Pastinaca

Looking to savor the last bit of citrus season, I came across this tasty recipe featuring fresh grapefruit juice and one of my all-time-favorite bar essentials - St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur.

If you haven't tried it yet, you should. It mixes easily with almost everything and adds a distinct flavor - something every well-crafted artisan cocktail requires. Plus, I love the bottle. It kicks up the style factor on any bar - an awesome host/hostess gift for the mixologist(s) in your life.

Served up or on the rocks, it's the perfect balance of tangy, smoky, smooth.

Pastinaca

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 parts Tequila Blanco

• 1/2 part Del Maguey Mezcal

• 1 part St-Germain

• 1/2 part fresh lime juice

• 3/4 part fresh grapefruit juice

Method

Rim glass with a mixture of chili powder, sea salt and dash of cayenne. Shake all ingredients over ice and strain into glass - with or without ice.

You like gin more than you like tequila? Here's another St-Germain infused concoction to try.

Jalapeño Margarita

When the temperatures start to rise, I start to warm up to margaritas. They are the perfect icy cold complement to BBQ, summer salads and of course, Mexican food.

Normally I prefer the classic version - straight up, no funny business. You know, no frozen versions, no orange juice, no strawberry-mango-peach combinations, and never sweet and sour mix or Rose's lime juice - EVER!

I make an exception here with the addition of jalapeño simple syrup. It's just the right amount of flavor and spice without veering into funny business.

The secret to great margaritas is the ratio of ingredients. Start out with quality spirits, keep it 2 parts tequila, 1 part triple sec and 1 part lime & sweetener and you will not go wrong. The sweetener can be another simple syrup or agave nectar.

Jalapeño Margarita

• 2 oz tequila - I prefer blanco but if you like reposado - go for it!
• 1 oz triple sec orange liqueur - Cointreau icks it up a notch
• 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
• 1/2 oz jalapeño simple syrup*
• sliced jalapeño

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice, shake and strain into a rocks or stem glass with salted rim and garnish with a slice of jalapeño.

alapeño simple syrup:

Combine one cup of sugar, one cup of water and 1 large jalapeño pepper sliced lengthwise with seeds in. Bring to a boil, then simmer 20 minutes. Strain and allow to cool completely before continuing.

Pimientos Dulces

I love cucumbers - I really do.​ OK, maybe not as much as I like french fries, and that's a shame really, but I like them  A LOT. I like them in water, in salads, on sandwiches, pickled, muddled or just sprinkled with salt.

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When I'm scanning new cocktail recipes, it is the one ingredient that always catches my eye - add a slice or two of yellow bell pepper and you've got my full attention. This drink is pure summery perfection in a glass.

If you're not a fan of tequila but you like vodka try this one. If you like gin try this one. If you like rum try this one. If you like the taste of cucumber but you can't be bothered with the pesky slicing, muddling, juicing or infusing just buy this. ​

Pimientos Dulces​ - "Sweet Peppers"
Imbibe​ Magazine

2 oz blanco tequila
1 oz Cointreau
¾ oz lime juice
¼ oz simple syrup
3 slices cucumber
2 slices yellow bell pepper

​Combine all ingredients in shaker, muddle the pepper and cucumber, shake with ice & strain over fresh ice and garnish with pepper and cucumber.

Fresh Cherry Margarita

I took the kids cherry picking today and it was er... a fruitful outing indeed. We came home with a whopping 20lbs of fresh cherries! I think it's safe to say this was about 15lbs more than I anticipated. 

As I'm mulling over, or rather panicking about, all the possibilities for utilizing this bounty, I had the good fortune of stumbling across a cocktail recipe from one of my favorite SF Bay Area chefs/cookbook authors - Joanne Weir.

This sounds like the perfect accompaniment to the incredible Mexican food at her new restaurant in Sausalito - Copita. Now I only have 19.5lbs of cherries to go - perhaps I'll make an infusion or two - or twelve.

Fresh Cherry Margarita

12 fresh sweet cherries, pitted 
1-1/4 fl. oz. (2-1/2 Tbs.) tequila, preferably blanco 100% agave 
1 fl. oz. (2 Tbs.) fresh lime juice 
3/4 fl. oz. (1-1/2 Tbs.) agave nectar, preferably dark 
1/2 fl. oz. (1 Tbs.) maraschino liqueur 
1 fresh sweet cherry with stem, for garnish 

Put the cherries in a cocktail shaker and mash them with a muddler or the end of a wooden spoon until well crushed, about 1 minute. Add the tequila, lime juice, agave nectar, maraschino liqueur, and 8 large ice cubes. Cover the shaker and shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Immediately strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with the cherry.

¡Salud!

The Party Starter

It doesn't get more straight forward than this - no tinctures, homemade simple syrups or hard-to-find, small batch spirits. Just fresh, juicy watermelon, lemon juice and tequila - meet The Party Starter.

I found this recipe in an old issue of Sunset Magazine, and it is indeed a party starter and the perfect kick-off to any menu that involves grilling. Light, refreshing, seasonal and super easy - I will be whipping this up all summer long.

The Party Starter

1 seedless watermelon (about 6 lbs)

3/4 fresh lemon juice

2 cups silver tequila

Serves 8

Preparation:

You can either puree the melon in a food processor and then strain into a pitcher with other ingredients, or if you have a juicer you can juice it (that is what I did) or you can blend all the ingredients at once for a frozen version.

I added fresh mint - don't forget to spank it. Basil would also be nice. If you want it sweeter,  just add a splash of Triple Sec.

Cheers - let the BBQ season begin!