Happy Hour Acapulco Style

Its Friday
Its summertime
Time for a little something fun to drink

Acapulco Cliff Hanger

Now you know they say watermelon is good for you if you're retaining fluids...

You will need:

1 cup watermelon chunks, pureed and strained (makes about 1/3 cup)
2 oz tequila (Cruz tequila is my favorite)
1 oz lemon simple syrup
1 oz lime juice
1 oz Cointreau

Filled a chilled glass with ice.
Pour everything over the ice.
Top up with Club Soda
and a squeeze of fresh lime.
Garnish with a lime wedge.

Super simple
Totally refreshing on a hot summer afternoon.

Happy Hour!!

We haven't had a new drink recipe for a while,
so in the name of Friday night
and the weekend ahead of it
lets have a

Patron Grapefruit



The best drinks are super simple to make.

You need:
1 oz Patron Silver
1/4 ozPatron Citronge
Fresh grapefruit juice
Splash of club soda

Super simple
pour the Patron Silver and Patron Citronge over ice
fill with grapefruit juice
and a splash or two of club soda.

Easy and fabulous

XO

C

Lychee Mojitos & the Metropole in Hanoi

I haven't posted a drink recipes in a while,
largely because I really don't drink that much
or that often.
However, when I do, I've been ordering a longtime favorite
The Lychee Mojito


For those of you unfamiliar with lychees,
they are an asian tree fruit
that now is grown also in Isreal.


When the rough red peel is removed, there is a soft, white fruit inside,
with the most amazing and distinctive flavor.
What does it taste like?
Well, lychee.
There is no other similar tasting fruit.

As kids we used to love having bowls of icecream with lychees on top.
Hmmm. Sooo good!

While I was googling images of lychee mojitos, I found this fabulous blog
for travel foodies called Siuyeh.com
(well worth looking up)
Anyway, in their blog post they were drinking Lychee Mojitos
at Le Club In the Hotel Metropole in Hanoi.
How exotic!
I haven't been there, yet, but now its on my list.

the view from Le Club at the metropole in Hanoi.
www.Siuyeh.com



Here's the recipe.

In a cocktail shaker mix 2 wedges of lime, 2 lychees, lychee syrup, 3 mint leaves.
Fill with ice and add 2 oz of Bacardi light.
Shake it up, pour into a glass with 2 lychees in the bottom
and fill with club soda or carbonated water.
Garnish with mint leaves and a wedge of lime.

Refreshing, chic and exotic.

Happy Friday!

XO

C

Friday Nite Happiness!

I ripped this one directly out of InStyle magazine - no creativity here on my part!
But doesn't it just look like a fabuloso evening???

They recommended starting with home made neopolitan pizzas. To accompany them a light refreshing drink called an Orange & Lillet Cocktail.

So here we go:

Orange & Lillet Cocktail


2 cups chilled white Lillet
2 cups chilled vodka (I recommend Grey Goose)
1 cup orange liqueur
1 cup chilled orange juice (not pulpy kind)
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 bottle chilled Prosecco
orange slices for garnish

In a large pitcher or carafe combine Lillet, vodka. liqueur, and orange and lemon juices.
Chill til ready to serve
Before serving add Prosecco

Pour into ice filled glasses & garnish with orange slices.







Lillet is an aperatif from Bordeaux made of 85% wine and 15% oranges.

Friday Night Lite!

Well here we go again! Its Friday, and I just got back in from a shoot. Once again I have a crazy early call time tomorrow morning, so I wont be going out tonight.
But I got to thinking, if I was going out, what would I like to drink?

Looking to sports for inspiration, the racers are in Richmond (not feeling it), Fontana (sorry, but definitely not feeling it! but I am hoping to watch some of it), football of course, is all over the place. But Monday Night Football is Jets v Dolphins. There's a little something to inspire a girl!

Jets aren't thrilling me yet. And the Dolphins? I adored Dan Marino after Ace Ventura! (laces out Dan!) - so Dolphins it is.

Next up find a drink that is somewhat Miami-esque. Something with a little cuban flair maybe...

How about the El Presidente? Sounds cuban to me!



I have no idea who that girl is, but she mixes a great drink!

I also found this one, which is actually from Acapulco, but it looks kinda fab too!




Not to be confused with the daiquiri variant of the same name (created by an American bartender in Havana to honor Gerardo Machado, the fifth president of Cuba), this cocktail came from El Presidente Hotel, in Acapulco. If it seems outlandish, consider that the hotel bar was decorated with art by Salvador Dalí. The ingredients should be combined in a cocktail shaker three-quarters full of ice, shaken, and strained into a highball glass.

For each drink, combine 2 ounces each of dry gin and orange juice, 1 ounce each of apricot brandy, pineapple juice, and grapefruit juice, and a few drops of grenadine. Pour the drink over ice cubes in a 10-ounce glass, and garnish with an orange slice and a cherry.

Either way, fun drinks, and a fun weekend ahead!

Bottoms up lovies!

xo

C

Shakin' That Pom Pom!

Hola amigos!

It's Friday, and I'm not in the Caribbean frolicking and having fun, so I decided it was high time we broke out my favorite drink for the fall.
(Even though it is 105 degrees here today, I'm still calling it fall...)

I love margaritas, and as a rule I never mess with the traditional flavor. But my gorgeous Texan friend introduced me to pomegranate margaritas one fall a couple of years back, and they are just ridiculously good!

I only ever make them from now though Christmas time - either its the color that makes it seasonal for me, or maybe its that this was the time of year that we made our auspicious aquaintance, but I am sure they make a great year rounder if you want a diversion from the regular margi flavor.






Pomegranate Margarita

2 cups of Pomegranate Juice
1/2 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons triple sec
2 tablespoons pomegranate liqueur
1/2 cup Cruz tequila
margarita salt
limes to garnish

Pour the pomegranate juice into icecube trays and freeze until solid.

Put the frozen cubes into the blender, leaving out one for each glass.
Add tequila, triple sec, pomegranate liqueur and lime juice.
Blend until slushy.

Slice one of the limes and run it around the rim of the glass, then salt it.

Put a pomegranate cube into each glass, pour the slushy margarita mix over top, and granish with a twist of lime.

Bottoms up baby!!!

xo

C

Breezy In The Caribbean

Here we are again, its Friday, and I'm working tonite, so wont be out doing anything fabulous. Furthermore, here in sunny Phoenix its 113 degrees. The air smells like it is burnt, opening the door is like stepping into a furnace, the air conditioning in my car can't cope, and right now the arctic circle sounds really, really enticing.

So I decided to look through some travel magazines at pictures of places that I'd rather be this very minute, and I'm torn between St Thomas and St John.



This is St Thomas - doesn't it look lovely?


A couple of pages on I found this picture of delectability. And I think it might just be what I would order right now, if I were on a beach in St Thomas....



The Caribbean Bay Breeze

1 oz Bacardi
1/2 oz Malibu Rum

Pour them over a glass of ice, then top off with 1/2 pineapple juice and 1/2 cranberry juice

I bet its super refreshing. It even comes with a sword!

Have a safe and fun Friday night,

xo

C

If I Were Going To Happy Hour...

Well its Friday, and while all the hip young things are out and about being fabulous tonight, I will be working. (if you can call being paid to do what you love 'work'!)
And after the enormous work week I've had - gotta love the new season's crazy busy-ness , I'm not going out on the boogie after work tonight, instead I'll be crawling home to catch up on some sleep.

Savagely uncool, I know, but I have early call times this weekend, and have to be on my toes...

However, I have been thinking about what I would be drinking if I were going out tonight, and I'm thinking a Cosmo-tini sounds kinda fab.





So here's the easy, peasy recipe:

Cosmopolitan Martini

2 oz Grey Goose Vodka, chilled
1 oz Cointreau
1/2 oz Cranberry Juice
1/2 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
lemon twist.

Mix all ingredients in your cocktail shaker, then pour into a martini glass and garnish with the lemon twist.

Told you it was easy!

Don't forget to check out the Racing Fashionistas Happy Hour segment...

xo

C

Happy Hour!

So last Saturday I met up with my gorgeous, glamorous makeup friend J'me for sushi at a cool place called Kabuki.

It was about a million degrees out, and I wanted something light, crisp and refreshing to drink, so our waiter recommended the Cucumber Mojito. I'd never had one before, but oh my! Talk about fabulicious!
It is now my new thing, and seeing as this week it feels like its 2 million degrees out, with humidity on top, I'm thinking this may just be the little gem to top off a little pool party.




Here's how you make a pitcher of Cucumber Mojitos:

You will need

3 cups of white rum
a big bunch of mint and some extra mint divided
2cucumbers sliced thinly (skin left on)
2 cups of sugar
2 cups of fresh lime juice
10 oz bottle of soda water or sparkling water

Combine the white rum, bunch of mint (torn up a roughly), and half the cucumber. Put them in a covered bowl and let them infuse overnight.

The next day strain this mixture thru a seive, and press out any rum that is soaked into the mint & cucumber. (Discard the mint & cucumber)
Pour the infused rum into a big pitcher.
Add the sugar and lime juice and stir til dissolved.
Add cubed ice, some of the remaining mint leaves and cucumber slices, then add in soda water and stir gently.

Serve in chilled tall glasses with ice, mint leaves and cucumber slices.

So delicious!

If you're not a cucumber lover, check out the Racing Fashionistas - they always have something fab for happy hour on Fridays!

Have a gorgeous weekend,

xo

C

Here Comes The Weekend...

So one of my absolute favorite blogs is the Racing Fashionistas. These girls have it down! They are all about fashion, fun and racing - three of my most favorite things in life. They mostly seem to write about Nascar, which I know very little about, but am learning all kinds of fun info from their blog.
If I lived in the same town as these three, I would want to be their BFF - they are just so cool!
Anyway, on Fridays they do a Happy Hour post, and each week they feature a different drink. Its pretty cool to see what they come up with each week.

I am not much of a drinker, even though I am a Kiwi. However, here and there I do stumble upon aperatifs that look fab, or maybe I've been out and imbibed something that is fab, so from time to time I will shamelessly rip off the Fashionistas and give you a new cocktail to make or to order. And it will probably end up being in a Friday post too.

This weekend in Phoenix we have ridiculously searing heat that just defies all belief, so I will be cooling off and enjoying the final outing of the Western Swing (via ESPN), with a big, cold Lavender Lemonade in my hand.

So here's the recipe:

Lavender Lemonade





You will need:

1 cup sugar (divided)
4 tsp dried lavender (divided)
2 lemon wedges
12 oz vodka (I use Grey Goose)
3 oz lemon juice

Combine 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water and 2 tsp lavender in a small saucepan. Boil til sugar is dissolved (only a couple of minutes). Cool down and strain syrup, removing the lavender.

Grind remaining sugar and lavender in a spice grinder until fine. Moisten the rims of your glasses with the lemon wedges and coat lightly with the mixture (like salting a margarita glass).
Fill a pitcher 2/3 with ice. Pour in vodka, cooled sugar syrup, and lemon juice.
Stir to mix, strain and pour.

Then kick back and see who wins funnycar, with a nice cold Lavender Lemonade in hand...

xo

C

Oh and by the way, thanks for all the comments on the Sonoma*A*Go Go blog! It is so much fun reading about who you want to win. Some of you are just plain hilarious!!!
The race isn't over til Sunday, so keep 'em coming!