Drink of the Month: Michelada

With Summer winding-down I am moving on from the citrus cocktails of summer and into fall-spiced ones.  But, Texas is still hot, so I can't help but crave Micheladas.  

A Michelada is the product of a beer that married a bloody mary.....but so much better.  With a small addition of bloody mary mix, lime juice, worcheshire, and hot sauce, it gives the beer a tang and a kick.  

Served over ice, a Michelada is refreshing, spicy, and too easy to chug within two minutes of making it.  

Michelada, serves one

• 12oz beer, preferably a Kolsch, Lager, or Mexican Lager 
• 2oz Spicy Bloody Mary Mix
• 1oz lime juice
• 1/2 oz worcheshire
• 1/2 oz hot sauce 
• ice
• garnish: lime wedge

Drink of the Month: Blackberry-Lime-Tequila

I am not a huge fan of Tequila.  The whole, "One Tequila, Two Tequila, Three Tequila, Floor," thing is pretty accurate.  However, I do enjoy a nice margarita on the rocks when I am chowing-down on delicious Mexican food here in Texas.

The problem with all the margaritas you find at restaurants is they are loaded with fake ingredients and tons of sugar.  You can order a 'skinny' one, but they seem to give you a tiny drink with no more than five sips involved.

So, make yourself a margarita at home and you will not only be happier with the taste and flavor, but you will be happier with the calorie count as well.

Blackberries are in season right now and are plump and juicy, so when I bought a package at Sprout's I knew they were going to be used in my margarita.

Like all margaritas you have to start out with a nice silver tequila.  We had Patron at the house, so that is what I went with.

Next you need limes, duh.  Fresh-squeezed of course.

Then you need a sweet component.  I like to use local honey or agave nectar in my drinks, and I just so happen to have some Spicy Honey on hand (a gift I received from a friend).  Perfect!

Lastly, the blackberries.  Blackberries have so many seeds so you will want to toss them in a blender and then strain them so you get all the seeds out.

Now you can combine all of your ingredients.  The ratio of each is totally up to you.  Do you like it more tart?  Add more lime.  More sweet?  Add more honey.  Fruiter?  Add more blackberry puree.  Or if you had a rough week at work, just add more tequila.

I personally like mine balanced with an equal amount of sweet and tart.  I did go a little heavy handed on the blackberry puree though.  :)

Cheers!

Drink of the Week #11: The Ginger

Once again I tried to replicate a favorite drink of mine from one of my favorite local restaurants, and I have to say, I completely nailed this one to perfection.  

I love ginger!  Anytime I fly a Ginger Ale is my drink of choice, and whenever I am sick I sip on Ginger Ale throughout the day.  Ginger candy is delicious, and fresh ginger in a spicy Asian dish is one of my favorite flavors.  With my taste-buds love for ginger I knew that a ginger cocktail would be a hit.

The Ginger has a double dose of immune healthy ginger; with fresh ginger and Ginger Beer.  I use Ginger Beer instead of Ginger Ale because it is made with real ginger and less sugar, yielding a more flavorful punch of flavor.  It costs more and can be hard to find, but it is well worth it.  And while it is called Ginger Beer, it isn't actually beer at all, it is 100% free of any alcohol.  

The Ginger is a simple blend of muddled fresh ginger, lime juice, and a touch of agave nectar topped with Gin and Ginger Beer.  The hubs and myself like a bit of a spicy kick to our cocktails so I decided to add a few drops of our own Homemade Habanero Bitters to the mix (yes, I said homemade).