Brooklyn Decker Is Using Tequila In Creative New Ways & Your Summer Menu Will Never Be the Same
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There are so many things to love about summer. The warm weather, summer Fridays, BBQs, and of course, delicious cocktails. While the classic margarita is a summer staple, why limit yourself to one beverage when there are so many enticing flavor combos out there to try? Not sure where to start? Well, Brooklyn Decker can help you out with that.
The model, Grace & Frankie star, and mother of two has teamed up with Astral Tequila to bring awareness to Astral’s outstanding tequilas, as well as their commitment to sustainability. We were lucky enough to sit down and chat with Decker recently and she told us all about her current favorite cocktails, Astral’s sustainability project, and the unique and savory way she likes to use tequila while cooking.
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SheKnows: What are some of your favorite tequila cocktails that aren’t margaritas?
Brooklyn Decker: One of my favorite new cocktails which feels perfectly seasonal right now with the weather getting a little warmer, is called a sunbeam and Astral actually made it up and I hadn’t tried it until they sent me the recipe. But it’s a straw and I prefer the reposado it’s my favorite kind of tequila over Blanco and it’s a straw, lemonade, a little bit the grapefruit juice and club soda with a chili line rim. And it’s like perfectly citrusy and light and bright and feels very summery.
SK: People in the food and culinary world are getting really creative with different ways to use liquors like vodka and tequila in more savory dishes. Are there any savory food dishes that you like to use tequila in?
BD: I am mostly vegetarian. I call myself a sushi-tarian because I love sushi. But I’m always trying to think of creative ways to liven up vegetables since it’s the bulk of my food intake. And so I used tequila mixed with chilies whether it be like serranos or jalapenos and veggie broth and I will saute my vegetables in kind of like a cool oil, brothy tequila mix and I usually do it with mushrooms but it kind of works with everything. It almost creates a vinegar effect when cooking in lieu of a balsamic which you would use for mushrooms.
SK: Are there any cocktail trends that you’re really loving right now?
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BD: I think this isn’t a trend but I think coming out of quarantine, we were all isolated for so long so now all I want is to make batch cocktails for all of my friends to enjoy because all I want to do is host people at our house. I’ve really been trying to focus on batch cocktails and trying to figure out creative ways to make new batch cocktails so that I have a pitcher in the fridge that’s waiting for whenever friends and family want to stop by.
SK: Do you have a favorite two or three-ingredient cocktail?
BD: I mean, a Paloma to me is a classic. I know for many people margarita is the classic tequila cocktail but for me, it’s a Paloma and I keep it simple. I do Astral reposado, a freshly squeezed grapefruit, and I feel like that’s a really big differentiator than then like a bottle of grapefruit because freshly squeezed mixed with the reposado has like a caramelly flavor which is so surprising in a Paloma, and then a little bit of soda and I usually like to do a spicy rim as well.
SK: What are some of your favorite snacks to pair with a tequila cocktail?
BD: Well with the warm weather starting to creep in, I’ve been really wanting like good citrusy by-the-pool snacks. And so I love like with a paloma, doing pineapple spheres that are rolled and like a chili lime salt. I was also making this salad for a while that had jicama and hominy and avocado and grapefruit and watermelon and like a mirin vinaigrette and it was kind of spicy and citrusy and felt kind of healthy but indulgent.
SK: I know sustainability is something that’s really important to you and to Astral, how does Astral practice sustainability in the creation of their tequila?
BD: Astral has the Adobe Brick Project and they actually upcycle the leftover Agave fibers from their tequila production and each bottle of tequila creates enough Adobe fibers to manufacture two bricks which then go into building homes and Jalisco, Mexico, which is where their tequila production takes place. During one of my first conversations with the company, one of their key takeaways they talked about, was that they just want to put good back into the world. They want to create good energy, put good back into the community from where we work, from which we take, and produce. And so I appreciate just how mindful they are about their production process and making it as sustainable as possible.
SK: What would you consider the quintessential summer cocktail?
BD: I would say the Sunbeam because it’s citrusy, it’s light, and it has a little bit of fizz. It’s something you can whip up in batch form really quickly if you want to. It just feels light and bright and a little unexpected.
Sunbeam Fizz Cocktail Recipe
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Astral Tequila Reposado
3 oz Lemonade
1 oz Red Ruby Grapefruit Juice
Club Soda
Instructions:
Add all ingredients to an ice-filled highball glass and stir. Top with club soda and garnish with a grapefruit wedge and chili lime seasoning.
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