It's that time of year when Santa Barbara gringos dress up as Mexicans to celebrate Old Spanish Days and party hearty. Oftentimes we think of that sickningly sweet stuff called sherry hiding in our grandmother's cabinet. Sherries can be sweet, the sweetest ones called cream sherries. There are old sherries, rich ones called olorosos. And because sherries are so underrated in the United States, and not the darlings of yuppydum that chardonnay is they are usually a great value.
Beer is always an appropriate summertime beverage, especially with Mexican food.
My current favorite is Firestone's Double Barrel Ale. This is a delicious, thirst-quenching beer, a five percent amber ale, and great with your favorite chips and salsa. These fresh-made take out salsas are always better than the stuff on store shelves in jars, I think. The best tequilas are distilled from 100 percent blue agave. These tequilas, especially the premium brands like Patron, Chinaco, and El Tesoro, are not inexpensive.