happy hour

Spicy Tomato Gin and Tonics

March 3, 2017

It’s that time again, time for another cocktail post because it’s Friday and because I’m so very much looking forward to the weekend, and something tells me you might be as well. The last cocktail I posted was this amazing Blood Orange and Rosemary Margarita, which by the way you should definitely bookmark and make sometime, once blood oranges are in season again. If you don’t want to wait that long, then check out the post because I do give out some ideas for alternative fruit to use instead of blood oranges. You can thank me later. This time around though, I’m taking things out of the box a bit, with these Spicy Tomato Gin and Tonics. I’ll have to be honest with you and tell you that I’m actually not the biggest fan of gin. Or I guess I should say that I have to be in the mood for gin, and only sometimes I’m ever in the mood for it. So that just goes to show you that I don’t drink it often. When I do, I try and look for cocktail recipes that aren’t overly gin-y. These Spicy Tomato Gin and Tonics are the perfect balance of gin, heat, tonic, and overall packed with great flavor.

This is the cocktail you make by the pool when you’re entertaining your friends and family. This is the cocktail you make on your small apartment balcony, dreaming about swimming, when you don’t have a pool. It’s great when you’re barbecuing a steak, or chicken or fish out in your backyard. At the same time though, it’s the perfect cocktail to make when you’re grilling on a small stovetop grill pan, cursing those people who have a backyard with a fancy grill. Who are those people anyhow? Don’t worry, you can make your own party at home, even if it’s just you in a tiny apartment with no pool, no balcony, and/or no grill. The important thing is that you have a great delicious cocktail in hand. The rest will take care of itself.

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Blood Orange Rosemary Margaritas

January 22, 2016

It’s finally Friday and I think this calls for a cocktail or two. My number one goal in life is usually to convince someone else to Happy Hour with me, that way I won’t feel so bad wanting to drink and eat snacks at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. So let’s drink together because it’s much more fun having an adult beverage with other adults trying to forget about the long week we just endured. Shall we talk about margaritas for a bit? There’s something about margaritas that get me really excited. Maybe because it usually means that chips and salsa and guacamole will be involved, hopefully. Or maybe because it means that tacos will also be involved, that’s even better. Maybe it’s just because I happen to really like margaritas with salt, over ice. Although in the summer when it’s super hot outside and there’s a pool in sight, I have been known to get down with the blended variety.

I recently tried a great restaurant, for the first time, right around the corner from my place called Maradentro in Studio City. As a drink special that night, they were making Blood Orange Margaritas, so I decided to try it. They were awesome. Just the right amount of sweetness with just the right amount of booze. By my third one I was thinking that the cocktail could’ve really benefitted from a fresh herb of some sort to make it really pop. So this Blood Orange Rosemary Margarita was born. If you’re ever in these neck of the woods, you should give the place a try. On Mondays their happy hour goes until 10 at night and they have some great fish tacos and a guacamole topped with lobster and super crispy bacon. If that isn’t a dream come true, then I have no idea what it. None. Make sure to let me know, and I’ll go with you. If you can’t make it out, just bring the place to yourself. Booze it up in your own house. Get some chips, salsa and guacamole and make yourself a big pitcher of these margaritas. Blood oranges happen to be in season here in California, but if you’re having trouble finding them, these margaritas can easily be made with red grapefruit, blackberries or even frozen strawberries (just purée them in the blender).

This is a great cocktail to whip up in a flash on a Friday (but really any day of the week) when you’ve just had the longest day or week. If you’re in need of even more margarita inspiration, don’t forget about these Spicy Honeydew Cucumber Margaritas. They’re made with a jalapeño simple syrup that the fresh cucumber and honeydew pairs really well with. Or if margaritas and beer are more you’re thing, these Watermelon Texas Margaritas are calling your name. Also great with strawberries instead. And last but not least, if morning drinking is your game, these Good Morning Margaritas are perfect for those early morning late afternoon weekend brunches. There’s something for everyone!

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Spicy Honeydew Cucumber Margaritas

July 24, 2015

It’s Friday and all we should be thinking about right now is the weekend. But before we can kick off those two glorious days of relaxation, that we spent all week looking forward to, we need to answer a very important question. What is our weekend cocktail going to be? What will we be drinking while we sit by the pool, or in the backyard, or even just on the couch (I’m not judging)? Weekends are so special that they deserve their very own cocktail. It’s true! A Friday-Saturday-Sunday drink is so much different than a Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday drink. During the week, it’s all about a glass (or two of wine) as I wind down from the long work day. Anything more than that, and I won’t be getting out of bed the next morning. I’m not as young as I used to be. And since I always have way too much work during the week, I tend not to overdo it. But come Friday, give me a perfectly mixed cocktail and I’ll be good to go.

I am a big fan of margaritas in general. Any flavor margarita, I’m not picky. I’ll take them any way I can get them. On the rocks or blended. It doesn’t matter. If I had to make a choice though, I’d much rather prefer a frozen margarita. It’s a lot more refreshing, especially on a hot summer day. There’s something so exciting about margaritas. I think it’s the idea of drinking them at a bar of a restaurant, snacking on chips and salsa and guacamole and chatting with a few people about nothing in particular. It’s chill without any of life’s stresses or worries. Am I painting you a good picture here? I hope so. Go out this weekend, gather some friends and family, and have some margaritas and chips with salsa just for me. You’ll be thankful you did, and I’ll be glad you took my advice. (Plus I’ll get to live vicariously through you, so there’s that).

If you’re still on the lookout for what you’re weekend cocktail is going to be, look no further because I’ve got you covered. It’s summer so that means we should all spend less time indoors in a kitchen and more time outside as much as possible with a drink in hand. Where ever allowed of course. Let’s not do anything illegal here. These Spicy Honeydew Cucumber Margaritas are summer at its best. The fresh honeydew and cucumber juice really make a difference and the fact that it’s blended makes me very happy. I think it’ll make you happy too. Go out and celebrate the weekend. You deserve it.

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Watermelon Texas Margarita

April 17, 2015

I’m a sucker for a beer cocktail. I’ll never say no to any cocktail, let’s be honest, but for the sake of this post, I’m a sucker for beer cocktails in particular. I’m also a sucker for watermelon flavored anything. It’s my favorite fruit, so when they’re in season I find ways to incorporate it into everything. Sometimes it works out and other times, not so much. I’m still trying desperately to make watermelon doughnuts work because if those two of my favorite things come together I’ll probably die from the excitement. Die. I wouldn’t make it past one doughnut. Maybe it’s a good thing I haven’t come up with a good recipe yet. Either way, I know that it’ll happen and when it does it’ll be the greatest day of my life. It’ll be magical.

My all time favorite beer is from 21st Amendment Brewery in San Fransisco. They have a seasonal watermelon beer and it’s only available for a short few months out of the year. They serve it with a fresh watermelon slice. Talk about genius. It’s out of this world. Like summer in a glass, but a million times better. Like trips to the beach on a perfectly warm day, but not even close. If you’re not a fan of beer at all, that Hell or High Watermelon Wheat beer in particular would make you change your mind. It would make you a beer believer. You know what’s even better though? This cocktail will make you change your mind as well, and you don’t even have to travel to San Fransisco to get it. You can make and drink it in the comfort of your own home. Drink in your pajamas if you want. Who’s going to know? That sounds tempting, right? Probably don’t drink in your pajamas though because someone might see you through your window and think you’re crazy or weird and you wouldn’t want that.

The watermelon beer from 21st Amendment isn’t in season at the moment so I couldn’t get a hold of any, but if I did, it would’ve definitely gone into this cocktail making it even better than it already is. Instead, I had to settle for fresh watermelon juice spiked with vodka and orange liqueur and then topped off with Pabst Blue Ribbon. I like this beer for this cocktail because it isn’t heavy or strong in flavor. It pairs well with the other ingredients, allowing the fresh watermelon juice to really shine. I had to garnish it with a watermelon wedge as well because that’s what you do. Get the weekend started with a big batch of these and don’t forget about the snacks! Mushroom and Chorizo Queso Fundido is the perfect companion (hint hint).

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Raspberry Black Pepper Champagne Cocktail

May 14, 2014

I don’t think there’s anything better than meeting up with a few friends for Sunday afternoon brunch. The idea of doing nothing but eating and chatting and drinking and eating and chatting—and did I mention drinking, yet?—is just too good of a opportunity to pass up. “Fun to be had by all. Don’t miss out,” should be Sunday’s new slogan. Perhaps you have a go-to spot for your Sunday Funday festivities. I know I do. Maybe there’s a place out there, where you’re a regular and they know you on a first name basis because you’re always there drinking. I’m not judging. I just wish I knew the name of the establishment so I can be right there drinking with you. No one should be day drinking alone, that’s my motto. You can always count on me to help out a friend. With my assistance, we’ll conquer those endless pitchers of mimosas or bloody marys. Two at a time, of course. I’m willing to take one for the team.

I recently met up with a few friends for brunch. We sat down and I immediately scanned the “Brunch Cocktail” menu and pretended not to. “Oh, you think we should get a drink? I haven’t even looked at that section yet!” That’s pretty much how the conversation went down. It was my first time at this particular restaurant and apparently they’re most known for their mimosas (and blueberry lemonade but that didn’t have any alcohol in it so I wasn’t interested). No thank you. One of the mimosas that kept calling out to me, “Jonathan, drink me! Drink me! DRINK ME,” was a raspberry black pepper mimosa. My boyfriend and I pretty much devoured the entire pitcher ourselves (looking at our friends like where did it go?), but only after we licked off all of the black pepper and sugar that coated the edge of the glasses. Yes, our friends’ glasses as well. We sent a silent note to each other through telekinesis where we vowed to recreate the drink at home. So recreate we did.

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