Happy Hour: Cinco de Mayo

Today is Cinco de Mayo! Any fun plans for happy hour tonight?

Since it is a Mexican holiday and all, I thought today would be a good day to share with you some fun recipes I received from an event last week. The event planner, Cathy Riva and Sauza Tequila invited me to a "Ladies Who Brunch" party and it was awesome. The event was held at Meet at the Apartment, a very cool meeting and event space in Soho. It has beautiful decor, the kind that makes you want to redecorate your whole apartment. And as soon as I walked in, I was greeted with delicious little colorful macaroons that had our name tags on them. Adorable! Cathy also created custom cocktails for the event and considering what today is, I might make these for myself and my lady friends tonight.

Cadillac Rio Margarita

Ingredients:

2 parts Sauza® Blue Silver Tequila

1 part JDK & Sons™ O3 Premium Orange Liqueur

1 part lime juice

½ part agave nectar

Directions:

Shake all the ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled margarita glass. Garnish with an orange on the rim.

The Mama Rita (Totally making these on Sunday for Mother's Day brunch!)

Ingredients:

1 ½ parts Sauza® Silver Tequila

½-part Cabernet Sauvignon

1 part DeKuyper Triple Sec

1 part Agave Nectar

1 part Fresh Lime juice

Directions:

Pour all ingredients over ice in mixing glass. Shake and strain into a martini glass and garnish with a lime slice.

Photos via Sauza Tequila.

PS: I am linking up with Jillian from Cornflake Dreams today for a Cinco de Mayo Blog Crawl. Visit her for more celebration ideas! xo.

Happy Hour: White Winter Cocktails

Eggnog via My Lifetime.


Leche Mexicana courtesy of Hornitos.

One of my fave things about December? Winter cocktails! Don't these look yummy?

Egg Nog
Ingredients:
Ice cubes
1 ounce brandy
1 ounce dark rum
1 egg
1 teaspoon sugar syrup
3 ounces full-fat milk
Freshly greated nutmeg, to decorate
Directions: Half-fill a cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Add the brandy, rum, egg and sugar syrup and shake until a frost forms on the outside of the shaker. Strain into a toddy glass. Pour over the milk. Decorate with a little grated nutmeg and serve. Serves one.

Leche Mexicana (Mexican Milk)
Ingredients:
1 ½ parts Hornitos Plata Tequila
2 parts DeKuyper Crème de Cocoa White Cream
1 part half & half
Directions: Pour all ingredients into a shaker filled with ice. Shake. Pour into an iced filled glass. Serves one.


What are some of your favorite drinks this season? ♥

Happy Hour: Mojitos Miami Style

Since we are in Miami today, I thought it would be fitting for this week's Happy Hour cocktail to be a little more tropical than our recent fall theme ones. I present to you, the Mojito. This is probably Claudia's favorite drink and coincidentally, the signature cocktail at her wedding, which took place almost exactly a year ago right here in this lovely and warm city.

Although mojitos are typically made with rum, this is a recipe that uses tequila! I find tequila is actually just as mixable with a lot of cocktails, not just margaritas, and lately, I've been replacing vodka or gin based drinks with it and have been consistently pleased.

I encourage you to get creative with your drink mixing as well! You never know what you may end up liking.

Hornijito
3 parts Hornitos Premium Reposado Tequila
2 tsp sugar
6-8 mint leaves
Fill glass with club soda
1 lime, halved
Mint sprig for garnish

(Image via Chick n' Pastry)

Happy Hour: Thanksgiving Cocktails With Wild Turkey (obviously!)

Last year we hosted a big Thanksgiving dinner for friends and family at our apartment. It was the typical madness that ensued, involving yummy food, karaoke, and even inflatable turkeys. This year, we're doing a very different Thanksgiving and going to our parents house. But I still want things to be festive and fun so instead of just bringing dessert and wine, I have decided to make these cool cocktails with Wild Turkey Bourbon. If there's any occasion to ever drink Wild Turkey, this is it! The name is way too perfect, I think I'm just going to have to make it my official November drink (but perhaps enjoy it this way.)

Pass the Turkey (created by Master Sommelier Fred Dexheimer)
1.5 oz Wild Turkey 101
2 oz apple cider
1 tbs cranberry jelly
1 sprig fresh sage
1 sprig fresh thyme
Directions: Muddle sage and thyme with apple cider. Add ice, top with Wild Turkey and cranberry jelly. Shake well, strain over ice in a glass rimmed with turkey jus and breadcrumbs.

Smashed Pumpkin
1 oz Wild Turkey 101
1/4 oz almond liqueur
1/4 oz cinnamon schnapps
2 oz pumpkin pie filling
1/2 oz heavy cream
Directions: Puree or froth pumpkin pie filling with heavy cream. Mix with other ingredients in a shaker with ice; shake well and strain into a martini glass. Rim with crumbled graham crackers and a cinnamon stick; top with a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg.

Recipes and images courtesy of Wild Turkey.

Happy Hour: Day of the Dead Cocktails

Ashes to Ashes

Fresa Catrina

Marigold Ofrenda

In spirit of the upcoming Day of the Dead holiday, which we are perhaps overly excited about, I would love to share with you these new cocktails created by Espolón Tequila. When I saw these bottles, I almost died! The look is so perfect for our upcoming fiesta. I can't wait to make these!

And now a little information on where these cocktails came from.

Inspired by 19th Century Dia de los Muertos-style imagery, the Espolón labels illustrate the fictitious journeys of characters Guadalupe and Rosarita, with their inspirational companion, Ramón the Rooster, capturing significant moments in the lives of the people of Mexico. The storied history depicted on the outside of the bottle is enhanced by the award-winning tequila within. The 100% pure Blue Agave tequila from the Los Altos (High-lands) region of Jalisco, Mexico is available in Blanco and Reposado.

Ashes to Ashes
Created by H. Joseph Ehrmann
Elixir, San Francisco
1.5 oz. Espolón Tequila Reposado
.5 oz. Pedro Ximenez Sherry
1 oz. Lemon Juice
1 tsp. Sweetened Cocoa Mix
.25 oz. Agave Nectar
1 pinch Ground Cinnamon
Directions: Place all ingredients in a mixing glass, fill with ice, cover and shake well for 10 seconds. Strain up into a cocktail glass. Garnish with cinnamon dust.

Fresa Catrina
Created by Thomas Waugh
Death & Company, New York
2 oz. Espolón Tequila Blanco
.5 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
.75 oz. Simple Syrup
1 small strawberry
10 whole black peppercorns
Splash of Absinthe
Directions: Muddle strawberry with black peppercorns. Rinse a cocktail glass with absinthe. Shake all ingredients with ice in a shaker and fine strain into the rinsed cocktail glass.

Marigold Ofrenda
Created by Christopher Bostick
The Varnish Bar, Los Angeles
2 oz. Espolón Tequila Reposado
1 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
.75 oz. Orange Curaçao or Triple Sec
.5 oz. Light Agave Nectar
.5 cup peeled and chopped cantaloupe
1/8 teaspoon Chile de Arbol powder
1 small edible marigold for garnish
Directions: Muddle cantaloupe, Agave Nectar, and Orange Curaçao in the bottom of a mixing glass. Add remaining ingredients, excluding garnish. Add ice and shake very well for at least 10 seconds. Double strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with edible marigold.

Enjoy! ♥

Happy Hour: Warm Winter Margaritas

If you've been to our apartment in the last few weeks, you'll know that this time of year means one thing for us: prepping for our annual Dia de los Muertos party. About once or twice a week, we've had a few girls over for craft night so we can make paper mache skulls, paper flowers and papel picado. It's very labor intensive work, but really fun, especially when we drink wine or make fun cocktails. For our next craft night, I think I am going to make these Warm Winter Margaritas. They were created by Marcela Valladolid, who has the show, Mexican Made Easy on the Food Network. I think they sound like the perfect Mexican cocktail to keep us in the spirit!

Warm Winter Margaritas
Ingredients – Serves 4:
28 oz. apple juice
1 cinnamon stick
2 cups dried fruit of your choice
2 tbs granulated sugar
6 oz. Sauza® Tequila Blanco
Steps: Combine apple juice and cinnamon in a heavy pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick carefully. Add sugar, dried fruit, and tequila. Mix well. Serve warm.

For the actual party, I am thinking of making these cute little tequila shots with Pop Rocks! The colors are so perfect for Day of the Dead, I can't wait!

Pop Rocks On
Rim shot glass with Pop Rocks flavor of your choice
Fill with 1 part Hornitos® Premium Tequila
Enjoy!

Happy Hour: Old Fashioneds Are Back in Fashion--Just in Time for Bourbon Month

It's no secret that I am whisky drinker, and specifically, love bourbon. In fact, two of my favorite cocktails are bourbon classics: the Manhattan and the Old Fashioned. So imagine my delight when my friends at Wild Turkey sent me these recipes. Perfect for tonight's happy hour!

Did you know that September is National Bourbon Heritage Month? Seriously. It was declared an official bill by the US Senate. Which is pretty cool and all, but really, who needs an excuse to enjoy these pretty little concoctions?

The Manhattan 101
Ingredients:
1 3/4 ounces Wild Turkey Bourbon
1/3 ounce dry vermouth
1/3 ounce sweet vermouth
1 thin slice fresh ginger
3 mint leaves
1/2 tsp powdered sugar
Dash aromatic bitters

Muddle ginger, mint, powdered sugar and bitters in a cocktail shaker. Add Wild Turkey Bourbon, vermouth and ice. Shake and strain into a chilled glass.

The Old Fashioned 101
Ingredients:
1 1/3 ounce Wild Turkey Bourbon
1/2 ounce apple cider
3 sage leaves
1 pinch of saffron
1 tsp brown sugar
2 orange twists
1 tsp orange zest
1 fresh cherry
1 ounce Amaretto

Slice cherry from top to bottom five times around pit, and soak in a cup of Amaretto. Muddle cider, sage, saffron, brown sugar, orange twists and zest together in glass. Add Wild Turkey Bourbon and stir. Strain and serve over ice, garnish with Amaretto-soaked cherry.

Have a lovely evening, xo!

(Photo by Wild Turkey Bourbon)

Happy Hour: Malibu Rum To Go!

I just discovered these mini pouches of Malibu Rum. How cute are they! Looks like they come in three delicious flavors: Rum Punch, Caribbean Cosmo and Tropical Mojito. Malibu Rum Punch Cocktail is made with Malibu Coconut and a blend of pineapple, banana, passion fruit and mango flavors; Malibu Caribbean Cosmo is a blend of Malibu Coconut, lime, orange and cranberry flavors; and Malibu Tropical Mojito blends Malibu Coconut with mango, mint and kaffir lime flavors.

I would love to take these to the beach or pack them for a summer picnic. They look super tasty!

♥,
Lisa Michelle

Happy Hour: Watermelon Coolers

In honor of the 4th of July weekend approaching, I thought we'd kickoff today's happy hour with some delicious watermelon coolers. Light + delicious and goes great with every BBQ or picnic. Almost the weekend...Cheers! xo

Ingredients
Serves 6 to 8
3 pounds watermelon
2 tablespoons fresh mint
1 tablespoon superfine sugar
Ice cubes
1 1/4 cups ginger ale
1/4 cup vodka
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 or 4 splashes bitters
Fresh mint, for garnish

Directions
Puree watermelon in a food processor. Muddle mint with sugar in a large pitcher; fill with ice cubes. Stir in 2 cups puree, ginger ale, vodka, lemon juice, and bitters. Garnish with fresh mint.

(Photo + Recipe via Martha Stewart)

Happy Hour Thursday: Malbec + Empanadas

In honor of Argentina kicking butt lately in the World Cup (Go, Messi!), I think today's Happy Hour calls for a glass of Malbec + savory empanadas. Don't you agree? I found the most amazing recipe at Cristina, from Buenos Aires to Paris. (Her photos are stunning.) I can't wait to try it! xo

(Photo via Cristina, from Buenos Aires to Paris)

Happy Hour Thursday: Skinny Girl Margaritas

Happy Thursday! My friend Laura introduced me to Skinny Girl Margaritas a few months ago and now I'm officially addicted. You can buy the ready-made bottles at Astor Wines or you can make them at home. I made them recently when Alex and I went to Miami for a few days (photo above). Recipe below or watch Bethenny Frankel's tutorial. Super easy and slightly guilt-free...Enjoy! xo

Ingredients

• 2 oz of Clear Premium Tequila (count 1, 2 while you pour, no need for measuring)
• Tiny splash of Orange Liquor
• Juice of 4 Fresh Lime Wedges

Preparation

• To serve on the rocks, combine all ingredients over a glass of ice and garnish with a lime wedge