Spicy Spiked Bacon Guacamole

  

I was well into adulthood before I realized that guacamole wasn’t a neon green paste served in a little plastic cup alongside Mexican fast food in the U.S. Fortunately, when friends were in disbelief of my dislike of guac, they took the opportunity to explain the potential of the real, non-processed version. From that point forward, bite by bite, I started trying more and making my own.

Now, I like it chunky, loaded with avocado, onion, jalapeno and cilantro, and I make it every chance I get. With California avocados, that chance comes around much more often than it used to. So this isn’t just a celebration of guacamole, it’s a celebration of living in a placing that is brimming with amazing avocados.

And since we are celebrating, we should make a toast to the drink that goes best with guacamole – tequila! I lived in Kentucky for 10 years, so when it comes to bourbon, I’m pretty educated. We also travel to the Caribbean so I’ve learned a fair share about rum, too.

But tequila? Tequila I have a lot to learn about.

That’s why I was thrilled when Casa Noble sent me some samples to help celebrate this food holiday. I received Casa Noble’s Reposado Tequila which is aged 364 days in French White Oak Barrels. It has won both Gold and Silver in the San Francisco World Spirit competition as well as other numerous awards. (They also make several other award-winning varieties. You can check out those, and their tequila-making process on the Casa Noble website.) 

And did I mention how cool their bottles are? Yes, I get sucked in by creative packaging. Especially if it looks good sitting on top of our bar.

After taking a sip, I knew I had lived a sheltered life in terms of tequila. I couldn’t believe how smooth it was; none of that harsh burn that you get from so many tequilas.

There are great tequila cocktail ideas on the company’s website, but to celebrate this day I decided to use the tequila in my guacamole. If you’ve not done this before, it is time to start spiking those avocados. And I know that traditional guac is made with lemon juice, but we are working with tequila here so I dressed it up with lot of lime and salt!

Spicy Spiked Bacon Guacamole

Serves: 4

Ingredients

3 ounces pastured bacon ends, chopped and cooked crispy
1 small tomato, diced
¼ cup chopped cilantro
2 green onions, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp chopped pickled jalapeno
3 avocados
Zest of 1 lime
Juice of ½ lime
2 tsp Casa Noble tequila
½ tsp sea salt

Prep

Stir together the bacon, tomato, onion, cilantro, garlic and jalapeno in a medium bowl. 

Add the avocado, lime zest, lime juice and tequila. Mash and stir the ingredients together until the avocados reach your desired consistency. (You can also use a mortar and pestle or a food processor.)

Stir in the sea salt and serve.

Disclosure: Casa Noble tequila was sent to me for celebrating National Guacamole Day. I was not required to post about it and I received no compensation for doing so. Thoughts are my own and it is really great tequila!