I love Arizona! I am fortunate to have a brother who lives in Scottsdale, one of the most glorious locations in the United States. The Mexican food is fabulous there, completely authentic and redolent with spice. I particularly love to frequent a wonderful restaurant there called Los Sombreros, their chiles rellenos, fresh guacomole and ancho roasted lamb shanks are the stuff of memory, their mole sauce laced with cinnamon and dark chocolate makes me swoon with pleasure.

Of course, they have a completely wonderful selection of Tequila and many different ways to enjoy it! My new favorite is called the Sangrita Completo and it’s extraordinarily delicious! There’s something ritual like and almost mystical about a Completo. The Sangrita Completo is two perfect drinks, served together in two perfect shot glasses rimmed with lime and flaked salt. One of the glasses is filled with and exquisite Tequila and the other is filled with Sangrita, which is a delicious elixir of fresh tomato juice, clam juice, orange and lime juices and spice.

Drinking a Completo is a wonderful way to spend some time, surprisingly sensual and pleasurable. You simply sip from each glass one elegant taste at a time. I like to sip the Sangrita first , then the Tequila, but that’s my way. You need to try it or yourself and choose your pleasure! Sangrita is not to be confused with Sangria which is that delicious combination of fruit juice and wine. This is an entirely different drink and one that’s truly worthy to be served as an aperitif to your next Mexican meal! There are as many different types of Tequila as there are vodkas. I’ve recently discovered the line of Tequilas produced by Cabo Wabo, ( www.cabowabo.com) the fun Tequila distillery owned by Sammy Hagar, the legendary rocker! They make three different types of Tequila, the delightful Blanco, which is bottled straight from distillation without aging, their award winning Reposado ,aged from 3 to 5 months in oak barrels and my personal favorite their Anejo , yummy and smooth with a complex honeyed flavor that takes the nectar of the Blue Agave into the realm of an art form. It is the Cabo Wabo Anejo that I love to use in my Sangrita Completo and I guess that I am in good company. Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones took several cases of Cabo Wabo on their last world tour. Ahoy matey...such is the life of the rock star! Wouldn’t you just love to be there?

To create 2 Sangrita Completo’s you’ll need;

3 large fresh tomatoes, peeled and seeded

One garlic clove

1/4 cup of diced onion

1/2 cup of Clam Juice

2 teaspoons of Fresh Orange Juice

1/4 of fresh lime juice

3 dashes of Chipotle chile powder

3 dashes of powdered cumin

Sea Salt to taste

Take all of these ingredients and throw them into a blender and then strain the resulting juice through a sieve.
Chill until needed.


Take two shot glasses, rim them with lime juice and dip the rims into some flaked salt. There are so many different kinds of salt available and I think that it would be fun to experiment with some of the pink Himalayan varieties or perhaps the fancy black salts that are a bit spicy. Try several different kinds and have a good time!

Pour a shot or two of a wonderful chilled Anejo Tequila (Do try the Cabo Wabo, you’ll love it!) into one of the rimmed glasses and fill the other with the Sangrita mixture. Present one of each glasses to your guest with a flourish! I love to serve this with a large bowl of freshly made guacomole with chips and a plate of freshly sliced papaya, mango, cucumber and avocado that has been dusted with salt , lime and chili powder. I think that this is a feast for the gods. See if you don’t agree!