Friday Cocktails: The Borderline Escape

My first memory of Mexico isn't one of lying out on a beach, margarita in hand; instead, it's quite the opposite: On my first visit to the country, I spent time in Nogales, a bustling Sonoran city that shares a border with the city of the same name in Arizona. I remember crowded, frantic streets full of cheap souvenirs, radiant colors, and beautifully authentic street food: homemade tamales sold on every corner, fragrant grilled corn, and savory skewered meat. But most popular of all was fresh, perfect fruit, dressed with lime juice and a dusting of spicy chile powder. It's a shocking, bright balance: sweet, tart, and fiery all at once. In this drink, the Borderline Escape, I've brought that sense memory back; with fresh cantaloupe and lime juices, a chile-salt-sugar rim, and a generous dose of tequila, it transports me back to the chaotic excitement that for me, is Mexico in its truest form.