Pineapple Margaritas

A sweet and tropical spin on a margarita cocktail

I've gotten to be much more of a wine drinker in recent years, a big departure from my cocktail-loving early twenties where a night out wasn't complete without vodka. I still love to try specialty drinks at fancy bars and restaurants, but when I entertain at home it's usually wine, beer, and spontaneous Fireball shots. The exception is margaritas - they are so easy to make and I like the fresh homemade versions much better than the sweet-and-sour mix ones you find at most Mexican restaurants. I've been tweaking this pineapple margarita recipe since Cinco de Mayo and have settled on my ideal balance of sweet, sour, and boozy. This margarita is sweeter than the classic due to the pineapple juice, but still has some sour thanks to the fresh lime. I like to serve it with a salt and sugar rim, which looks impressive but couldn't be easier to do. Make a pitcher for your next party and your guests will go crazy!


More Cocktail Recipes:
- Grapefruit Tequila Palomas
- Spicy Jalapeño Margaritas
- Pineapple Mango Rum Slushie


Pineapple Margaritas:

• Combine 1 c. freshly-squeezed lime juice, 2 c. pineapple juice, 1 c. tequila blanco, and 1 c. triple sec in a pitcher.
• Refrigerate until cold.
• Meanwhile, combine 2 tbsp. white sugar with 2 tbsp. kosher salt in a shallow bowl or plate.
• Wipe a wedge of lime on the rim of 4 glasses and immediately dip the wet rims in the sugar-salt mixture.
• Fill the glasses with ice and carefully pour in the margaritas. Garnish each glass with a wedge of pineapple if desired. Serve immediately.

Serves four

Paloma Cocktails

Like a margarita, but with grapefruit juice

Every Christmas, my parents leave us a gift basket full of specialty foods and ingredients from Santa. It's always one of my favorite gifts since I never know what's going to be in it and they do a great job of adding in unusual items and surprises. This year, the biggest hit was a bottle of tequila from Casa Dragones, a new small-batch producer that my mom found after it was listed as one of Oprah's favorite things. The bottle looks beautiful on our bar and the tequila is nice and smooth. I put some of it to use in these refreshing paloma cocktails, which are like margaritas but with grapefruit juice instead of lime juice. Served cold, with a little effervescence from a splash of club soda, it's a super light and crushable cocktail that will take off the winter chill. I mix it up by rimming the glasses with a 50/50 split of sugar and salt for extra flavor and a festive vibe.


Related Recipes:
- Jalapeño Margaritas
- Peach & Red Raspberry Sangria
- Kumquatinis


Paloma Cocktails:

• Rub the rim of 4 glasses with a wedge of fresh grapefruit.
• Mix together 1 tbsp. sugar and 1 tbsp. kosher salt and shake into an even layer on a plate.
• Dip the glasses into the sugar-salt to coat the rims. Set aside.
• Combine 1 c. fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice, 3 tbsp. fresh-squeezed lime juice, and 3 tsp. sugar in a pitcher and stir until sugar dissolves.
• Stir 2/3 c. tequila blanco into the juice mixture.
• Fill the glasses with ice, then pour in the cocktails. Finish each drink with a splash of club soda.

Serves four

Peach & Raspberry Red Sangria

A refreshing summer drink made with red wine and fresh fruit

This peach and raspberry red wine sangria has been my beverage of choice for most of the summer. I feel a little guilty that I've held out on sharing it until Labor Day weekend, but there's still time to make a batch before the weather turns cool. I'm a big fan of sangria and this is my favorite recipe to date. It's on the sweet side, but not so sweet that you can't drink several glasses, and the fruit tastes great after sitting in the wine overnight. The secret ingredient is the cassis, which magnifies the flavors of the wine and of the fruit. I like to drink it somewhere between cold and room temperature, so it's a great make-ahead drink for a party. Just mix all the ingredients together in a pitcher the night before, take it out of the fridge once guests arrive, and leave it out during your party without worrying about keeping it cold. It's the perfect beverage to enjoy on a sunny afternoon or warm evening and even works as a brunch cocktail in the late morning.


More Cocktail Recipes:
- Pineapple-Mango Rum Slushie
- Jalapeño Margaritas
- Mojitos


Peach & Raspberry Red Sangria:

• In a large pitcher, combine 2 bottles of red table wine,* 1/2 c. creme de cassis, 1/2 c. triple sec, and 1/2 c. orange juice.
• Stir in 2 tbsp. sugar until dissolved, then add in 1 pint of raspberries and 2 sliced ripe peaches.
• Let the sangria sit for at least a few hours in the fridge (overnight is ideal).
• Pour into glasses and serve.

Serves four

*For those of you who shop at Trader Joe's, I used Chariot Gypsy Red.

Pineapple-Mango Rum Slushie

Pretend you're on a tropical vacation with these cold, fruity cocktails

I've been lucky enough to go on a fair amount of tropical beach vacations in recent years, and one of my favorite things to do is sit out by the pool or in the ocean with a fruity drink (paper umbrella strongly encouraged). It's a luxury that always epitomizes a relaxing vacation for me, but enjoying a tropical blended drink at home is the next best thing. These pineapple-mango rum slushies are like an adult smoothie filled with frozen fruit, sorbet, and, of course, booze. Everything gets combined in a blender, pureed til smooth, and - voila! - vacation in a glass. There's actually no ice in the drink, so the final result is a thick, rich smoothie that doesn't water down and has to be sucked with a straw. It's a refreshing cocktail to enjoy on a hot summer day. Just close your eyes and you'll feel like you're in the Bahamas.


More Refreshing Cocktails:
- Jalapeño Margaritas
- Mojitos
- Kumquatinis


Pineapple-Mango Rum Slushies:

• Blend 2 c. frozen pineapple chunks, 1 scoop mango sorbet, 1/2 c. white rum, 1/4 c. orange juice, 2 tbsp. triple sec, 2 tbsp. water, and 1 tbsp. sugar in a blender until smooth.
• Check for taste and adjust if needed.
• Pour into glasses, add straws, and serve.

Serves two - four

Jalapeno Margaritas

It's five o'clock somewhere with these fresh and spicy margaritas

I'm in Minnesota for a week celebrating my first ever white Christmas with my husband and in-laws. We've been enjoying our share of festive activities: viewing Christmas lights around the city, attending a play, and enjoying traditional holiday food and drinks. But we took a break from tradition earlier in the week and I made a big Mexican dinner for everyone, complete with homemade margaritas. These have a spicy kick from fresh jalapenos and rival the drinks at our favorite restaurant. The key is using fresh squeezed lime juice, which yields the perfect balance of tang and sweetness that you can't get from bottled juice or mixes. I'd recommend using a citrus juicer (I have this durable and inexpensive one at home) to make juicing all those limes a breeze. All of the ingredients can be prepared well in advance (the jalapeno tequila can keep for months!) and can be scaled to feed a crowd. We ended up quadrupling the recipe for our group, which made for a very fun night.


More Cocktail Recipes:
- Kumquatinis
- Mojitos
- Asian Pear Martinis


Spicy Jalapeno Margaritas:

• Make the simple syrup. Combine 1/2 c. sugar and 1 c. water in a small sauce pan over medium high heat and stir until the sugar dissolves.
• Transfer the simple syrup to the refrigerator until cold.*
• Cut a jalapeno in half lengthwise and add to a cocktail shaker with a lot of ice and 1/2 c. of silver tequila.**
• Add in 1/2 c. fresh-squeezed lime juice, 1/4 c. triple sec, and 1/4 c. simple syrup.
• Put the top on the shaker and shake until very cold.
• Strain the margaritas into glasses and garnish with thin slices of jalapeno and lime.

Makes 2-3 drinks

*Simple syrup can be made at least a week in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. If you don't have much time, you can quickly cool the syrup by placing the container of syrup in a bowl full of ice.

**Another option is to combine the tequila and jalapeno in a container and let sit for several hours or even several days, depending on how spicy you want the drink. The infused tequila will keep for months.

Do you like your margaritas blended? Remove the jalapeno from the infused tequila and combine it with the remaining ingredients and a handful of ice in a blender. Blend until smooth and frothy.

Want to add a salted rim to your glass? Simply rub a lime wedge around the rim of your glass and then dip in a plate of kosher salt.

Spicy margaritas not your thing? Just omit the jalapeno and you'll have the perfect classic margarita recipe.

Fresh-Squeezed Lemonade

A summertime classic that's the perfect blend of sweet and tangy

My favorite part of our apartment is our private back patio, and specifically, our lemon tree. As an avid cook and someone who actually enjoys going grocery shopping, it’s even more exciting to actually grow and harvest my own produce. The problem is that sometimes we have more lemons than I know what to do with and if I neglect picking our ripe lemons they will eventually shrivel, rot, and attract hungry insects (ew). Last weekend I spent a good hour pruning our tree, picking all the lemons, and juicing them into mass quantities of lemonade. There’s nothing more refreshing than a cool glass of the stuff, and spiking it with some vodka has become an easy and delicious cocktail favorite. When life gives you lemons, you really should make lemonade.

More Lemon Recipes:
- Fava Bean, Meyer Lemon, & Parmesan Farro
- Lemon Yogurt Cake
- Lemon Chicken & Spinach Orzo Soup

Fresh-Squeezed Lemonade:*

• Bring 3/4 c. sugar and 3 c. water to a simmer and stir until sugar dissolves. Let cool.
• Meanwhile, juice enough lemons to equal 4 c. of lemon juice.**
• Stir together the lemon juice and simple syrup and test for balance.
• Let lemonade cool in the fridge, then pour into glasses and serve.

Serves ten or more people

*This recipe can easily be halved.

**I juiced about 10-12 lemons.

Mojitos

There’s nothing like a three-day weekend to relax and revitalize my spirits. Even though my fiancé and I didn’t go anywhere, we made the most out of our time off and treated it as a mini-vacation. We stumbled across fresh sugar cane at the farmers market and were immediately transported back to our trip to Costa Rica in November, where nearly every cocktail we drank was garnished with a stick of it. We decided to replicate a drink at home and chose to make mojitos, which we sipped on while enjoying the warm sunshine. We gnawed on the soaked sugar cane sticks and took a breather from everyday life, pretending we were still living in the pura vida spirit.

Mojitos:

• Combine 1/2 c. sugar and 1/4 c. water and bring to a simmer in a small sauce pan.
• Stir until the sugar dissolves and let the simple syrup cool.*
• Meanwhile, muddle together 15 fresh mint leaves and 1/2 of a large lime until very fragrant.
• Add in 1/4 c. simple syrup and 4 oz. white rum and shake to combine.
• Pour drinks into glasses filled 3/4 way with crushed ice, then float a layer of club soda on top.
• Garnish with sugar cane sticks and serve immediately.

Serves two

*Can be made a few days ahead, covered, and kept in the fridge.

Kumquatinis

I’m somewhat obsessed with the kumquatinis at The Tavern, a restaurant and bar here in L.A. Kumquats are a pretty underrated fruit and I think they can be intimidating to people who haven’t worked with them before, which is too bad because they have such a unique flavor. They can actually be eaten whole, with most of their sweetness coming from their skin and the tart citrus flavor coming from the flesh inside. I purchased a pint at my local farmer’s market and whipped up my version of the Tavern’s cocktail, which is tangy and not too sweet, the perfect thing to sip on a warm summer day or evening. 

Kumquatinis:

• Heat 1/4 c. sugar and 1/4 c. water in a small sauce pot until the sugar has dissolved, about 3 minutes. Let cool.
• Meanwhile, slice a dozen kumquats in half and place in a cocktail shaker with 1/2 c. vodka,* the juice of 1/2 orange, and the juice of 1/4 lemon.
• Use a muddler* to smash the kumquats and release their juices, then add in 2 tbsp. simple syrup** and lots of ice.
• Shake the mixture until very cold, then strain into glasses filled with more ice.
• Garnish with a few slices of kumquats and serve immediately.

Serves two - three

*Or more, depending on how strong you like your drinks.

**Or more, depending on how sweet you like your drinks.

Asian Pear Martini

A refreshing fruity cocktail with an Asian twist

We received a beautiful bar cabinet for our apartment a few months ago and have been actively stocking it with nice booze and other fancy drinking essentials ever since. I’d be lying if I said that we haven’t been having a few more cocktails since it’s arrival, but it’s sort of impossible to pass by our gorgeous alcohol shrine everyday without being tempted to make a drink. To that end, I’ve been experimenting with new drink recipes at home and this Asian pear martini is definitely my best attempt thus far. Multiple drinks can be prepared in advance and then shaken to order, making it the perfect low-maintenance cocktail to serve at a party. Or, if you’re like me, you’ll prepare a batch to keep in the fridge and have an instant pick-me-up when you arrive home after a long day of work.


Related Recipes:
- Kumquatinis
- Miso Asian Pear Salad
- Jalapeno Margaritas


Asian Pear Martinis:

• Heat 1/2 c. water and 1 c. sugar in a small saucepan until boiling. Lower heat to a simmer and cook until sugar just dissolves, about 3-5 minutes.
• Let simple syrup cool for at least 15 minutes.*
• Meanwhile, peel, remove the stem and core, and chop 2 large Asian pears.**
• Combine pears with 2 c. high-quality vodka, 1/4 c. vermouth, 1/2 c. freshly squeezed lime juice, and simple syrup in a blender. 
• Blend until smooth, then transfer some of the mixture to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until ice forms around the outside of the shaker.
• Strain into martini glasses and garnish each with a slice of Asian pear.

Serves six - eight
*Can be done the day before and kept in the fridge.
**Asian pears are crunchy and look like apples but taste more like juicy pears. I usually buy them at my farmer's market, but they should be available at some grocery stores.

Bourbon-Spiked Apple Cider

Ever since I was a child, I've loved hot apple cider. It wasn't something we had very often, but around the holidays my mom would simmer a pot of cider on the stove and the whole house would smell sweet and spicy. I still love the drink as an adult, and it's even better with a little booze in it. It's the perfect thing to keep on your back burner during a cold, lazy Saturday afternoon or when having guests over for a cocktail party. I guarantee that your holidays will be a whole lot merrier after a few of these drinks!

Bourbon-Spiked Mulled Apple Cider:

• Place 3 tbsp. of mulling spices* in a tea infuser.**
• Pour 1 1/2 quarts of unfiltered apple cider into a pot and add in the infuser.
• Let the cider simmer over low-heat for 30 minutes.
• Ladle cider into mugs, then stir in 1 1/2 oz. of bourbon*** into each cup.
• Serve immediately.

Serves six
*I like Williams-Sonoma mulling spices. Or create your own using cinnamon stick, whole cloves, allspice berries, and orange peel.
**Or wrap the spices in a piece of cheesecloth.
***If you're not a fan of bourbon, try adding rum. 

Weekend Review: Portland Breweries

Beer Tasters at Bridgeport Ale

While admittedly not a beer person (although quite a beer bong champ in my college days), I had to take advantage of all the local breweries during my recent vacation to Portland. And really, it was refreshing to wash down some of the great food we had with a cold, crisp beer. My boyfriend's favorite is Rogue Brewery for its award-winning Hazelnut Brown Nectar, while I prefer the lively atmosphere at Deschutes. And because this weekend was all about indulging, we hit up the Oregon Brewfest, which featured over 80 beers from breweries around the country. Luckily we can still enjoy many of these drinks back at home, since most of these beers can be found at specialty liquor stores or Whole Foods.

Mirror Pond Pale Ale at Deschutes Brewery's Happy Hour

Kir Royales

I've fallen into a routine after work (get home, make dinner, play with my cats, watch some television, go to bed), so I decided to surprise my boyfriend with a cocktail hour before dinner. I tried out Ina Garten's recipe for cheese straws, which were deliciously addicting, and paired them with my favorite cocktail of the moment, kir royales. It was such a nice change of pace to unwind after work with a cold drink and hors d'oeuvres, and I think my dinner tasted extra-delicious after a few cocktails.


Kir Royales:

• Pour one tbsp. Crème de cassis* into the bottom of a champagne flute.
• Top with Champagne.**

Makes one cocktail
*Black currant liqueur. This can be found at liquor stores and some supermarkets.
**I like to use good Prosecco instead.