I have seen a lot of outrageous things in Mexico, parents giving their toddlers drinks from their beers, for example. But the most shocking thing I have witnessed was a woman openly mocking the poor.

“Los Pobres”, she whined with a repulsive grimace on her face, mimicking a poor mother asking for help for her family. I don’t mean to pick on Mexico’s middle class, from whence this fresa came. Fresa is what country folk call city folk, like hot-house flower. I have judged the poor, though I have never had inclination to mock them. I think there are few of us that have not wondered things like, why are you buying Coca Cola with your food stamps?

Now that I have been poor— I think less the $5,000 a year qualifies— allow me to share something I have learned. When you are really poor and have a few dollars left over at the end of the week, you want to have fun! Period. I have tried to save the 20 pesos ($1.80) I sometimes have left after buying groceries, imagining in a few weeks I will have 200 pesos, enough for…? Nothing that will change your position I assure you. What is more, something that is no fun will present itself to eat your hard wrought 200 pesos, something that is important and you will be glad you have it, but in the back of your mind you will wish you’d spent it on your girlfriend last weekend, or  meat, or a movie, or beer.

This is a new cocktail recipe I created for Felipe. I made it with El Presidente Solera Brandy that my husband, who is making less than 20 dollars a day, doing dangerous (he has several wounds including a gash on his face) hard labor in the 90+ degree heat decided he wanted to spend half a day’s labor on. I made this cocktail for him and all the trabajadores y trabajadoras, may you have your indulgences and  may no one judge your solace.

El Trabajador

2 oz Solera brandy
2 oz tamarind concentrate (I make my own, which is already mixed with water if you are using a paste I would try 1 oz, mixed with a little water)
2 oz simple syrup
1 oz beer
crushed ice

Put all ingredients, except beer,  in a shaker and shake until your hands hurt from the cold and your shoulders from the effort, strain into a glass and float the beer on top. Salud!