DIY custom salt & sugar

We just discovered the easiest way to give your cocktails (or any other beverage) a custom look with either colored salt or sugar. If you like to add either to the rim of the glass, this project couldn't be easier.

What You'll Need

• Sugar or Salt
• Air tight container
• Food Coloring

Simply pour in the amount you think you need into the air tight container. Add a few drops of food coloring, snap on the lid and shake. If you want a richer color just add a few more drops and shake again. Simple and easy way to customize your margaritas or martinis. 

Happy Margarita Day!

What you will need for this Watermelon Margarita:

• 3 oz quality tequila blanco
• 2 oz St Germain
• 2 oz watermelon juice
• 1 oz lime juice
• 1 oz simple syrup
• chipotle salt for rim (see our chipotle salt post for recipe)
• basil leaf for garnish 

Cut up some seedless watermelon. Liquefy in a blender until you have about 16 oz (for multiple cocktails). Add the watermelon juice and remaining ingredients over ice and shake in a cocktail shaker. Taste and add simple syrup if watermelon is not sweet enough. Serve in a bucket or margarita glass with a chipotle salted rim. Garnish with a slice of watermelon and basil leaf. Cheers!

cold & unfiltered sake

Sake is essentially a rice based alcoholic beverage made from rice that is unpalatable but makes a perfect alcoholic concoction. Nigorizake or Nigori is cold unfiltered sake and is making its way to drink menus everywhere. The white cloudy appearance of unfiltered sake is unfermented rice solids floating around inside. It has a creamier and more robust flavor. It is served cold and did you know...sake served hot is typically low quality or old. 

Chipotle salt and a Margarita too

We get fresh seasonal ingredients year round in California so it inspired us to make a sinfully delicious cocktail, as usual.

The idea of garnishing the rim with more than just salt happened as we were playing with different concepts for our margaritas.  After a fanciful mexican meal topped with a chipotle sauce, using a salt mixture with this perfect chili came to us.  So we took some pink kosher rock salt and mixed it with a bit of smoky chipotle powder-what a great color combo on the glass. The result? As you put your nose in the glass to take your first sip you get a whiff of smokiness, then taste saltiness, then a little spicy, then the finale- a perfect margarita.

A solid Reposado tequila rounds off the flavor of the chipotle, our favorite elderflower liqueur accentuates sweet floral flavors, and the fresh lime juice keeps everything just tart enough. Time to mix up the salt!

Cheers!

Chipotle Salt Rim

For the rim

• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle

• lime wedge

For the cocktail

• 2 oz Reposado Tequila

• 1 oz Saint Germain liqueur

• 3/4 oz fresh lime juice

Place the salt and chipotle powder in a small bowl and mix well. Spread on a small plate. Moisten the rim of a cocktail glass with the lime wedge and dip the glass rim in the salt-chipotle mixture. Set aside for the pouring of margaritas.

aprés ski toddy

Now that winter is finally showing us some snow, it's time to hit the slopes. After a day of play in the cold snow try this hot toddy recipe to warm you back up.

• 4 oz Tennessee Honey Whiskey (new from Jack Daniels) or Cinnamon Whiskey (Fireball)
• 2 cups Hot Tea (Good Earth Original has the best spice combination)
• Juice from 1/2 Lemon
• 2 Tbsp Honey

Brew and steep the tea and then combine with the rest of the ingredients in a saucepan until completely dissolved. Serve in 2 mugs and you have the sweetest & warmest drink of the ski season. Garnish with a cinnamon stick or dried clove if you like.