2 Altos Plata Libations to Celebrate With This Cinco De Mayo

Cinco De Mayo has to be one of my top favorite holidays. The main reason being that it’s all about tequila and I am SUCH a tequila girl! I recently discovered Altos Plata Tequila and couldn’t be more excited to create some classic Cinco De Mayo cocktails using it.

Altos Tequila Plata is made from 100% blue agave grown in the Los Altos highlands of Mexico. Complete with herbal notes of cooked agave, Plata is slightly citric and sweet with a fruity aroma. It's a classic tequila for the modern world.

Classic tequila with a twist? I am sooo into it. Here are two cocktails using Altos Plata that are not only perfect for Cinco De Mayo, but for all year round!

Crafted Paloma

Ingredients:

  2 parts Altos Plata

  2 part Fresh Grapefruit Juice

 1 part Lemon Juice 

  ½ part Agave Syrup

  Pinch of Salt

Method:

   Frost the glass rim with salt and crushed pink peppercorns.

    Pour all the ingredients except the grapefruit juice into the glass.

 Mix using the ALTOS molinillo to dissolve the agave syrup.

  Fill the glass with ice and finish with the pink grapefruit juice.

  Garnish with half slice of pink grapefruit.

Tommy’s Margarita

Ingredients: 

   2 parts Altos Plata

    1 part Fresh Lime Juice

   ½ part Agave Syrup

    Lime Wedge for garnish

Method: 

 Build up all the ingredients in a shaker with ice.

 Shake, and strain into an ice-filled cup. 

   Garnish with a lime slice on top.

Trick Or Treat | Tequila Avion Gummy Bear Jello Shots

Happy Halloween! Ummmmm HOW is it Halloween? Crazy how time flies - but I felt like ‘Ween has been over since Saturday. I went to Just Jared’s annual Halloween party and dressed up as a chic 80s mom (yeah, IDK either) and have been over it since LOL. However, one thing I LOVE is Halloween cocktails. They are just even more fun than regular ones so I always get excited every year.

This year, things are getting REAL sweet: my treat to all of you is tequila-infused gummy bear jello shots! Now this is how you celebrate a grown up Halloween successfully! Check out my recipe to make at home to celebrate all things spooky!

GUMMY BEAR SYRUP

(Makes about one cup)

Ingredients:

1 cup - Gummy Bears (Your choice in flavor - I did half cherry half lemon. Get creative!)

1 ½ cups - Water

1 pinch - Citric Acid

1 pinch - Salt

Method:

     Prepare a double boiler. 

 Add the Gummy Bears and the water to the top of the boiler. 

   Let Gummy Bears slowly melt into the water, stirring occasionally. 

  Once they are completely incorporated, transfer the mixture into a separate saucepan. 

  Add citric acid and salt and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

     Once the mixture has reduced to 1 cup, you’re ready to build the shots.

THE JELLO SHOT

1 cup - Tequila Avión Silver

1 cup - Gummy Bear Syrup

1/3 cup - Powdered Gelatin (This is about half of what you’d normally use in a Jello shot, but since there’s gelatin in the Gummy Bears, you don’t need so much.) 

Method:

  Add the Tequila Avión to the Gummy Bear Syrup while it’s still hot enough that it hasn’t started to set. Slowly whisk in gelatin, so that there are no big clumps. 

   Prepare your serving vessels by spraying the insides of them lightly with olive oil cooking spray, so the shots will release more easily when they’re set up. 

   Transfer the mixture into a pourable container and pour into the prepared serving vessels. 

    Place vessels in refrigerator and let set up (about 2 hours). 

  When they’re fully set, they’re ready to enjoy!

End of Summer Cocktails to Celebrate Labor Day with Friends

How have we already reached Labor Day?! I feel like it was just 4th of July. Well, I am totally a summer girl and I'm having a hard time accepting this, like I do every year. On the bright side, there's fresh and festive cocktails to be made to celebrate Labor Day and beyond with friends. Especially here in SoCal, it may be summer till November. LOL. Here are my 3 faves for celebrating with a group - total crowd pleasers!

Carrot Pineapple Punch

Ingredients: 

2 cups NOLET’S Silver Gin 

2 cups Carrot Juice 

2 cups Pineapple Juice 

1/2 cup Lemon Juice 

1 tsp. Fresh Grated Ginger 

2 cups Ginger Beer 

Directions: 

Mix all ingredients together in a punch bowl and stir gently. Add ice and garnish with edible flowers and citrus wheels. Make ahead: freeze an ice mold adding citrus fruit or edible flowers. Makes 8-10 cocktails.

Sweet Heat Margarita

Ingredients:

2 oz Tanteo® Jalapeño Tequila

1 oz Fresh Lime Juice

¾ oz Agave Nectar

4-5 Raspberries

Tanteo Jalapeño Salt Rim

Directions:

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice

Shake well and strain into a salt-rimmed, ice-filled Rocks Glass

Garnish with a raspberry or jalapeño slice

Bushwick Punch

Ingredients: 

4½ cups Smoke Tree Rosé

2 cups unsweetened black tea

¾ cup lemon juice

½ cup bourbon

½ cup raw cane sugar syrup

1 cup blueberries

1 lemon sliced

Directions:

Fill a punch bowl with ice

Top with Smoke Tree Rosé, unsweetened black tea, lemon juice, bourbon and raw cane sugar syrup.

Stir to chill and combine ingredients

Top with lemon slices and blueberries

The Rose Gimlet | A Perfect Mother's Day Cocktail

I always love the time around Mother's Day - the weather is starting to get warm, flowers are in bloom and all around it's a happy time to look forward to. Over the years I've had fun with my mom getting a celebratory cocktails around this time of year, and surprisingly Mother's Day cocktails are among some of my favorite because they usually play up a really lovely vibe with sweet, spring-inspired notes.

The perfect Mother's Day cocktail for your mom or mama figure in your life? The Rose Gimlet of course! Made with gin, lemonade and elderflower - does it get any better?! Whether you're fixing up a morning cocktail for Mother's Day brunch or you're having a little nightcap after a day of celebrating, the Rose Gimlet is a sweet sipper that you both will love!

The Rose Gimlet

1 oz. NOLET’S Silver Gin
1 oz. Fresh Lemonade
.5 oz. Elderflower Liqueur
.5 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
Rose Petals

Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into a Martini glass. Garnish with rose petals.

Fiesta Like There is No Mañana with this Cinco de Mayo Cocktail

There's only one way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, and it's with Casamigos!!! Seriously, this is one of my favorite holidays for the sheer fact that it's all about the tequeeels! If I ever needed another excuse to concoct a Casamigos cocktail, well... Cinco de Mayo it is!

Casa Tua Cucina at Saks Brickell City Centre actually is featuring the most perfect Cinco-approved cocktail with Casamigos that will make you want to fiesta like there is no mañana.

Skip the Tequila Sunrise and step up your game with The Rising Sol! Mixing Casamigos Reposado Tequila’s oaky hints of caramel and cocoa with fresh lime juice, pomegranate and spicy pineapple syrup, this is “nacho” average cocktail.

THE RISING SOL

Ingredients:

1.5 oz. Casamigos Reposado Tequila

.75 oz. Fresh lime juice

.5 oz. Agave nectar

.5 oz. Roasted spicy pineapple syrup

Pomegranate seeds

Ginger beer float 

Directions:

Muddle pomegranate seeds in tin shaker, add all other ingredients except the Ginger Beer and shake for 8-10 seconds. Double strain into glass and add ice. Top with Ginger Beer float and garnish with pomegranate seeds and 2 pineapple leaves.