That guy is saying there is a Sanskrit word for “tomato” even though Sanskrit was already out of regular use by the time the New World (and the tomatoes therein) were discovered. How does that make sense?

Isn’t a bloody mary just a tamatini?

Tabla in New York city does an excellent Tamarind Margarita so does, unsurprisingly, tamarind.

And, of course, as a mad Madrasi, I’m now wondering if anyone’s ever spiked their rasam. Would be an interesting variation on hot buttered rum. no, but i have spiked gulab jamuns with malibu. and added chaat masala to margaritas. i’ve found, in general, that it is much trickier to spike the south indian food than north indian, and even then, it always works better on desserts (like jaangiri in vodka/ginger liquer syrup). i prefer to just have a drink alongside the south indian food (a la quick gun murugan’s ‘oru masala dosa, oru whiskey’).

Lucas makes a great chaser for pepper-flavored vodka and tequila. I do it like a lemon drop, just use a little ball (chickpea size or so) of it dunked in lime and rolled in salt. I’ve been meaning to try vodka-soaked lucas in a bloody mary, but I don’t do mixed drinks much anymore.

The reason you didn’t enjoy your margarita, though, is because margaritas need to be made fresh. If happy hour margaritas are a crime against liquor, happy hour “specialty” margaritas are an abomination. Lemon and lime juice don’t keep well on the shelf. The delicate compounds that give citrus its flavor will, with exposure to air and light, quickly break down into turpenes which taste like, well turpentine. To compensate for the piney taste of old citrus the commercial mixes will load it up with preservatives and stabilizers and foamers and colorants and all sorts of other crimes against nature. And as if such adulteration was not enough, they will then add a metric fuckton (slightly more than a regular fuckton) of sugar (or high fructose corn syrup) to guarantee that you never actually taste what you’re pouring down your gullet. Hence why you thought your’s was too sweet and lacked tamarind.

A recipe should be simple enough to make. Something like 2 parts tequila, 1 part tamarind syrup, 1 part lime juice, and 1 part (in order of preference) Cointreau, Grand Marnier, or Triple Sec. That might be a bit too sweet actually, you’ll have to play with the ratios a bit to get a balance. Maybe add some actual tamarind in addition to the tamarind syrup. That and stir in some chili.

And, of course, as a mad Madrasi, I’m now wondering if anyone’s ever spiked their rasam. Would be an interesting variation on hot buttered rum.

Better yet, make a panakam where you take out some of the ginger and sub in ginger liquer and maybe a bit of gin depending on how much of a booze-hound you are. Although I spent the better part of last summer drinking Hendricks martinis. Basically Hendricks gin with cardamom, rose syrup, and some grapefruit juice. Not based on any particular Indian drink, but the flavors involved go well with Indian food.

And, of course, as a mad Madrasi, I’m now wondering if anyone’s ever spiked their rasam. Would be an interesting variation on hot buttered rum.