10 Recipes to Celebrate Your Baja Vacation

Hit up the liquor store, stock up on tortillas, and call your girls. You just booked a sweet Baja adventure cruise with Explorer Chick! Celebrate with five creative taco creations and five tasty mezcal cocktail concoctions. (What’s mezcal? Get a quick education from Epicurious. Then, sample the authentic stuff during our Mezcal tasting on your upcoming trip.) Now squeeze some limes and tell Alexa to cue up a fiesta playlist on Spotify. ¡Vamos de fiesta!

5 Creative Taco Creations

Buffalo Chicken Tacos with Blue Cheese Cilantro Ranch

I can’t think of a more Midwestern twist on a taco than adding Buffalo sauce and Ranch. Growing up and living in Cincinnati, you can’t drive two miles without running into a wing joint and every fridge is stocked with Costco-sized Hidden Valley Ranch. This recipe might be from a blogger in California, but it screams notes of potluck party hit.

Slow Cooker Mexican Brisket Tacos

Sign us up for any recipe that has “slow cooker” in it. Nothing like a set it and forget it recipe for tacos. Easy, uncomplicated, juicy goodness. And when you’ve had enough tacos, freeze your leftovers in single serving portions to toss on late night nachos or even breakfast burritos.

 

Asian Chicken Tacos with Mango Slaw

Anyone else obsessed with Sriracha? This recipe swears the secret is in the 4 ingredient, super simple to assemble sauce. The best part? You can mix it up with whatever protein you have stashed in the freezer or left over. Chicken? Yep. Shrimp? Oh, yes. Fish? Mmmm….

Spicy Lamb Tacos

We had to include this recipe in our creative taco round up because lamb + tacos, never crossed our minds. 🤯 The inspiration behind these tacos are Mediterranean flavors. Cue up the cucumbers and mint to calm down the spice.

 

Mini S’mores Tacos

If you’re feeling adventurous, then these decadent S’mores tacos filled with gooey brownies and roasted marshmallow in a graham cracker shell are right up your alley. They’re not as easy to assemble as their campfire counterparts, but they promise to be just as tasty, if not more. It’s a recipe that will have you whipping up all pieces, minus the marshmallows, from scratch. So, block some time to whip up a little campfire inspired Cinco de Mayo goodness.

5 Boozy Mezcal Cocktail Concoctions

Smoky Basil Oaxacan Mezcal Cocktail

If your jam is simplicity when it comes to mixing up a cocktail, then this is right up your alley. Basil, limes, mezcal and agave syrup are all that go into this glass of goodness.

 

Drunken Garden: Lavender Paloma

Disclaimer: This recipe was added purely for selfish reasons. I am OBSESSED with the lavender palomas served up at one of my favorite Mexican joints in Cincinnati – Casa Figueroa. Every time I go there with a someone new, they are forced to order it. What’s paloma? Considered the “working man’s” drink, it’s a quick blend of tequila and grapefruit soda. Here – a smoky mezcal was subbed in with an accent of lavender.

La Capirucha

Have you tried Prickly Pear syrup yet? It looks and tastes like bubble gum. I swear. It’s been a summer staple of mine for a few years now. I love to mix it with tequila, lemonade, agave syrup, and a pinch of lime for a Prickly Pear Margarita. The folks at Imbibe switched it up and kept it simple with mezcal. Their recipe includes how to make the Prickly Pear syrup from scratch—but we love the shortcut found at Jungle Jim’s here in Cincinnati or reliable Amazon.

 

Last of the Oaxacans

For lovers of the earth and earthy tastes, have you tried green Chartreuse in a cocktail? I tried it in a Gin Gimlet and swore I was drinking the desert. Made by monks who blend together a secret combination of 130 plants it’s a liqueur that brings a herbal tone to your favorite drink. It’s a bit pricey, but a little goes a long way.

Mezcal Avocado Margarita

Okay, this one seemed to bizarre not to include. Plus, I can’t help but think this is basically a boozy smoothie. So I can get a buzz and protein intake? I can get down with that. This is also a super simple drink with only an avocado, mezcal, agave, and lime.

Join Us for Our Baja Out to Sea Adventure Cruise

 

Do tacos and mezcal require your further investigation? We thought so. If these recipes make you eager to live out your Mexican foodie fantasies, you’re in luck lady. Every winter we escape to Baja California, Mexico to cruise the Sea of Cortez on our privately-chartered boat—and mezcal tastings and grapefruit margaritas are part of the package. What’s the rest you ask? How about snorkeling with sea lions? Sun-soaked surf lessons off the coast of Todos Santos? Hiking the Sierra de Laguna to discover natural swimming holes? Why don’t you go make yourself some tacos and think about it.

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