Introducing Bachelor Chow

About author / Josh Gunn

Bachelor chef; southern cooking; mixologist; university professor. Josh's recipes will delight (and sometimes terrify) you.

Recently the folks at CDKitchen approached me and asked if I'd be willing to write a column on my cooking experiences. A couple of months ago I had the site owners over for dinner; I figured they were so impressed with my sumptuous feast—a pot of gumbo, some tangy smothered greens, and cornbread—that they wanted me to share my cooking secrets with the world. Ah . . . no. "Your cooking is ok," explained one of the execs, "but we're even more impressed that you understand the poor and single lifestyle." I suspect my mismatched dinner napkins and place settings, which I defend as the "deliberately eclectic" style, tipped them off.

I reckon that since I've been a bachelor for at least fifteen of my 34 years on this planet, I'm somewhat "in the know." Look: I've been trying to change that for years, it's just not worked out yet. So, a bachelor I remain. I know what it's like to be a bachelor and to live like one. I know what its like to have $30 bucks left in the bank until payday. And if you're a bachelor, I can almost guarantee you need to clean the bathroom (so snap to it!). But if you're reading this, then you seek some bachelor food advice. Top on my agenda is to convince bachelors everywhere that you can cook and prepare on the cheap without sacrificing style, and sometimes even without sacrificing taste.

And speaking of taste, nothing impresses oneself or others more than a really pretty margarita, which should be a staple of any bachelor's repertoire. Ok, ok, I know you're expecting me to offer up fancy ways to prepare a toaster-ready pastry, and trust me, I'll get to that. But numero uno of the four bachelor food groups is the alcoholic beverage (the others, of course, in order of importance are frozen, just-thawed, and non-perishable). I wanted my first recipe to be among my best, and so, gentle reader, I give you my recipe for my Mean-Ass Joshritas.

Now, these Joshritas are so good they'll ruin your experiences of anyone else's margaritas, so think twice about making these. The secret of the Joshrita is fresh lime juice; any bachelor worthy of the name would not dare use sour mix! If you can afford it, you should also really go for the Agave tequila, not the fake stuff that substitutes grain alcohol for the real thing (e.g., Cuervo gold). And remember, to be a model bachelor you need to keep some margarita glasses in your freezer at all times (and you get bonus points if the stems are cactuses); the recipe makes for two drinks, so you'll need two glasses.

Serves/Makes: 2

• 4 ounces good, 100% Agave tequila
• 4 ounces triple sec or, better, Cointreau
• 2 limes, juiced, reserve the rinds
• 1 lime, cut in wheels
• 1 splash lemon-lime soda (for the lightweights)
• margarita salt