A Perfect Party

People in IV are always trying to come up with new ways to have a party. We party in the park with live music and alcohol licenses, at the beach with our profs on biology field trips, and even in the ocean on barges made of inflatable kindergarten pools and kitchen tables. For Taylor's birthday, we threw a party that I'd say was incredibly successful, mostly because of the concentration of awesome people* in one little apartment celebrating Taylor's special day, but also because of what they had to eat and drink.

Deciding on the libations we would provide at the party was a topic of discussion all week. My main concerns were cost and my grandmother's couch. We couldn't break the bank, and we also couldn't have anyone get sick in the apartment. With the fires raging a few miles away, the ash kept most people inside despite the perfect May temperature that night, but thanks to the consideration of great friends and the carefully executed menu, we had a perfect and mess-free party.

To throw your own perfect party you need to find your own perfect boyfriend and gather all yours and his perfect friends on his birthday.. i.e. I can't help you there. But, once you've got that, here's what you should do:

Step one: feed 'em.
...because we dine before we drink! We made fajitas with barbecued chicken and carne asada. This lucky meat got a killer marinade of citrus, cilantro, cerveza and... chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (GO BUY THIS NOW!). Homemade guac, wokked-up peppers and onions (the Q ran out of propane), good Santa Barbara salsa, and lots of limes! Thanks to the boys for barbecueing!

Step two: hydrate.
Margaritas were the ideal drink to accompany our Mexican spread. Instead of leaving bottles of tequila around the house (bad move) we made margaritas. All that slurried ice helped everyone on their way to avoiding that nasty, "they don't call it te-kill-ya for nothin!"** hangover. I don't know that it actually worked for everyone, but people seemed to enjoy them anyways. Also, if you make drinks, you sorta play bartender, which is not only fun, but, at least theoretically, prevents anyone from doing handle-pulls on your carpet.

Margaritas for a party

6 lbs limes, squeezed for their juice
2 c simple syrup (recipe follows)
1 Handle tequila (whatever is in your means)
Salt
Ice

Fill a blender about 3/4 full of ice. Follow with 2-3 shot glasses of lime juice, 1/2 shot glass simple syrup, 6-7 shots of tequila, and a dash of ice. Blend until smooth. This makes 3-4 drinks, depending on the size of your blender. The recipe accounts for approximately 5 batches.

To make watermelon margaritas:
First fill the blender about 1/2 full of watermelon. Blend with the tequila. Then add the ice and the rest of the ingredients and blend as usual.

Simple Syrup:
Combine equal parts water and granulated sugar in a heavy pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer down until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat.

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Party Hearty :)

La

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*Thanks to the Tahoe/SLO crew for coming all that way! We love you!
**What ALC's mom says!