13) The Tickle and Slap

1 oz. Tezon Blanco Tequila
.5 oz. Mango Juice
One thin slice jabenero pepper

Place all ingredients in a shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a shot glass. Top with a light sprinkle of cayenne pepper.

For some time now Ed has been wanting to do a shot. I wasn't sure why, but who am I to judge such a nice young man? We never really seemed to get around to it though. Probably cuase I’m such a wet blanket. Well, I was recently (once again) at my beloved Cantina, and had the opportunity to try a drink they were making which was shaken with a slice of pepper as part of the spicy kick it had. It was an interesting idea and the final drink was rather tasty. As I was heading home, and continued to think about it more, I wondered if I could drink an entire cocktail with those spicy flavors without my palate getting tired.

Enter the idea of a shot! It seemed like it would be a fun experiment, and having made a shot Ed could die happy (as of this writing Ed is neither dead nor happy).

When I presented him with the idea, he was a little skeptical. I insisted that it would be great, and he relented to my overwhelming charms. Also, he had been slammed for many hours prior to my arrival and was too tired to put up a fight. Since I am lazy and prefer the obvious I was all, "let's just make, like, a Margarita shot with pepper". Since Ed knows what he's doing he was all, "you're lazy and prefer the obvious. We're not doing that, though I like using Tequila". He quickly spotted a bottle of mango juice behind the bar and we were off to the races.

The shot was surprisingly bracing without being to overwhelming. The notes of the Tequila and juice hit the palate first and as they fade, the spiciness from the pepper begins to burn through (pun intended) without being to much. And the name? Oh you know that's all Ed.

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