10 Delicious Pairings to Help You Celebrate National Vodka + Taco Day
Mark your calendars with a double happy face today, because October 4 is *both* National Taco Day and National Vodka Day. The stars must be aligned, because there are SOOO many good ways to celebrate this dual holiday. You can even infuse your own vodka just in time for tonight. Try our ginger-lime infused vodka or one of these three vodka elixirs, including spicy jalapeño or this easy-peasy limoncello. If your first thought is that vodka isn’t a natural pairing with tacos, color you wrong. It’s all in how you layer complementary fruits, herbs and spices. Chocolate with mole, ginger with jerk chicken, apples and pork anyone? You get where we’re going with this. Here are 10 creative vodka-taco pairings that will tickle your tastebuds.
Break out the taco emoji because this baby is sooooo worth it. These shrimp tacos come together in less than 30 minutes and the recipe can be adjusted to serve a crowd, if you’re planning a party. Nothing pairs with shrimp like a citrusy Bloody Mary cocktail. And those salty bacon rashers would make awesome swizzle sticks. (Recipes + Photos via Fox and Briar + Nana Talouse)
2. Coconut Marinated Salmon Tacos + Mango Coconut and Orange Vodka Crush
If you don’t cook fish all that often, don’t let it deter you. When it comes to these salmon tacos, the marinade does all the hard work. This one has a jalapeño pineapple salsa that is to die for, and the Sriracha mayo is the BOMB. Picking up on the tropical theme in the taco, the cocktail has just the right note of acidity from the orange juice and lime juice. Make these for your next brunch and everyone will be so impressed. (Recipes + Photos via Broma Bakery + Heather Christo)
3. Mole-Spiced Chickpea & Zucchini Tacos + Chocolate Martini
This one’s for the vegetarians in the house! If ever a meatless taco could hold its own, it would have to have this mole sauce that’s rich with cocoa and cumin spices. But hold the chocolate liqueur, this martini calls for chocolate ganache. Oh, em, gee — it’s so creamy and decadent, and the chocolate flavor perfectly picks up the deep rich cocoa in the mole sauce. (Recipes + Photos via Snixy Kitchen + Olivia’s Cuisine)
4. Skinny Baja Chicken Tacos + Rosemary Greyhound Cocktail
If you love the taste of citrus-marinated pork and beef cuts but don’t love the extra calories, this taco is coming to your rescue. The spicy chipotle sauce and yogurt slaw make it taste just like the real deal. And because every skinny taco deserves a skinny cocktail, this greyhound cocktail lends a perfect grapefruit citrusy note. Besides, skinny margaritas are sooooooo yesterday! (Recipes + Photos via The Live Fit Girls + Tastes Lovely)
5. Crispy Slow Cooker Carnitas + Apple Pie Vodka Spritzer
Traditional Carnitas can take a long time with lots of standing over the stove, but this slow cooker version is *so easy.* All you need to do is brown the meat, toss in the spices, then just set it and forget it. Apples and pork are a renown pairing in the culinary world. Because this cocktail starts with homemade apple-pie infused vodka, the pure apple flavor brings out the very best in these savory meat tacos. (Recipes + Photos via Gimme Some Oven + The Cookie Rookie)
6. Jamaican Jerk Fish Tacos + Lemonade Moscow Mule
The salmon in these tacos is just bursting with peppery jerk seasoning flavors. But it’s the caramelized pineapple salsa that makes this dish something extra special. Of course, any drink with ginger beer is a perfect pair for recipes from Jamaica, where ginger beer originated. But this take on the classic Moscow mule combines ginger beer with lemonade to give it a sweet-tart finish that goes perfectly with spicy food. (Recipes + Photos via Half Baked Harvest + Lemons for Lulu)
7. Flank Steak Tacos + Kamikaze Cocktail
These tacos are as good as it gets. The flank steak is so flavorful and tender from marinating in lime juice that you could eat it all by itself. But don’t do that, because you’d be seriously missing out on the delicious yogurt créme sauce and soft flour taco. A classic kamikaze calls for just three ingredients — vodka, orange liqueur and fresh squeezed lime. Like a straight up margarita, but with vodka, it adds another note of citrusy goodness that’s like a party in your mouth. (Recipes + Photos via The Garlic Diaries + This Girl Walks Into a Bar)
8. Butternut Turkey Tacos + Spiced Pear & Ginger Cocktail
Bookmark this one for Thanksgiving and you’ll be *thanking* yourself. Leftover turkey becomes a feast when it’s served up taco style with cranberry dressing. The cocktail is a fall-inspired wonder that you can share and enjoy while prepping the food. It’s totally refreshing and not overly boozy, so no chance you’ll lose track of your cooking. (Recipes + Photos via Simple Roots + The Kitchn)
9. Slow Cooker Barbacoa Short Rib Tacos + Classic Caesar Cocktail
Traditional Mexican barbacoa is a style of BBQ that’s smoked over an open fire or buried in a hole in the ground. But let’s not and say we did! This slow cooker version gives you all of the flavor with waaaay less work. Meanwhile, a Caesar is like a Bloody Mary but made with clamato juice instead of tomato. It’s the healthy dose of celery salt and hot sauce that make it a perfect pairing with spicy meats. (Recipes + Photos via Cafe Delites + Ricotta & Radishes)
10. Chipotle Chili Fish Tacos With Peach Pineapple Salsa + Sex on the Beach Cocktail
There’s nothing crazy about this recipe, unless you count crazy good flavor. The peach-pineapple salsa makes it a great contender for a peachy drink. Well, you can’t get any peachier with a vodka drink than Sex on the Beach. Just like its more mundane cousins the Screwdriver and Sea Breeze, this cocktail relies on the “sweet sharpness” of fresh orange juice to cut the heat of vodka. Plus, it’s just so much fun to say: We’re having tacos and sex on the beach! (Recipes + Photos via Cooking and Beer + Wine Dharma)
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