TEQUILA COCKTAILS

My favorite way to enjoy tequila is in a margarita, usually with some kind of fruit and blended most of the time, but not always! I've been known to enjoy tequila in Old Fashioneds, Bloodies, Collins and even the occasional shot! Below are some my favorites.

TEQUILA
COCKTAILS

CHOCOLATE MARGARITA

So good it's dangerous.

PINK CADILLAC MARGARITA

Because it's just cool.

MARGHERITA PIZZA MARGARITA
Trust me, it's a great Tomato Margarita.

GRINNING SKULL
Day of the Dead & Grateful Dead Inspired Cocktail.

SOLAR ECLIPSE MARGARITA
Imagine a black moon ice ball melting in a bright sun orange margarita.

SAMCRO Bloody Boilermaker
A Sons Of Anarchy Inspired Cocktail.

LOADED CACTUS SLIDERITAS
Cactus Pear Margarita with Goodies.

RED, WHITE & BOOZESICLES
Raspberry Martini, Coconut Colada, Blueberry Margarita Popsicles.

HAN SOLO HAS A ROCKET IN HIS POCKET

SHOOTER

Yes, you read that right.

STONED TEQUILA SUNSET
A riff on that 70's classic, Tequila Sunset.

TEQUILA POMEGRANATE SMASH
Just what it sounds like, pomegranate seeds smashed into tequila.

PALOMA TEQUILA COCKTAIL
A fresh take on the classic grapefruit Mexican cooler.

TIJUANA JACKASS
My South of the Border take on a Moscow Mule.

HATCHCHILETA MARGARITA
Made with my Homemade Roasted Hatch Chile and Cilantro Infused Tequila Liquor

The DIE HARD MARTINI
Just what you think it is.

The OVER THE CLIFF MARTINI-RITA

I absolutely love this one for two reasons, Blackberries are great in margaritas and I love the recipe card I designed for it inspired by the movie, Thelma and Louise.

The CHERRY MARGARITA

I love cherries, I love margaritas.
Win/Win.

POMEGRANATE MARGARITA

A sweetheart of a margarita.

BLOOD ORANGE MARGARITA

The color and flavor of blood oranges makes this one a total babe of a cocktail.

BLUEBERRY MARGARITA-TINI

It's all about the blueberries!

SPICY WATERMELON MARGARITA

Refreshing with a spicy bite - a lovely sip in summer.

HOT WATERMELON MARGARITA
Not kidding. Hot.

STRAWBERRY BLUEBERRY MARGARITA
A perfect use of seasonal summer fruits.

THE MARGARITAVILLE MARTINI

A classic margarita for Jimmy Buffett Parrotheads - the recipe card has a cool Scarlett Macaw Parrot on it!

MONSTROUS RITA-TINI MARTINI
A Halloween themed, orange flavored martini with some spooky garnish.

LOADED CACTUS SLIDERITAS
A Cactus Pear Margarita Loaded with Mexi Sliders & Happy Hour Treats.

PEACH MARGARITA
Canned or fresh peaches, both work great!

BEER MARGARITAS
Because, you know, Beer! And Margaritas!

BLUE CRYSTAL MARGARITA
Concocted especially for Breaking Bad Addicts!

And for good measure, here's a few more
Seasonal or Themed Tequila Cocktails:
 TEQUILA TUESDAY MARTINI-RITA
BLUE MOON TEQUILA MARTINI
SIESTA TEQUILA MARTINI
EMERALD ISLE MARTINI
GRAVEYARD SUNRISE MARTINI
MONTROUS RITATINI
RED WHITE & BOOZESICLES

And last but not least how about
A LITTLE TEQUILA HISTORY?



TEQUILA is cheaper than therapy is available on art, decor, stationery, clothing, bar accessories, games and gifts.

Updated 8-2017

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BLUEBERRY DAIQUIRI

The Daiquiri is very near and dear to me because it's the very first real cocktail I ever had, thanks to my sister. Having a Daiquiri always brings back memories of her and it is the cocktail that started me on the road to becoming The Martini Diva.   The original Daiquiri was a mixture of rum, lime, and sugar served over ice. Born in Cuba, the Daiquiri was introduced to America by Admiral Lucius W. Johnson of the U.S. Navy who discovered it in his travels. Johnson brought the Daiquiri recipe back to the Army and Navy Club in Washington DC where it became a favorite of many young Naval officers, including a young John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Thanks to Roosevelt's Good Neighbor Policy, which opened up trade to Cuba and the Caribbean, when wartime rationing made whiskey, gin and vodka hard to come by in the 1940s, Cuban rum became a popular substitute and the Daiquiri then began to appear in American bars throughout the country.   Most people today are more familiar with the frozen, fruit blended versions and, though I do like a well prepared classic Daiquiri, I'm not a bit adverse to adding fruit to Daiquiris myself. So, when I was given a huge bag of frozen blueberries recently, a Blueberry Daiquiri seemed a perfect way to make use of them!   BLUEBERRY DAIQUIRI 2 Oz. Light Rum 1/2 C. Frozen Blueberries 1 Oz. Fresh Lime Juice 1 Tbsp. Blueberry Simple Syrup (recipe for syrup here) 1 C. Ice Sugar for Rim Fresh Blueberries for garnish   Rim glass with sugar then chill in the freezer. Add all ingredients, except the fresh blueberries, to a blender and pulse until slushy. Pour into your chilled glass, garnish and enjoy!   More Fruit Daiquiris You Might Enjoy.    National Daiquiri Day is July 19th and National Blueberry Month is in July.       Updated 7-2018 PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY  

Fourth of July Cocktails

What would July 4th be without some patriotic cocktails? I've compiled all my Fourth of July cocktails here to make your celebration easier:

FOURTH OF JULY COCKTAILS

Have a safe and happy Fourth of July!

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Updated 2-2017

Maple Leaf Cocktail

A very

HAPPY CANADA DAY

to our neighbors up North!

THE MAPLE LEAF COCKTAIL

1-1/2 Oz. Canadian Whiskey

1 Tbsp. Maple Syrup

Canada Dry Ginger Ale

1/2 Oz. Lemon Juice

Lemon Twist, Candied Ginger & Maraschino Cherry Garnish

Shake whiskey, lemon juice and maple syrup with a cup of ice, strain into glass, top off with ginger ale, garnish with candied ginger, cherry and twist.

CHEERS, EH?

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PLUM PERFECT SHRUB COCKTAIL

Having just posted about making Vinegar Shrubs aka Drinking Vinegars, I had to make myself a cocktail from these wonderful syrups I had created. I had made plum, strawberry, blueberry, cranberry and watermelon shrubs, in that order, so I decided to start with the Plum Shrub Cocktail first!

Plum Perfect Shrub Cocktail

2 Oz. Vodka
2 Oz. Plum Shrub
Dash of Orange Bitters
Orange Twist
Pinch of Cinnamon

Chill your glass in the freezer.  Fill your cocktail shaker with ice then add the vodka, plum shrub syrup and the dash of orange bitters.  Shake until chilled than garnish with the orange twist - expressing the oils over the cocktail - and dust a pinch of cinnamon over the top.

That's it! Enjoy and read up on Drinking Vinegars and stay tuned for more Shrub Cocktails!

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VINEGAR SHRUBS for COCKTAILS & MOCKTAILS

Drinking Vinegars aka Shrubs are quite popular these days in craft cocktails. They're a great way to introduce an acidic element to a drink and have added health benefits that come with the use of vinegar.

Mind you, using vinegar in a libation is not a new concept. Back in colonial days vinegar shrubs, which are shelf stable at room temperature, were all the rage with colonists with a thirst and no refrigeration. Shrubs, used as a method to preserve fruits in Frigidaire free America, were consumed with and without alcohol by none other than George Washington, Ben Franklin and John Adams, who most likely added a bit of vinegar shrub to those nasty, impure rums of the day.

Using a simple method of combining fruits with sugar and vinegar, the tart and sweet shrubs, also called drinking vinegars, were a thirst quenching alternative to drinking brackish water and they mixed pretty well with the wines and ales of the day as well.

Vinegars not only preserve fruits, they help preserve water. Historically used on ships to purify the water stores, vinegar was also used as far back as ancient Rome and Greece for medicinal purposes. Drinking vinegars are good for you. 

A while back I experimented with using vinegar in cocktails in my Strawberry Balsamic Martini and made a few drinking vinegar syrups for mixing a quick mocktail for non-alcoholic drinkers, but, thanks to a gift of assorted Rice Wine Vinegars from Marukan, I recently got the shrub bug again.

Why are they called shrubs? I'm not all that sure but the word "shrub" is a variant of the word "shurb", which is from the Arabic word sharāb meaning "to drink". There is also the word sharbat, a Hindi word for drinks based on syrups made from fruit extracts. Shrubs are not confined to fruits either, you can make herbal shrubs and veggie shrubs. Imagine some kale or beets in a shrub!

There are several ways to make a shrub, including various hot and cold methods, but for your first go round use this simple recipe from Eric Felten's "How's Your Drink?" For mine I simply replaced the white wine vinegar with Marukan Rice Wine Vinegar which adds a bit more sweetness:

Strawberry Shrub Syrup

1/2 C. Sugar (I used regular cane sugar but feel free to experiment with turbinado or other fancy sugars.)
1/2 C. Water
2 C. Strawberries
1 C. Marukan Rice Wine Vinegar

Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a sauce pan, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
Reduce your heat to simmer, add the strawberries and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the final syrup to resemble a cordial so reduce enough to stand up to the addition of the vinegar.
Add the vinegar, raise the heat and return to a boil for an additional 2 minutes.
Remove from heat, strain, and allow to cool then store in the refrigerator.
(As an aside, you might think about doing these outside on a grill burner as the last step wafts a good dose of vinegar smell about!)

I then repeated this recipe with blueberries, plums, dried cranberries, watermelon and blackberries. For the blackberry shrub I used brown sugar to get that molasses taste and used Marukan's Sweet & Tangy Rice Wine Vinegar just for a giggle. Whatever vinegar (rice wine, apple cider, white, balsamic, champagne), sugar, produce, you use keep in mind the wine edict, "if you wouldn't eat it or drink it, don't cook with it" and use quality ingredients!

You can add herbs, even peppercorns and other natural flavor enhancers, to your shrubs, which I would add at the same time as the berries, but I chose not to do this (except with the watermelon to which I added some apple mint leaves*) so I could pick the herb I wanted at the time I mixed the cocktail or drink. I might be in the mood for basil one day or tarragon the next so why box myself in?

WHY BOTHER MAKING SHRUBS?
The advantage of vinegar shrubs is their shelf life, you can always have some fruit on hand to add to a cocktail no matter the time of year or your proximity to a fruit vendor. Additionally, shrubs are a perfect way to add balanced acidity and sweetness to a cocktail with one ingredient, kind of like customized sweet & sour mixes. Sure, you can buy shrubs too, thanks to their rising popularity many artisnal shrubs are popping up on the commercial market, but when they're this easy why not let your own culinary creativity off it's leash?

Basic Alcohol Shrub Cocktail:
1 -2 Oz. Shrub Mix/Syrup
2 Oz. Spirit
4 Oz. Club Soda or other sparkling non-alcoholic beverage. (I haven't tried sparkling wines here yet. That waits for another day.)
You can leave out the soda and drink this shrub as a cordial. Leave out the spirit too and you have yourself an old fashioned medicinal palliative.

Basic Non-Alcoholic Shrub Drink:
1 Oz. Shrub Mixture
3-4 Oz. Club Soda (Yes, you can use non carbonated waters ad well.)

BTW, I've discovered my shrubs are GREAT for salad dressings!

Try these Drinking Vinegar Cocktails:

 BLUEBERRY SHRUB COCKTAIL
PLUM PERFECT SHRUB COCKTAIL

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True Blood Martini, a truly blood red cocktail for Halloween

October 2018 Update

When I originally created this cocktail I did so as a tribute to the last season of one of my favorite television shows at the time, True Blood. It was a fitting tribute, being a show with about vampires and the rich, dark red color of this gin, fresh cherry and pomegranate cocktail is very close to the color of fresh blood. This also makes it a perfect Halloween cocktail, especially if you are throwing a vampire themed cocktail party.

You can read the original post below the recipe, and check the True Blood series if you get a chance, it's far and above one of the best vampire series ever produced on television.

The

TRUE BLOOD MARTINI

INGREDIENTS
2 Oz. Gin

2 Oz. Pomegranate Juice

10 Fresh Cherries, Pitted

Juice of Half a Lime

Grenadine

2 Tsp. Sugar

Optional: 3 Dashes of Tru Blood (for your vampire guests)

DIRECTIONS

Chill your glass in the freezer. In a cocktail shaker, muddle the cherries, lime juice and sugar. Add 1 cup of ice, pour in the gin and pomegranate juice then shake until chilled. Strain into your chilled glass, add optional Tru Blood, garnish with a cherry and a few pomegranate seeds.

Original Post:

A Cocktail Farewell to Bon Temps

Laissez les bons temps rouler - let the good times (and the blood, sex and violence) roll.

The good times will roll again for one final season tonight for all the vampire lovers (Trubies) out there in Bon Temps and surrounding locals with this True Bloodtini and the season premiere of HBO's True Blood.

Though I came late to the party (being too penurious to shell out for premium channels), I got addicted visiting with friends, ponied up the dollars and now I mourn and will hungrily devour this last season to see what awaits those creatures of the night who have sucked me into their world.

To ease my withdrawal from Eric, Bon Temps and Sookie's coffin hopping, I created this True Blood cocktail. 

As it contains gin instead of hemoglobin, my True Bloodtini is a happy hour take on "Tru Blood", the invention that started this whole bloody mess. If my version had been served at Merlotte's and Fangtasia maybe less blood would have flowed and it might have kept all those blood suckers, assorted humans, fairies, shapeshifters and werewolves from allowing friends to drink friends' blood . . .

Settle back and enjoy the last season of Sookie, Eric, Bill, Lafayette, Sam and the rest of the Bon Temps crew.

Updated 10-2018

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