“It’s an insane amount of work,” admits bartender and tiki expert Matty Durgin, “but I don’t really think you could have it done any other way.” In the end, though, all that hard work is worth it as you and your friends escape to an island paradise, if only for one night.

As they say in the tiki world, “Aloha aku no, aloha Mai no.” Durgin translates for the rest of us: “I give my love to you, you give your love to me.”

Vibe

“Nostalgic escapism,” says Durgin, is one way of describing a tiki party. You want your guests to feel like they’ve just stepped off an airplane into a kitschy, campy tropical oasis, he says. Think of grass skirt-clad girls putting leis around the necks of grinning tourists in Hawaiian shirts.

Decor

It’s not easy to transform your backyard (or basement, dining room, whatever) into an alternate reality. Durgin says you have to think elaborately: “You might be roasting a pig, transforming your backyard into an island oasis, importing sand, hanging faux palms, putting 30 torches all over.”

When hosting a party of his own, Durgin says, “Typically I’ll bring a box of Hawaiian shirts, swizzle sticks, different funny straws and exotic fruits, stuff to make wacky garnishes” and an array of tiki mugs and glasses.

For Durgin, the work is well worth it: “Going the extra mile makes a difference. My guests take pictures of their drinks, they gather their garnishes, they gather their little animals and their leis, and take it all home…it’s heartwarming to be able to not only make somebody a really delicious drink but to give them a fun experience.”

Cocktails

Rum, rum, and lots more rum! Among the classic tiki cocktails, the Mai Tai cocktail may be one of the more mysterious recipes. It’s exact origins are up for debate, as is the recipe itself. Durgin offers his version:

Mai Tai
(Trader Vic, 1944)

1 ounce Dark Jamaican Rum (I like Smith & Cross)
1 ounce Ambre Martinique Rhum (I like St. James Ambre)
1/2 ounce Ferrand Dry Orange Curacao
1/2 ounce Orgeat Syrup (homemade of course!)
1 ounce Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice

Method: Juice 1/2 lime into jigger and fill balance with fresh lime. Reserve spent lime shell. Combine all ingredients in a clean mixing glass. Mix in a Boston shaker fill with crushed ice. Shake until chilled and pour entire contents into double Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with a mint sprig & the spent lime shell.

Food

“Pork!” exclaims Durgin when I ask about tiki food. Or, because tiki drinks are strong and heavy, “I tend to stick with even lighter fare…fish and spicy wok-style vegetables.”

Other recommendations from Durgin include: pineapple pork fried rice, pu pu platters, crab Rangoon, beef skewers and chicken wings. Back in the early days of tiki (‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s), Durgin says, “the food was always horrible, but that’s kind of a tongue-in-cheek romantic thing” today.

Tiki drinks are pretty strong, Durgin reminds us, so “a buffet of wacky, greasy Chinese food” will always do the trick.

Music

During says, “Think Sinatra, Nat King Cole, The Beachboys’ ‘Pet Sounds,’ Nora Dean, Martyn Denny, Les Baxter’s ‘Quiet Village,’ soulful, exotic blends of old jazz, jungle sounds, Polynesian instrumentals, and tropical influences. And of course the sound track would not be complete without a little Don Ho.”

Also check out The Hooch Life’s Tiki Bar Playlist for more ideas and inspiration.

More Tiki Resources

Durgin recommends the following sites for you to dig deeper into tiki culture, history, and cocktails:

Beachbum Berry
Tiki Central
Ministry of Rum
Myriah’s Polynesian Bazaar

(Curious about tiki? Catch Matty Durgin at Ghost Plate & Tap in Denver, Colorado on Saturday, August 25th from 4–6 p.m. He’ll talk about the history of rum, tiki legends Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic, and host a rum tasting. More info here.)

That’s all well and good if you have lots of free time to plan and execute the perfect cocktail party. But most people don’t. Most of us have full-time jobs (sometimes two or three jobs!) and a little too much stress in our lives.

This is where a modern approach to hosting cocktail parties comes in handy. Food and entertainment writer A.J. Rathbun has thought a lot about this. He’s the author of Ginger Bliss and the Violet Fizz and many other books on cocktails and parties, and he’s an ardent party host himself.

“You want your party to stand out from the party pack,” says Rathbun, but you don’t have to go overboard to host a memorable cocktail party. You need great cocktails, a little planning, and a lot of fun.

Great Cocktails with a Local Twist

“I think the collective consciousness of party throwers has realized that if you want to have a party that people love, you’re going to have to up the cocktail ante a little bit,” Rathbun says.

This means you can’t get away with cheap tonic and a bottle of gin these days. “What I always suggest,” advises Rathbun, is “that you pick two or three signature cocktails” for your party: one classic cocktail and something new.

“It’s always fun to introduce your friends to a new drink, a new liqueur, or a new spirit brand they haven’t had.” Rathbun is a huge fan of using local spirits in cocktails as a way to get to know what your own city has to offer. He’s especially fond of his Earl of 15th Avenue cocktail (Ebb + Flow vodka, Earl Grey syrup, Lillet Blanc, lemon juice), which uses mostly local spirits and ingredients from Seattle, where he lives.

Simple, Creative Themes

“Without getting too theme-y, planning around the seasons” is an easy way to put together a cocktail party, and seasonal parties are among Rathbun’s stand-by options. For a summery party, Rathbun suggests choosing bubbly, refreshing drinks: a classic like an Italian Spritz, as well as “something else that’s summery but maybe people haven’t heard of.”

Rathbun likes to host everything from seasonal cocktail parties and holiday parties to his favorite theme: “faux” tailgate parties which include all the fun, sporting elements but “that aren’t around any sporting event at all,” he explains with a chuckle.

Choosing a simple theme is as much for the host as it is for the guests. It’s much easier to decide which cocktails to serve when you’ve narrowed down the options. When you coordinate your signature drinks with the food, it “sets the bar a little higher,” says Rathbun.

Less Stress, More Fun

“One of the things people always forget is that the party isn’t going to be fun for the guests if it’s not fun for the host,” Rathbun tells us, so don’t think you have to “stay in the kitchen and watch Julia Child videos for a month” in order to throw a great party.

Narrowing down your drink menu to just a couple signature cocktails, testing the recipes ahead of time, and prepping the ingredients before the guests arrive, advises Rathbun, all go a long way toward helping you enjoy your own party.

This ties into Rathbun’s “party slogan” which he discovered in a fortune cookie: “proper prior planning prevents poor performance.” Once you get past the rather distracting alliteration (who writes these fortunes anyway?), it’s actually really good advice. “Anything you can do in advance [cutting lime slices, making simple syrup, mixing fruit juice], get done,” he says.

If you don’t feel like stirring and shaking a hundred drinks in a single evening, Rathbun says that punch is a delicious alternative: “it’s really tasty, punch bowls look really fantastic…and it gives you more time to mingle with your friends.”

Rathbun’s final piece of advice: “Don’t forget the taxi driver number…make sure your party doesn’t end in a bent fender.”

A.J. Rathbun is a freelance food and entertainment writer, poet and author, a frequent guest on the Everyday Food program (Martha Stewart Living/Sirius satellite radio), and is a contributor to culinary & entertainment magazines such as Every Day with Rachael Ray, The Food Network Magazine, Real Simple, Wine Enthusiast, and many others.

Vibe

Tennis whites, seersucker, or blazers and pastel pants for the gents; brightly colored dresses, precarious hats and fascinators for the ladies.

Cocktails

The Mint Julep: it’s not just for the Kentucky Derby. It’s the daytime drink of choice in many mid-twentieth century guides to entertaining, back when a garden parties were a regular occurrence. Since there’s no risk of offending the Kentuckians if you don’t use bourbon this time, try it with Rittenhouse Rye.

Or, if you’d like a tall drink for a warm day, pick up a bottle of sloe gin (I recommend Plymouth). The Sloe Gin Fizz has a slightly lower alcohol content compared your regular gin, which means a thirsty crowd won’t become a riot if they over-imbibe while battling the heat.

1-1/2 ounces Sloe Gin
1 ounce lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
club soda

Shake the sloe gin, lemon juice and sugar with ice in a shaker. Strain into a highball glass filled with ice cubes and fill the rest of the glass with soda. Serve with a straw.

Food

If you have ever thought of making canapés or cucumber sandwiches, this is the perfect moment. They may be associated most often with tea-time or appetizers, but they serve as ideal light accompaniment for outdoor refreshment.

Music

Prohibition-era jazz suits the feel of a garden party, and lends it a bit of an air of a bygone time when what you were sipping was an illegal substance. Try these mixes of 1920s and ‘30s jazz — Party Like It’s 1928 and TomCat Jazz Mix — for starters.

Vibe

Fun, but perhaps a little seedy, and tinged with the knowledge that a long line of past deviants have enjoyed this type of fun before and so, well, why shouldn’t you?

Cocktails

New Orleans holds the patents on more than a few classic drinks, most notably the Sazerac. You could do a lot worse than Sazerac Rye in it (and if you’re expecting a crowd, then there’s no shame in going for the slightly cheaper Old Overholt instead), and if you’re unable to find Herbsaint then you can slip in Ricard or another pastis, absinthe, or anise-flavored liqueur.

Or, for something a little different, test your shaker-arm strength against another New Orleans classic, the Ramos Gin Fizz. For the gin, try Plymouth or my personal favorite, Tanqueray.

Food

It’s a party, not a sit down dinner, and so you don’t want people struggling with bowls of gumbo or dripping po’boys down the front of their shirt. Instead, opt for the finger food adaptation of the city’s traditional Muffaletta sandwich with this recipe for Muffaletta Dip. Or try shrimp skewers with Remoulade, the Cajun condiment, as a dip.

Music

New Orleans jazz is the only way to go, and you have a lot to choose from. Look for albums by groups such as the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band or the Rebirth Brass Band or find excellent mixes on www.8tracks.com such as this one, called Only in New Orleans.

According to cocktail writer Peter Joseph, better brunch parties are coming back. “There definitely was a moment — sort of in the Mad Men era in the ‘50s going into the ‘60s — of people really planning elaborate brunch parties. That was something that was really impressive, and we’re starting to see people more open to doing that now.”

Joseph’s new book, Boozy Brunch, comes out this September. It’s full of brunch cocktail recipes, food pairings and cocktail history. He hopes the book will inspire party hosts (and bar owners) to branch out at brunch. “For most people, brunch is the time when they try something other than beer or vodka soda. It’s the one time when they’re trying something different,” he says.

Joseph has also taken it upon himself to introduce his circle of friends to new cocktails. His own parties always include a signature cocktail. “A lot of people don’t normally drink hard liquor. If they’re at someone’s party…they’re more willing to try it because it’s the signature drink.” Slowly, says Joseph, his friends are being converted into cocktail geeks, like himself.

So if you’re only drinking the same old brunch cocktails you already know, you may be missing out. Brunch is a great time to work your way through the classics you haven’t tried — Joseph recommends a White Lady, a Mint Julep or a Ramos Gin Fizz — that pair well with breakfast foods.

From there, it’s time to get creative. One of the recipes in Boozy Brunch calls for bacon-infused gin. This infusion was a hit at Joseph’s last party, he said, and his friends are eager to go home and try it themselves. Or, Joseph says, “They sound odd, but drinks with beef stock in them are a great alternative to tomato juice [cocktails].” He also recommends white sangria and a concoction called a Skier’s Smoothie, made of black tea and Galliano.

Go ahead and indulge a little, not only in a second helping of French toast, but also in your adventurous side. Says Joseph, brunch isn’t “your healthy, post-gym meal. It’s meant to help you recuperate.” It’s the opportunity to spend quality time with your friends after the wild party is over and before the work week begins.

The Bullshot
(recipe courtesy of Peter Joseph)

2 ounces vodka
4 ounces cold beef consommé or stock
1/2 ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/4 ounce Worcestershire sauce
2 dashes Tabasco sauce
Pinch of celery salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Stir all ingredients with ice in a shaker, then strain into a highball glass half-filled with ice.

Fellow drinkers, it’s up to us to make tasting parties fun again, to banish the snobbery, and to simply enjoy trying new things with our friends. The modern tasting party is not about one-upping each other with clever vocabulary, but rather about sharing new experiences and making the time memorable.

The moment to reinvent the tasting party is now. Big-brand spirits that dominate the liquor store shelves are being challenged by a growing number of small craft distillers, who are less concerned with convention than with making really good hooch. Does all gin have to taste like juniper? No. Is all vodka flavorless? Certainly not.

It’s now possible to put together a selection of small-batch spirits with top-shelf taste at an affordable price. Star bartender Marshall Altier has put together a selection of tequila to get your tasting party started. Next time, try a few bottles of American rye whiskey or New Western style gin.

1. Start with a selection of craft spirits

Most of your party guests will have tried the big brands already, so look to some new and interesting craft spirits to taste. Here are Marshall Altier’s tequila recommendations. These bottles are a great value and mix well in cocktails:

Milagro Silver: “A great value and great for mixing,” this tequila is triple distilled for a savory burst of flavor.

El Tesoro Platinum: This is a “benchmark silver tequila that can play well in sipping style drinks. Great as a comparison to Milagro as both are great (and different) examples of what silver tequila can be,” says Altier.

Espolon Tequila Repsado: “Great value and great balance,” says Altier of this tequila, aged 6 months in oak barrels.

Pueblo Viejo Añejo: “One of the few affordable añejos on the market. It’s worth its weight in gold.”

2. Taste each spirit and compare notes

Give each person one glass (this will save you from washing tons of glasses). Next to the bottles you will taste, put out a pitcher of water and an empty bowl for rinsing out the glasses between spirits.

As the leader of this tasting party, it’s your job to tell people what they are tasting and to get the conversation going after the first sips. What does everyone think? It this spirit sweet? Savory? Light? Heavy? Do we like it?

3. Mix the spirits into cocktails and enjoy the rest of the evening.

This is a party, after all. Once the tasting is over and people have decided which spirits are their favorites, it’s time to mix them into some cocktails and have fun. Put out the ingredients and recipes so your guests can mix up their own cocktails. Altier recommends the following tequila cocktails:

Tommy’s Margarita: This recipe “will blow people away who have never had it!” Replace the orange curacao in a classic Margarita with agave nectar to make Tommy’s version.

Parkeroo: 2 ounces of dry sherry and 1 ounce of tequila, this recipe comes from The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book.

La Rosita: “Another amazing stirred drink using aged tequila” along with Campari and vermouth.

Also consider the ginger-y El Diablo and the fruity Tequila Smash.

With Memorial Day behind us, the summer outdoor entertaining season has officially begun. We love throwing a nice backyard BBQ, but once the ribs are done, we don’t always want to be stuck behind the stick, tending bar for a gaggle of our closest friends.

So what’s the answer? Pitcher drinks are the perfect way to leave your hands free to greet your guests. Prepare your pitchers before the party and when it’s time to drink, simply add ice and bring those bad boys outside. Your guests can help themselves and you’ll be able to enjoy the party yourself.

A Few How-To Tips

But in those hot summer months, the trick to perfect pitcher drinks harkens back to the days of yore when punches were the only way to properly imbibe. You’ll want your recipe to be slightly over-sweet and a little stout when you begin. The ice you add will dilute and soften your beverage. It’s the only way to avoid your pitcher becoming watery and tepid over the course of an afternoon.

What sort of ice should you use? We’re glad you asked. All refrigerator ice is too watery to use in a pitcher. Instead, the night before your party, fill a few loaf pans (9.25×5.25 or similar) with water and freeze them overnight. You might have to hack at the ice block a bit when it’s fully frozen, but you don’t want uniform pieces anyway. One large block and the punch will be gone before it begins to dilute your drink. Two small of cubes will dilute too quickly.

Now that we have our foundation out of the way, we’ve gathered together some of our favorite pitcher recipes from some of the best cocktail minds in the country.

Here are the recipes our bartender experts recommend for your next backyard party:
Quick and Dirty Margarita Mix
Peach Passion
Patriot’s Punch
Lawrenceburg Libation
Tastes Like Apple

Quick and Dirty Margarita Mix

(Recipe by Brad Melton for The Hooch Life — makes 1 gallon)

Have you seen the cost of limes in the store lately? Outrageous. Unless you have a license to purchase produce by the case, it simply isn’t feasible to make pitchers of Margaritas with 100% fresh lime juice. You’re in your backyard, remember? This recipe can be consumed as is, or tossed into a frozen Margarita machine to be distributed in brain-freeze form.

32 ounces blanco tequila (Don’t get fancy, especially if you’re freezing it. 30/30 Reposado or Sauza Hornitos will do just fine)
3 cans of frozen limeade
6 ounces fresh squeezed lime juice
6 ounces fresh squeezed lemon juice
6 ounces fresh squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup simple syrup
7 empty limeade cans of water

Mix all the ingredients together in a large pitcher or multi-gallon bucket. Those 5-gallon orange water coolers from Home Depot with the non-drip faucet are perfect for these.

Peach Passion

(Recipe by Robert Sickler, Master of Whisky for Diageo)

This simple but delicious seasonal recipe calls upon that perfect marriage of peaches and whiskey, with a bit of fresh mint for another layer of flavor. We guarantee this will be the first pitcher to disappear and the recipe everyone will be asking for.

10-1/2 ounces Black Bush Irish Whiskey
5-1/4 ounces Peach Schnapps
4 Peaches, cut into slices
25-30 sprigs of fresh mint
Soda water

Muddle all ingredients except whiskey in the pitcher. Add block ice and the Black Bush Irish whiskey. Garnish with peach slices and a sprigs of mint. Top off with soda.

Patriot’s Punch

(Recipe by Brian Melton for The Hooch Life)

This recipe was created specifically for the 4th of July, blending red, white and blue elements to create a flavorful and refreshing punch to be enjoyed while those bombs are bursting in air.

25 ounces Flor de Cana 4-Year White Rum
25 ounces Sauvignon Blanc
12-1/2 ounces blackberry syrup*
18-3/4 ounces hibiscus tea
12-1/2 ounces fresh lemon juice
4 whole lemons
8 ounces sugar

*Blackberry Syrup: Begin with 8 ounces of sugar and 8 ounces of water. Bring to boil in a large pot. Reduce to a simmer and add one container (6 ounces) of blackberries and muddle. Simmer for five minutes and then fine strain.

Begin by creating an Oleo Saccharum — the traditional way to start a punch – by using a vegetable peeler to remove the zest of 4 lemons. Add 8 ounces of sugar and muddle. Let it sit for an hour and then muddle again. This will extract the essential oils of the lemon, leaving a rich base for your punch.

Add all the other ingredients on top of the oleo saccharum and stir. Add block ice and garnish with blackberries, raspberries and lemon wheels.

Lawrenceburg Libation

(Recipe by Robert Sickler, Master of Whisky for Diageo)

Straight out of the hills of Kentucky comes this stout drink from one of the world’s certified Masters of Whisky. The richness of the bitter spirit and the bourbon is nicely complimented by the herbaceous rosemary and the tropical fruits. This is your Granddad’s patio pounder.

14 ounces Bulleit Bourbon
1-3/4 ounces Fernet Branca
3-1/2 ounces simple syrup
7 orange slice
7 pineapple slice
5 slices lemon
3 sprigs of rosemary

Muddle simple syrup, Fernet Branca, orange slices, pineapple slices, lemon slices in your pitcher. Add your large ice block, then pour in the Bulleit. Stir gently and garnish with pineapple, orange and lemon cherry with rosemary.

Tastes Like Apple

(Recipe by Jared Boller, Lani Kai, New York City)

The most-advanced of our recipes, this pitcher pounder from New York City’s Jared Boller is like biting into the Big Apple itself. The addition of Rosé Champagne gives this pitcher is an effervescent and eloquent quality that is sure to be a hit with the ladies in the crowd.

‎8 ounces Daron Calvados
4 ounces Dolin Dry vermouth
3 ounces homemade grenadine
3 ounces fresh lemon juice
3 dashes angostura bitters
top with Rosé Champagne

Add your large block ice and garnish with sliced apples and lemon wheels.

It’s not hard to turn your backyard into the place everyone wants to hang out, and you don’t need a swimming pool or fancy landscaping (but if you have a pool, can I come over?). Here are some ideas.

1. Have the right bar setup. Bartender Brian Melton breaks down exactly what you’ll need to mix up great cocktails and drinks outside.

2. Invest in some wireless speakers. Set up the party playlist on your iPod inside the house, and stream the music outside without any cords running through the window or under the doormat. Apartment Therapy tells you which kind to buy. Check out out Summer Party Playlist for some warm-weather tunes.

3. There are two things you can never have too much of: ice and paper towels. If you think you have enough ice, buy twice as much and then you’ll have enough. Put a roll of paper towels on every table and keep a reserve just inside the back door.

4. Put out some sunscreen and bug spray. Someone is going to forget how quickly their fair skin burns in the sun, and nothing ruins a backyard party like a swarm of mosquitoes — believe me, I know. A group of happy, tipsy friends can suddenly turns into a herd of itchy maniacs running for their cars before you’ve even served dessert.

5. Grilling? You’ll need a lot of meat. I know, everyone is a vegetarian these days, but there are still some carnivores left. They are going to eat more meat than you might think. Plan for 1 pound of meat for each carnivore/omnivore at your party.

6. Mix up a few batches of pitcher cocktails. Instead of making a billion individual cocktails that keep you from enjoying your own party, make a bunch of cocktails at once. Check out our bartender-recommended pitcher drink recipes.

7. Don’t build a bonfire. There’s a time and a place for everything, and your backyard is not the place for a bonfire — especially if the next house is mere feet away. If you don’t want to deal with neighbors shouting at you as their houses fill with smoke from your fire, or a visit from the fire department because you violated city fire codes, stick to those little metal fire pits instead.

8. Provide extra entertainment. It’s summer, and if you’re just sitting around, you’re not enjoying the best of the season. It may seem silly to set up a game of horseshoes before you’ve had a cocktail or two, but I guarantee that people will play it. Or try this DIY version of Twister spray-painted right on your lawn — you don’t have to say it outloud, but I know you want to try it!

Bonus: Fancy striped ice cubes. I just couldn’t resist including a link to Martha Stewart’s striped ice cubes. Even if you don’t have enough to last the entire party, throw one or two of these cubes into everyone’s first cocktail.

Here is the scoop on Cinco de Mayo: First, it is not the Mexican equivalent of the Fourth of July/Independence Day — that would be September 16. Unbeknownst to many, yours truly included until recently, Cinco de Mayo commemorates the victory of an outnumbered Mexican army against the occupying French Army in the town of Puebla. Second, Cinco de Mayo is celebrated in Puebla but gets little recognition in other parts of Mexico, which makes it a holiday more often celebrated in the United States than in the Mexican motherland.

Cocktail: Smoky Twist on a Classic

Combining the two traditional spirits of Mexico, the classic clean tequila and its smokey cousin, mezcal, seems like an appropriate way to celebrate the culture of Mexico. In this cocktail, I wanted to add a different dimension to the drink with the cilantro, a popular herb used so often in the Mexican cuisine. I tried infusing the cilantro into the tequila at one point and into the simple syrup at another point, but the best idea proved to be muddling the cilantro fresh as the cocktail is prepared. Just be sure you strain well before you pour it in the glass.

Smoky Rita
(makes 1 drink)

1 ounce Proximus tequila
1/2 ounce simple syrup
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
1/4 ounce lemon juice
1/4 ounce Sombra Mezcal
10 fat springs of cilantro

Muddle the cilantro really well. Add the rest of the ingredients and shake over ice for at least 15 seconds. Strain and serve up in a chilled large Martini glass. (See more tequila cocktail recipes.)

Music: Rodrigo y Gabriela

For a festive, upbeat and Mexican vibe, play some songs by Rodrigo y Gabriela, a modern Mexican musical duo made up of Rodrigo Sánchez, lead guitar, and Gabriela Quintero, rhythm guitar. These two specialize in playing fast, rhythmic acoustic guitars in a style that is grounded in flamenco but ranges from jazz to rock without a flinch. It is impossible not to love their tunes. (Take a look at some other playlists for Cinco de Mayo.)

Food: Fresh Take on Tacos

Instead of the usual variety, try these tacos made with a traditional Mexican cheese, Cotija, a hard and very salty cow’s milk cheese. Blue corn tortillas make it more interesting to the eye, but white corn tortillas are a very competent replacement. Make your own salsa for these — always.

Queso Tacos
(recipe makes 4 tacos)

8 blue corn tortillas
8 ounces grated Cotija cheese
1 avocado, smashed

Serve each taco with:
4 ounces fresh tomatillo salsa (recipe follows)
1 lime wedge
Kosher salt

Place tortillas on a griddle or in a cast iron pan over high heat until warm and very slightly crispy, about 1 to 2 minutes per side.

Place a 2-ounce scoop of Cotija cheese on the very hot cooking surface. Cook cheese for 30 seconds, until it browns and forms into a patty (kind of like a pancake). Flip it to the other side then cook for another 30 seconds.

Place tortillas, two per taco, on a serving platter and top with grilled Cotija cheese, smashed avocado, a spoonful of the tomatillo salsa and a dash of salt. Serve with lime wedges.

Tomatillo Salsa

8 tomatillos, husks removed
2 garlic cloves, peeled
20 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped coarsely
juice of 1 lime
salt to taste

Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the tomatillos in for 30 seconds. Remove and chop coarsely.

Place the tomatillos in a blender with the garlic, lime juice, cilantro, and salt. Blend until smooth and chill before serving.