Cocktail Thief

Las Perlas, I love you so much, I couldn't help but stalk you and try to recreate a cocktail that I was apprehensive about trying at first, but later fell in love with after it was offered to me for free (how could I turn down a free drink?). It's the perfect balance of tangy, sweet, spicy and smokey. Sounds like a lot to taste all at once, but trust me... It's alllll there.

2 oz. Mezcal Tequila
1 oz. Lime Juice
1/4 oz. Agave
1 tsp. Balsamic Syrup
3 dashes Rhubarb Bitters
1 Strawberry
1 Dried Chile

Break open the chile and pour the seeds into a cocktail shaker along with the remainder of the chile, strawberry and agave. Muddle. Add remaining ingredients and shake. Strain and pour over a lowball glass filled with ice. Have an orgasm.

Blood Orange Margarita

The blood orange in this cocktail provides a natural sweetness all on its own, so the use of added sugars is minimal.  Plus, I always try to convince myself that making these cocktails "healthy"  from the use of fresh fruit, herbs, natural sugars, etc. outweighs the fact that I'm consuming so much alcohol haha. Boy... am I delusional.

1/2 oz freshly squeezed Blood Orange Juice

3/4 oz. freshly squeezed Lime Juice

2 oz. Tequila Reposado ("gold")

3/4-1 tsp. Agave Nectar (depending on how sweet you like it)

*Agave is a natural sweetener from the agave plant (the same plant tequila comes from) and is 3x sweeter than sugar.

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously for 10 seconds.  Strain over a glass filled with ice.

VARIATIONS

Ginger Blood Orange- Add 1 oz of ginger liqueur (ie: Canton) with ingredients and shake. 

*liqueurs contain added sugars, so if you don't like your cocktails tasting like candy, you may want to reduce the amount of agave you decide to use.

Basil Blood Orange- Muddle 2 large basil leaves with juices and agave.  Add in tequila and shake for a fresh, slightly herbal cocktail.  Perfect for a summer day at the spa (haha, I wish).

"It's Always Summer in California" Sangria

Sangria has never really appealed to me, but recently I went to Bodega wine bar and tried theirs. I asked what was in the sangria because I really liked it. I was disappointed to learn that it was bottled, not made in-house. So then, being myself, I thought,"Wow, it couldn't be that hard to make my own!" After a little research and remembering that I had a bottle of white wine sitting around that I wasn't planning on drinking any time soon, I went to work. And if I ruined it, eh, I wasn't gonna drink it anyways. Lucky for me, my "It's Always Summer in California" sangria turned out delicious!

1 bottle of dry white wine
1/8 c. granulated sugar
3/4 c. freshly squeezed OJ (try to strain out the pulp)
1 lemon, thinly sliced
2 small limes, thinly sliced
1 cup green grapes, halved
1 handful mint

In a large pitcher, combine sugar and wine and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until sugar has dissolved. Add in remaining ingredients. Put sangria in the fridge and allow to sit for at least 4 hours.

When my sangria was done, I strained the the liquid from the fruit, then put the fruit in a ziplock bag in the freezer. To serve, pour sangria in a lowball glass with a large ice cube and garnish with frozen fruit slices.

Ooooh you better believe there's gonna be a cocktail section in this blog.  After going to a great bar (especially in downtown LA. The mixologists there are incredible), I'm always inspired to take my own twist on what I ordered.  I've tried to recreate a $12 cocktail for a fraction of the price. So here it is, I'm obsessed.

1oz. FRESH Lime juice
1oz. Green Chartreuse
2oz. Light Rum (I use Bacardi Superior)
1/2 oz. Agave
1 luxardo cherry in syrup

Combine lime juice, chartreuse, rum and agave in a cocktail shaker with some ice. Shake as hard as you can for 10-15 seconds. You don't want to dilute the drink too much.

Place the cherry and its syrup in the bottom of a martini or old fashioned champagne glass.  Strain the rum mixture over. Bottoms up!