Encantado

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 parts Corazon de Agave Reposado tequila
- 3/4 part peach brandy
- Splash of raspberry liqueur
- Squeeze of fresh lime juice
Garnish: Mint sprig

Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a mint sprig.

Carolers Confection

Ingredients:
- 1 oz Jose Cuervo Especial
- 5 oz freshly brewed hot coffee
- 1 package hot cocoa mix
- 1/2 oz coffee brandy
Garnish: whipped cream

Combine all ingredients in a coffee mag and top with whipped cream.

Besame (Kiss me)

Ingredients:
- 2 lime wedges
- 5 - 6 raspberries
- 1 1/2 oz. Agavero tequila
- Passion fruit juice
- Splash of Chambord

Muddle limes and raspberries in a highball glass. Pour tequila and passion fruit juice to fill with a splash of Chambord. Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain back into a highball glass. Add two straws and serve. Agavero tequila is made from 100% blue agave blended with the essence of Damiana flower from Mexico. (Cocktail created at: Ideya, 349 W. Broadway, NYC)

Apple Seed

Ingredients:
- 1 oz Jose Cuervo Especial tequila
- 1/2 oz creme de cassis
- 1 1/2 oz apple juice
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- Club soda Garnish: apple wedge

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice except club soda. Pour into a tall glass and top with club soda. Garnish with apple wedge.

Agave Kiss

Ingredients:
- 2 oz Tequila Herradura Silver
- 1 oz white creme de cacao
- 1 oz double cream
- 1/2 oz Chambord

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice for 15 seconds. Strain into a chilled martini glass, rimmed with white chocolate shavings. Garnish with a spear of fresh raspberries and serve.

Agave Negro

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz Patron silver tequila
- 1/2 oz Chambord liqueur
- 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
- 1/2 oz simple syrup
- 1/2 oz soda water
- 3 blackberries
Garnish: lime wedge

Muddle blackberries in the bottom of a rocks glass. Add ice, tequila, Chambord, lime juice, simple syrup. Shake the mixture vigorously. Pour back into rocks glass over ice. Top with splash of soda water. (Cocktail created by Franklin Ferguson, Social Hollywood, 6525 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028)

Adjustable Rate

Ingredients:
- 1 part Hornitos blanco tequila
- 1 part Cruzan blackberry rum
- 1/2 part DeKuyper Tropical Pineapple Coconut
- 5 parts fresh pineapple juice
- splash of orange juice
Garnish: pineapple

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour into highball glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a pineapple wedge. (Cocktail created by: Derek OÍNeill Butler, Prime One Twelve Restaurant, Miami, FL)

Toreador

Ingredients:
- 2 oz Tequila
- 1 oz Creme de Cacao (dark)
- 1 oz Heavy Cream
- 1/4 tsp Cocoa Powder
- Glassware: Highball Glass

Shake all the ingredients in a shaker with ice cubes and strain into a cocktail glass.

Shady Lady

Ingredients:
- 2 oz silver tequila
- 1 oz melon liqueur
- 5 oz grapefruit juice

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a short glass.

Paloma

Ingredients:
- 2 oz. Don Eduardo Anejo Tequila
- 1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
- 1 oz. grapefruit soda
- Sprite
Garnish: lime wedge

Build over ice in a tall glass and serve with a salted rim. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Nasturtium Margarita

Ingredients:
2 parts nasturtium infused tequila
1/2 part Cointreau
1/2 part simple syrup
1/2 part fresh squeezed lime juice

Rim martini glass with nasturtium salt (see below). Add tequila (see below), lime juice, simple syrup and cointreau to shaker filled with ice. Shake mixture until container feels cold. Strain into chilled glass. Garnish with a nasturtium flower.

Nasturtium Infused Tequila: Shred approx 20 nasturtium leaves into approx 4 cups white tequila in airtight container. Allow to sit for approx three weeks in a dark location. Strain through coffee filter into a final storage container.

Nasturtium Salt: Remove approx 15 nasturtium petals from heads. Place 1/2 cup coarse grain kosher salt into food processor with nasturtium petals. Blend until petals have disintegrated and the salt absorbs the pigment from the petals.

Simple Syrup: Place two cups water and one cup sugar in airtight container and shake vigorously. Shake every twenty minutes until sugar is dissolved. Store in fridge. (Created by: Gwen Sutherland Kaiser, Cocktail Times Master Mixologist)

Mango Margarita

Ingredients:
- 2 oz 1800 Reposado Tequila
- 3/4 oz Grand Marnier
- 1 oz Fresh Mango Nectar
- 3/4 oz Fresh Orange Juice
- 3/4 oz Fresh Lime Juice
- 1 tsp Simple syrup

Combine ingredients in a mixing glass and shake. Strain into a chilled margarita glass. Garnish with a mango slice.

Hibiscus Margarita

Ingredients:
- 1 oz tequila don julio reposado
- 1 oz hibiscus elixir (boil hibiscus flower, add dash of pomegranate juice and fresh orange juice)
- 1/2 oz Grand Marnier
- 1 oz agave nectar
- 1 oz fresh lime juice
- 5 ice cubes
Garnish: lime wedge

Mix tequila, hibiscus elixir, Grand Marnier, agave nectar, fresh lime juice in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well. Rim a martini glass with mixture of chile pasilla and salt. Pour the mixture into the glass and garnish with lime wedge.

Watermelon Margarita

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 parts Marie Brizard Watermelon Liqueur
- 1 1/2 parts Gold Tequila
- 2 parts Coco Lopez Margarita Mix
- 1/6 part Lime Juice
Garnish: Watermelon Slice

Mix all ingredients in a blender with ice until slushy. Pour the mixture into a chilled margarita glass. Garnish with a slice of watermelon.

Sake Margarita

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz plum wine
- 1/2 oz tequila
- 1/2 oz sake
- 1/2 oz lime juice
- 1/2 oz simple syrup
- Garnish: cucumber slice (optional)

Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a glass. If serving frozen, combine the ingredients in a blender with 3/4 cup ice and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass. Garnish with a cucumber slice, if desired. (Cocktail created by Kim Haasarud, author of 101 Margarita. Reprinted by permission from 101 Margaritas by Kim Haasarud. Photo: Alexandra Grablewski)

Kiwi Margarita

Ingredients:
- 2 oz tequila
- 2 oz pineapple juice
- 1 oz triple sec
- 1/2 oz lime juice
- 1/2 oz simple syrup
- 1 kiwi fruit, peeled and quartered
- Garnish: half kiwi slice
- Optional garnish: coarse sugar

Combine the ingredients in a blender with 1/2 cup ice and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass and garnish with a half kiwi slice. If desired, coat the rim of the glass with sugar.
(Cocktail created by Kim Haasarud, author of 101 Margarita. Reprinted by permission from 101 Margaritas by Kim Haasarud. Photo: Alexandra Grablewski)

Cactus Pear Margarita

Ingredients:
- 2 oz silver tequila
- 1/2 oz triple sec
- 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 oz fresh lime juice
- 1 oz fresh cactus pear juice or puree
- 3/4 oz Monin Desert Pear Syrup
Garnish: Lime wedge
Rim: Chipotle salt

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain the mixture into a double rocks glass. Rim the glass with a chipotle salt.

Honey Mango Margarita

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz reposado tequila
- 1/2 oz Cointreau
- 1 oz honey
- 1/2 cup mango, sliced
- 1 cup ice
- juice of half lime
- salt for rimming

Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Strain into a margarita glass rimmed with salt (optional).

Sweet Ginger Margarita

Ingredients:
- 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced
- 2 tablespoons simple syrup
- 2 oz white tequila
- 1/2 oz Grand Marnier
- splash of lemon juice
- Garnish: candied ginger (optional)

Heat the fresh ginger slices with the simple syrup in a pan over low heat for about 5 minutes. The syrup should thicken significantly. Combine the ginger syrup, tequila, Grand Marnier, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously for a good 20 seconds. Strain into a chilled glass and garnish with candied ginger, if desired. A great cocktail to serve with a spicy cuisine such as Thai or Indian. (Cocktail created by Kim Haasarud, author of 101 Margarita. Reprinted by permission from 101 Margaritas by Kim Haasarud. Photo: Alexandra Grablewski)

Strawberry Margarita

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz silver tequila
- 1/2 oz triple sec
- juice of half lime
- 2 strawberries
Garnish: strawberry

Mix all ingredients with 4 to 5 ice cubes until smooth. Pour into a margarita glass. Garnish with a strawberry on the rim.

Blue Margarita

Ingredients:
- 2 oz Tequila
- 1 oz Blue Curacao
- 1 oz Triple Sec
- 1 oz Lime Juice
- Salt
- Garnish: Lime Wedge
- Glassware: Margarita Glass

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a margarita glass rimmed with salt (optional). Garnish with lime wedge.

Quick Tip! There are more than one orange flavored liqueurs besides triple sec. Cointreau is a brandy-based liqueur with bitter orange flavor initially produced by the Cointreau brothers in 1849. Back then it was called "triple sec white curacao." Grand Marnier is a Caribbean orange falvored cognac liqueur produced in France. Blue curacao is a rum-based liqueur with a peel of bitter orange flavor initially produced by the Dutch. Curacao is known for the wide orange of colors. By using blue curacao in margarita makes a blue margarita.

Frozen Margarita

Ingredients:
- 2 oz tequila (silver)
- juice of one lime
- 1 oz orange curacao or triple sec
- 1 cup ice cubes
- salt (optional)
Garnish: lime wedge

Rub the rim of a margarita glass and dip it into salt. Mix tequila, lime juice, triple sec and ice in a blender. Pour into a glass and garnish with a lime wedge.

Margarita

Ingredients:
- 2 oz silver tequila
- juice of half lime
- 1 oz orange curacao (or Cointreau)
Garnish: lime wedge
Rim: salt

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour into a margarita glass rimmed with salt and garnish with lime wedge.





Agave Nectar Margarita
Ingredients:
- 2 oz reposado tequila
- juice of half lime
- 1 oz agave nectar
- 1/2 oz water
Garnish: lime wedge
Rim: salt (optional)

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour into a salt-rimmed margarita glass and garnish with lime wedge.

Lemon Herb Cello

Ingredients:
- 1 bunch of fresh tarragon
- 2 oz tequila blanco
- 1 oz lemon thyme syrup*
- Splash of fresh lemon juice
- Splash of fresh lime juice

Tear one bunch of tarragon leaves into a Boston shaker. Add tequila, lemon thyme syrup and a splash of fresh lemon and lime juice. Shake with ice and strain into a julep strainer into a martini glass. (Cocktail created by Duncan Halden, Bar Manager at The London Bar, 151 West 54th NYC, 212 468 8889)

Firecracker

Ingredients:
- 1/2 oz. Jose Cuervo Especial tequila
- 1/2 oz. Goldschlager
- 1/2 oz. Rumple Mintze
Garnish: None
Glassware: Shot Glass

Mix all three ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain the mixture into a shot glass.

Doralto

Ingredients:
- 2 oz tequila
- 1 oz lemon juice
- 4 oz tonic water
- 1 tsp simple syrup
- dash of bitters
Garnish: lime wedge

Shake tequila, lemon juice, simple syrup and bitters in a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour into a tall glass and top with tonic water. Garnish with lime wedge.

Bloody Maria

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz silver tequila
- 4 oz tomato juice
- juice of half lime
- 4 dashes of Cholula
- 2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
- pinch of salt and pepper
- pinch of horseradish
Garnish: celery stick

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour into a tall glass and garnish with celery.

Cosmolito

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz silver tequila
- 1/4 oz Cointreau
- 2 oz cranberry juice
- juice of half lime
Garnish: lime wheel (optional)

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with lime wheel.

Apple Brandy

- 1 1/2 oz apple brandy
- 1 oz lemon juice
- 1 tsp grenadine
Garnish: apple slice (optional)

Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass.

Alexander

Ingredients:

- 2 oz Brandy
- 1 oz Half and Half
- 1 oz Creme de Cacao (dark)
- Garnish: 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
- Glassware : Cocktail Glass

Shake all the ingredients in a shaker with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with nutmeg.

Cosmopolitan

- 1 1/2 oz vodka
- 1 oz cranberry juice
- 1/4 oz Cointreau
- splash of fresh lime juice
Garnish: Lime wedge

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a lime






White Cosmo
- 1 1/2 oz vodka
- 1 oz white cranberry juice
- 1/4 oz Cointreau
- splash of fresh lime juice
Garnish: Lime wedge

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a lime.

5-0 Cosmo
- 1/2 oz Raspberry flavored vodka
- 3 oz Diet Ocean Spray Cranberry Spray Juice Drink
- Squeeze of lime
- Garnish: lime twist

Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain the mixture into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with lime twist. (Approximately 50 calories per serving)

Royal Jack

Ingredients

• Ice
• 2 ounces applejack (recommended: Laird's Bonded)
• 1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon homemade grenadine, recipe follows
• 3 ounces brut Champagne
• Sliced or diced apple or red apple peel

Directions

Fill a cocktail shaker or small pitcher with ice. Add the apple jack, lemon juice, and grenadine. Cover and shake vigorously until thoroughly mixed and chilled, about 30 seconds. (In general, the drink is ready by the time the shaker mists up.) Strain into 2 Champagne flutes. Top each drink off with 1 1/2 ounces Champagne. Garnish with the apple. Drink.

Homemade Grenadine:

2 cups unsweetened pomegranate juice

3/4 cup granulated or turbinado sugar

Put pomegranate juice in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and continue to cook until liquid is reduced by half. Stir in the sugar to dissolve thoroughly, and simmer to thicken slightly. Cool. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Yield: approximately 1 1/3 cups

Cherry Lime Ricky

Ingredients

• 6 fresh cherries, pitted
• 1/2 lime, cut into 3 wedges
• 2 teaspoons sugar
  
• 3 ounces gin
• 1 cup crushed ice

Directions

Put the cherries, lime, and sugar into a large rocks glass. Muddle the fruit and sugar by pressing them with a pestle or a wooden spoon until juicy and fragrant. Add the gin and crushed ice. Cover with a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously, or stir, until combined and chilled, about 30 seconds. (In general, by the time the shaker mists up the drink is ready.) Serve.

Peach Cobbler

Ingredients

• Crushed ice
• 2 to 2 1/2 ounces rye whiskey
• 2 1/2 ounces peach nectar
• Dash bitters
• About 5 wedges frozen peaches, halved
• 3 to 4 fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 lemon wedge

Directions

Fill a large wine goblet with crushed ice. Gently muddle the rye, peach nectar, dash of bitters, peaches, mint, and a squeeze of lemon juice in a cocktail shaker. Pour over ice and serve cold.

Note: At first, the rye can pack a real punch; as the ice and fruit melt, they mellow it into a wonderful summer drink.

Old Cuban

Ingredients

• 1 handful fresh mint leaves (about 1 large sprig) plus more for garnish
• 1 1/2 ounces aged rum
• 1/2 ounce freshly-squeezed lime Juice(1 lime)
• 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons superfine Sugar or 1/2 ounce Simple Syrup, recipe follows
• 2 dashes bitters, (recommended: Angostura)
• Ice cubes
• 1 1/2 to 2 ounces dry Champagne, Prosecco or other sparkling wine

Directions

Muddle the mint leaves with the rum, lime juice, Simple Syrup, and bitters in a cocktail shaker. Add ice, cover, and shake vigorously, or stir, until combined and chilled, about 30 seconds. (In general, the drink is ready when the shaker mists up.) Pour the muddled liquid into a chilled champagne flute, holding back the ice, but letting some of the mint leaves fall into the glass. Add enough Champagne to almost fill the glass to the top. Garnish with a sprig of mint. Drink.

Simple Syrup:

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

Put the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. (Alternatively, heat in the microwave.) Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Yield: about 1 1/2 cups

Frozen Mojito Slushes

Ingredients

For every 4 slushes, you will need:

• 1 pint lime sorbet or 1 can lime ade from frozen juice section
• 8 shots light rum
• 1/2 cup mint leaves
• 1 tray ice cubes

Directions

In a blender, combine 1/2 pint sorbet or 1/2 can of lime ade with 4 shots of rum, 1/4 cup mint leaves and 1/2 tray of ice. Pulse, then blend on high until lime-mint slush is smooth. Pour drinks into 2 large cocktail glasses using a long handled spoon and repeat with remaining ingredients.

Pomegranate Cosmos

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups pomegranate juice
• 2 1/4 cups vodka
• 1 cup lime juice
• 3/4 cup Cointreau or Grand Marnier
• 1/4 cup ginger juice (see Note)
• 2 tablespoons sugar, preferably superfine “bar sugar,” plus more for the rims
• Strips of lime zest for garnish

Directions

Mix pomegranate juice, vodka, lime juice, Cointreau (or Grand Marnier), ginger juice and sugar in a large pitcher.

For each drink, fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice, add 1/2 cup Cosmo mix, and shake until the shaker turns frosty and cold. Dip the rim of a martini (or highball) glass into water and then in sugar (to “sugar the rim”). Strain the drink into the martini glass (or over fresh ice in the highball glass). Garnish with a twist of lime zest, if desired.

Note: We use bottled ginger juice (pressed gingerroot) to add the taste of fresh ginger without the work of mincing or grating. Use it to flavor drinks, stir-fries, marinades or anywhere you’d use fresh ginger. Find it in specialty stores or online at gingerpeople.com.

Fresh Strawberry Marg-alrightas

Ingredients

• 2 pints ripe strawberries
• 4 ripe limes, juiced, plus 1 lime wedged for rimming and garnish
• 8 rounded tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 2 trays ice cubes
• 8 shots good quality tequila
• Coarse salt, to rim glasses

Directions

Reserve 4 strawberries with tops for garnish and split them. Clean, dry, and trim remaining strawberries.

Add all but the reserved strawberries to a blender. To that, add the juice of 1 ripe lime, 2 rounded tablespoons sugar, a splash of orange juice, 1/2 a tray of ice cubes and 2 shots of tequila. Blend on high speed until the drink is icy but smooth.

Rim a cocktail glass with lime juice and dip rim in salt and pour in the frozen strawberry lime drink. Garnish glass with a wedge of lime and a split strawberry. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Terry's Bloody Marys

Ingredients

• 1 (32-ounce) bottle clam-tomato cocktail (recommended: Clamato)
• 10 ounces vodka
• 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 8 dashes hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
• Crudites for serving, like celery stalks, peeled whole carrots, pickled asparagus, pitted olives, pickled pearl onions, marinated mushrooms, cornichon pickles, pimentos, and large caperberries
• Special equipment: Cocktail picks

Directions

Mix all ingredients (except crudites) in a large pitcher. Spear smaller crudites onto cocktail picks. Serve drinks over ice with crudites.

Michael's Bloody Maria

Ingredients

• 3 pounds tomatoes (heirloom if possible), cored and roughly cut
• 2 to 3 jalapeno chilis, stems removed and roughly cut
• 1 bulb fennel, white part roughly cut
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 lemon, halved
• 1/2 cup favorite spice rub
• 6 to 8 whole red jalapenos
• Jalapeno Ice Cubes, recipe follows
• Lemon vodka

Directions

Place tomatoes, jalapenos, and fennel in a bowl. Season liberally with pepper, salt and the Worchestershire sauce. Coat with olive oil, tossing lightly. Put a few of the tomatoes in the blender and liquefy - this will make it easier to puree the rest of the solids. Add the fennel/tomato/jalapeno mixture to a blender and puree until liquefied. Store in refrigerator up to 6 hours until chilled.

Hint: If you can find them, heirloom tomatoes can really boost the flavor of this drink. Heirloom tomatoes are typically varieties that were grown over 50 years ago, before tomatoes were bred for ease of picking and distribution. Heirlooms tend to be a little more acidic than modern commercial tomatoes, and often the fresh tomato flavor is more pronounced.

Assembling the cocktail:

Rub a cut lemon around the rim of a chilled martini glass. Dip the glass, upside down, in salt or your favorite spice rub. Slice the tip of a red jalapeno pepper vertically and slip over the rim. Place 1 or 2 of the jalapeno ice cubes in each glass, pour chilled bloody maria mixture on top, and top each glass with 1 ounce of lemon vodka. Stir carefully and serve.

Hint: If you don't have lemon vodka, use regular vodka and squeeze a little lemon juice in each glass.

Jalapeno Ice Cubes:

3 jalapeno peppers

1 quart fresh, cold water

1/2 lemon

4 fresh basil leaves

Salt

Black pepper

Remove the tops and stems of the jalapenos and slice. Place the water in a blender and add the jalapenos, seeds and all. Add the lemon to the blender, peel and all. Add the basil, a pinch of salt, and some ground black pepper, to taste. Puree in the blender until everything is incorporated. Strain through a sieve and pour into ice cube trays and freeze overnight until solid.

Michael's Italian Manhattan

Ingredients

• 16 ice cubes
• 4 orange slices
• 8 maraschino cherries
• 10 ounces Kentucky bourbon whiskey (recommended: Maker's Mark)
• 4 ounces vermouth
• 3 ounces Italian bitters (recommended: Campari)
• 3 teaspoons sugar, optional

Directions

Divide ice cubes between 4 tumblers. Garnish each glass with 1 orange slice and 2 maraschino cherries.

In a pitcher, blend the bourbon, vermouth and bitters and pour into tumblers.

Note: If you like your cocktails to be a bit sweeter, you can stir 3 teaspoons of sugar into the pitcher before pouring the drinks.

Manhattan

Ingredients

• 3/4-ounce sweet vermouth
• 2 1/2 ounces bourbon whiskey
• Dash Angostura bitters

Directions

2 to 3 ice cubes

• 1 maraschino cherry
• 1 orange peel twist

Combine vermouth, whiskey, and a dash of bitters with 2 to 3 ice cubes in a mixing glass. Stir gently so as not to cloud the drink. Place the cherry in a chilled cocktail glass and strain the mixture over the cherry. Rub the cut edge of the orange peel over the rim of the glass and twist it over the drink to release the oils, but don't drop it in.

Juice of a Few Flowers

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (2 oranges)
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice (1 grapefruit)
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 lemon)
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (2 limes)
• 1 cup good vodka (recommended: Grey Goose or Finlandia), optional
• Extra lemon juice
• Granulated sugar
• Fresh mint sprigs

Directions

Combine the orange juice, grapefruit juice, lemon juice, lime juice, and vodka, if using, in a pitcher. Dip the rim of 6 martini glasses first in a dish with lemon juice and then a dish with sugar. Set aside to dry.

When ready to serve, place ice cubes in a cocktail shaker, add the cocktail mixture to fill the shaker 3/4 full, and shake for about 30 seconds. It's important to shake for a full 30 seconds to get the drink very cold and dilute it slightly with the ice. Pour into the sugared martini glasses and garnish with a sprig of mint. Continue filling the shaker with ice and cocktail mixture until all the drinks are poured. Serve ice cold.

Smokey Margarita

Ingredients

• 2 ounces tequila (recommended: El Tesoro)
• 1-ounce Triple Sec
• 1-ounce fresh lime juice
• 3/4 teaspoon simple syrup
• Ice cubes
• 1/2-ounce mezcal (recommended: Del Maguey "Chichicapa" Single Village Mezcal)

Directions

Place tequila, Triple Sec, lime juice, and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker and shake until combined. Serve over ice in a rocks glass and pour mezcal on top; do not stir the mezcal into the drink, as it should "float" on top.

Batini Black

Ingredients

• 2 ounces vodka (recommended: Tito's Handmade Vodka)
• 1/2 ounce blue curacao
• 10 fresh blackberries
• Splash simple syrup
• Splash grapefruit juice
• Splash Champagne
• Blackberry and bat-shaped mint, for garnish

Directions

Add vodka, blue curacao, blackberries, simple syrup and grapefruit juice to a martini shaker and shake vigorously until the drink turns a deep purple. Strain into a cocktail glass and top with a splash of champagne. Garnish with a blackberry and a bat-shaped mint.

Fresh Whisky Sours

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 3/4 cup whiskey (recommended: Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey)
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 lemons)
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (4 limes)
• 2/3 cup sugar syrup (see note)
• Ice cubes
• Maraschino cherries

Directions

Combine the whiskey, lemon juice, lime juice, and syrup. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice and pour in the drink mix 2/3 full. Shake for 15 seconds and pour into glasses. Add a maraschino cherry and serve ice cold.

Note: To make the sugar syrup, bring 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar to a boil, and simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved. Chill before using.

Mexican Cornbread

Ingredients

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup whole milk or buttermilk
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped jalapenos, or to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Grease an 8-inch square pan, cast iron skillet, or cornbread mold. In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. To dry mixture, add egg, milk, sour cream, oil, and jalapenos and mix until smooth. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden.

Pomegranate Margarita

Ingredients

• Lime wedge, plus more for garnish
• Salt
• Ice
• 4 ounces white tequila
• 2 ounces Triple Sec
• 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
  
• 1 lime, juiced (optional)
• Club soda

Directions

Pour salt onto a plate or shallow dish. With a lime wedge rub along the rim of a glass and dip glasses upside down to salt the rim. Fill glasses with ice. In a cocktail shaker with ice place the tequila, triple sec, pomegranate juice, and lime juice. Pour into the salt-rimmed glasses and top off with club soda. Garnish with a lime wedge, if desired.

Apple Martini

Ingredients

• 2 trays ice
• 1/4 liter vodka
• 1/2 liter sour apple mix
• Splash sweet vermouth
• 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced

Directions

In a medium pitcher, combine ice, vodka, sour apple mix, and vermouth. Stir thoroughly. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with apple slice. Serve immediately.

Margarita

Ingredients

• Ice cubes
• 3 ounces tequila
• 2 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 ounce Simple Syrup, recipe follows
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon orange liqueur
• 1 tablespoon Lime-salt-sugar, recipe follows

Directions

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add tequila, lime juice, and Simple Syrup. Cover and shake until mixed and chilled, about 30 seconds. (In general, the drink is ready by the time the shaker mists up.) Place Lime-salt-sugar on a plate. Press the rim of a chilled rocks or wine glass into the mixture to rim the edge. Strain margarita into the glass.

Simple Syrup:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water

Put the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. (Alternatively, heat in the microwave.) Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Yield: about 1 1/2 cups

Lime-salt-sugar:

• Zest of one lime
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Blend together lime, salt and sugar in a small blender or mini food chopper.