We spent a week in Mexico and the main item we brought back was tequila and lots of it! We didn’t go to many bars, but we did spend time in a bar in Mexico and sadly they didn’t have a bar snack.
So I’ve taken the liberty of inventing a Mexican bar snack. It’s inspired by the use of peppers in many dishes and the love of selling tequila to tourists. It came out awesome! The snack has a critical quality that all bar snacks must have: they are ADDICTING!
Tequila-Guajillo Bar Snack
~makes six cups
Ingredients
- 1 Guajillo Pepper (1/4 oz), sliced
- 1 cup Water
- 1 tsp. Onion Powder
- 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp. Salt
- Black Pepper
- 1/4 cup Honey
- 3 tbsp. Butter
- 2 tbsp. Tequila
- 4 cups Chex cereal
- 1 cup Pecans
- 1 cup Almonds
Instructions
- Preheat over to 250 deg F.
- Simmer the pepper in the water in a sauce pot for 15 minutes. Blend completely then strain and return smooth liquid to the pot over low heat.
- Add onion, garlic, salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine well. Add honey and butter and continue cooking for a few minutes until well combined. Turn off heat and stir in tequila.
- Spread cereal and nuts on a jelly roll pan. Pour tequila-guajillo mixture over the cereal mixture and toss together, spread to a single layer. Bake for 15 minutes, then toss and re-spread. Repeat every 15 minutes for an hour (or longer if necessary). Checking to ensure at least half the mixture is crisp and dried out. Taste for seasoning. I added 1/2 tsp salt & pepper again. Let the mixture cool to room temperature… the remaining half of the mix will crisp up. Serve at room temperature.
Uh oh. I have tequila. I finally found something to do with it besides making margarita pie….and drinking it (shudder). We’re having a party pretty soon complete with snacks and a make your own taco bar, so I just might make this–I’ll let you know how everyone likes it.
EMC, the one downside, if I may burst my husbands bubble, is that bar food is supposed to be cheap, and the whole pecans and almonds make it not-so-cheap. But since you are making this for your friends…
Ohhh tequila, we’re there! Good flavor to the usual ‘chex mix’.
Not tried Tequilla :0(
Baz & son had shed loads while in San Antonio…boys night out!! but I like the sound of the bar snacks, I'm just wondering if I can get the Guajillo Peppers here, if I can't, maybe regular chilies?
Lesley- Tequila is delish! Guajillos are the second most common pepper used in Mexican cooking. So if you can’t find them locally and you plan on experimenting in Mexican cuisine, these would be the peppers worth ordering online (try http://www.penzeys.com).
If you don’t want to order them, the best chili substitute would be either New Mexico chilis or Cascabels.
But, honestly, if you can’t find guajillos, I doubt you’ll find those.
You could try to get a similar flavor by sauteing together tomato paste, a touch of ground rosemary and oregano and ground red pepper flake. I’m not sure how close that will be, but it’s my best guess as how to build the flavor profile from scratch 🙂
WOW! What a great idea.
finally, chex party mix that’s actually chex party mix. 🙂
i can tell that is some good tequila. beautiful dark amber color…makes for a smooth and rich flavor. hey, cinco de mayo is just around the corner. aribba!!!!
This was delish. Jessica bar snacks are usually cheap, but if the saltiness makes you order more drinks and the drinks are pricy it evens out.