Chipotle Is Testing a Slushie Tequila Drink

If you ever wanted some tequila to wash down that quickie burrito, you’re in luck. Chipotle is testing a new alcoholic beverage that’s likely to take off fast, especially as summer temperatures heat up. They’re calling the concoction a Frozen Paloma Margarita, and it’s a slushie hybrid drink just like its name suggests.

You’re probably already familiar with margaritas. The salt-rimmed, lime-laden cocktail is a classic and a staple of most Tex-Mex eateries. We’ve written at length about how the magical Dallas-based drink won over our hearts, and the rest of the world. The first frozen margarita machine is so culturally significant that it’s even enshrined in the Smithsonian!

But what on earth is a paloma? For starters, it’s another citrusy, tequila-based drink. The cocktail has a grapefruit soda base, usually Jarritos or Fresca, which results in a pungent and bubbly taste. You can get our paloma recipe for this under-appreciated drink here.

Chipotle will somehow combine these two beverages, as their drink contains grapefruit, agave nectar, citrus, Sauza tequila, and blended ice. One 14-ounce plastic cup will retail for $6.20. So far the drink is only being offered at the chain’s public test kitchen restaurant, NEXT Kitchen, in New York, so you may need to travel a bit to actually taste it. No word on when or if it will be rolled out nationwide.

Chipotle is hoping the drink will bolster the struggling chain’s public image. After a series of E. coli outbreak two years ago, people are still weary of eating at the restaurant due to food safety fears. According to a recent ESB Lab survey of over 1,500 people, loss of trust in the brand has severely tarnished its reputation. 60 percent of people who don’t visit the chain had “significantly negative” perceptions of the Chipotle. Perhaps a new sugary, boozy beverage can change that?

from Food News – Chowhound https://ift.tt/2J45G84
via IFTTT