Salsa Borracha con Cerveza

A “Drunken Salsa,” Because It’s Made with Beer

Mexico has a nearly infinite number of unique salsas. A type you may not have tried before is a “salsa borracha,” which is any salsa prepared with an alcohol base.

The name translates as “drunk salsa” or “drunken salsa” but what it really means is delicious. For our recipe use pasilla chilis and a light Mexican lager beer as the base.

Pasilla Chili Peppers

Pasilla chiles are a mild to moderately hot chili that has a fruity sweet smell, a bit like raisins. It has a meaty texture that thickens salsas, sauces, and stews very well. 

Which Mexican Beers to Use

Lighter Beers – Cerveza Clara

For our recipe use a lighter Mexican lager beer as the base. Corona Extra, Modelo Especial, Estrella Jalisco, Tecate, and Sol Cerveza are all good beer choices and are easy to find at most supermarkets.

Darker Beers – Cerveza Obscura

You can also choose a darker Mexican beer for even more depth of flavor. Negro Modelo and Dos Equis Ambar are also good choices and are generally easy to find.

Even though the recipe calls for beer. It is a family friendly salsa because the alcohol cooks off while the pasilla peppers are being simmered.

How to Make Salsa Borracha

All of the ingredients you need are commonly available at most supermarkets. You may already have everything you need in your pantry.

Ingredients:

• 10 pasilla chili peppers (How to choose Pasilla peppers)
• 1 Mexican lager beer
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1 medium white onion
• 5 Roma tomatoes
• 2 oranges
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp. oregano
• ½ tsp. salt + salt to taste

1st Step – Seed and Devein the Pasilla Peppers

Remove the seeds and veins from ½ of the pasilla peppers. Doing this reduces the heat of the salsa to get a mild to moderately hot salsa. Leave the seeds and veins in if you prefer a hotter salsa or remove them all if you prefer a milder salsa.

Tips for handling chili peppers: Peppers contain capsaicin which is transferred to your skin during handling. Capsaicin can cause a burning sensation on your skin or eyes. Some people are more sensitive than others. Wear kitchen gloves when handling chili peppers to prevent the burning sensation. Always wash your hands well after handling chilis to remove as much of the capsaicin as possible.

2nd Step – Toast the Pasilla Chilis

The toasting process is an important step because toasting the peppers adds a lot of depth of flavor to the salsa.

Preheat a dry pan to medium-hot. Add the pasillas to the pan and move frequently for about two to three minutes to toast them to where they become aromatic and smell what I call “toasty sweet.” If you toast them too long the smell and taste becomes notably acrid. During the toasting process if they start to smell burnt remove them from the heat immediately.

3rd Step – Simmer the Pasillas in the Beer

Add the toasted chili peppers and the beer to a pan. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a medium simmer.

Simmer for about 10 minutes. You can see in the photo that the liquid is starting to reduce.

The chilis are ready when almost all the liquid has evaporated. The mixture should look like this.

4th Step – Pan Roasting the Tomatoes, Onions, and Garlic

While the pasillas are simmering it’s time to pan roast the vegetable.

Chop the tomatoes and onions into quarters. Peel the garlic cloves.

Preheat a dry pan to medium hot. Then add the tomatoes, onion, and garlic to your pan.

Cook turning occasionally until the vegetables are well browned.

When the tomatoes and onions look like the picture above you are ready to blend the salsa.

5th Step – Blending the Salsa

Add the toasted peppers, roasted vegetables, and cilantro to your blender then squeeze in the juice of the two oranges.

Add the oregano.

Add the salt. You will make the final adjustment of the salt just before serving.

Pulse the blender just until you get a coarse salsa. Add water one tablespoon at a time if needed to blend. Do not over blend.

This is the texture your finished salsa should have. Don’t worry if you have blended it smoother. The taste will still be delicious.

6th Step – Adjust the Salt

After blending, taste to check the saltiness and add more salt until you get the desired flavor.

Salsa making tip: When we are adjusting the salt level in a salsa we tend to make it a little on the salty side because when you add the salsa to your food the saltiness will even out.

7th Step – Serve Your Salsa

Uses for Salsa Borracha

This salsa is great on any of the following dishes:

• Shredded beef tacos
• Chicken tacos
• Scrambled eggs (This is a favorite use)
• Tortilla chips (How to make homemade tortilla chips, “totopos”)
• It’s really versatile. Use it on any dish that you’d like.

Pro tip: Your salsa will be even better if you let it rest in the refrigerator for one day before serving. This gives it time for the flavors to meld and deepen.

Provecho!