This carnitas recipe is so juicy and tender. It’s sweet and savory with just a hint of spice and cinnamon. After the initial chopping and searing, it’s set it and forget it… So easy and so incredibly flavorful! A little kick from the spicy apricot margarita makes a delicious pairing with the sweet mango salsa.

Ingredients:

For Margarita:
2 oz. Quady Essensia Orange Muscat
2 oz. Reposado tequila
1 oz. Lime juice
1 oz. Apricot brown sugar syrup*
1 Serrano pepper, chopped
Garnish: Serrano pepper
Rim: Tajin seasoning**

Preparation:

Fill a cocktail shaker with tequila, Quady Essensia Orange Muscat, lime juice, apricot brown sugar syrup, chopped serrano pepper, and ice. Shake. Rim a rocks glass with tajin seasoning, Pour into a cocktail glass and serve.

*Apricot brown sugar syrup
1 cup water
1/2 cup apricot preserve
1/2 cup brown sugar

Preparation: Combine the 1 cup water, 1/2 cup apricot preserve, and 1/2 cup brown sugar in a small saucepan. Heat until the mixture is simmering. While stirring frequently, cook for 2-3 minutes or until all of the sugar is dissolved. Cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

** Pour tajin seasoning on a small plate. Rub a lime wedge around the rim of a rocks glass. Dip the rim of the glass into the tajin.

 

Ingredients:

1 package of Corn tortillas

For Carnitas:
5 lbs. Bone in pork shoulder
1/2 Apple (quartered)
1 Tangerine (quartered)
1 Jalapeño (halved)
3 Cloves garlic (Smashed)
1/2 Onion (quartered)
1 Bunch of fresh cilantro
1 tsp. Cumin
1 Cinnamon stick
2 Bay leaves
2 cups of Chicken stock

For Mango Salsa:
1-2 Mangos (diced) or 1 1/2 cups
1 Jalapeño (diced) with seeds if you like spice
1 Shallot (diced)
1/2 tsp. Sugar
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Fresh orange juice
1 Lime
1/2 cup Cilantro (chopped)

Preparation:

Cut pork off the bone and set the bone aside. Cut into 1-inch cubes and add salt. Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a pan and sear pork in batches and set aside. Toss the bone in your slow cooker along with the rest of the ingredients. Cover and cook for 10 hours. Make the salsa an hour or two before you are ready to serve it.  Cut mango into small cubes and add sugar.  Let that sit while you chop everything else. Add jalapeño, shallot, cilantro, OJ & salt. Squeeze 1 full lime into the bowl and mix. Feel free to adjust based on your taste preferences. Now, place the carnitas in corn tortillas and cover with the mango salsa.

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Watermelon Margarita + Wild Mushroom Tacos with Garlic Cilantro Crema

The zippy flavors of cherry and berry in Red Electra Moscato combined with fresh watermelon make this margarita juicy and refreshing – perfectly paired with the robust flavor of mushrooms, garlic, and cilantro in this taco dish.

Ingredients:

For Margarita:
3 oz. Quady Red Electra Moscato
3/4 oz. Watermelon juice
3/4 oz. Lime juice
1 oz. Silver tequila
Garnish: Watermelon pieces
Rim: Sea salt*

Preparation:

Add watermelon juice, lime juice, tequila and a handful of ice to a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously. Strain into a rocks glass. Top with Quady Red Electra Moscato.

*Place sea salt on a small plate. Rub a lime wedge around the rim of a rocks glass. Dip the rim into the salt.

Ingredients:

1 Package of corn tortillas

For Mushrooms:
2 Portobello mushrooms
8 oz. Oyster mushrooms
8 oz. Cremini mushrooms
3 tbsp. Butter
Kosher salt

For Crema:
16 oz. Sour cream
1/2 Lime
1/2 cup Cilantro (chopped)
1 Clove of garlic (smashed)
1 Jalapeño (cut into fourths)

Preparation:

Clean and slice the mushrooms. Heat a large skillet and sauté the mushrooms in butter and salt to taste. To make the crema, put half the container of sour cream in a blender, squeeze the lime, add the jalapeño, cilantro, and garlic. Blend until smooth. Add the rest of the sour cream and blend until it’s incorporated. Place the mushrooms in corn tortillas and drizzle with crema. Serve.

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Meet Rebecca

While in the restaurant service industry for over 15 years, Rebecca has been everything from a barista to a server to a wine liaison to a General Manager. Three years ago, she narrowed her focus on the study of wine. After passing her certified exam in 2018 through the Court of Master Sommeliers, she started Let’s Taco Bout Wine because she believes that, “Wine should be good, fun and accessible – not intimidating or expensive.” Her mission at Let’s Taco Bout Wine is to encourage people to step outside their comfort zone to try new varietals and discover fun pairings, because in her words, “You don’t need to be eating foie gras or truffles to pair a great bottle of wine. It can go with everyday food, too. Wine goes with everything!” Rebecca focuses her adventures on pairing with tacos because she’s always been the “Taco Queen!”

Keep up with Rebecca on her Instagram page @letstacoboutwine to learn about interesting pairing suggestions and new varietals.