To celebrate National Tequila Day, we are featuring one of my favorite tequila cocktails, Paloma. This cocktail is a tall, cool and not to sweet. Tequila, lime and grapefruit juice (or soda). So nice on a hot July day.

Paloma

2 oz. Tequila (blanco or reposado)
1 oz. Lime Juice
4 - 5 oz. Grapefruit Juice or Soda
pinch of salt

Build in a tall glass over ice. Start with the tequila, lime juice and salt and then fill with grapefruit juice. Garnish with a lime wedge.

past Drink of the Week cocktails

I was doing some research on tequila and mezcal, and one bar was consistently mentioned with raves: Mayahuel in New York.

Tequila has often gotten a bad rap, due to its associations with Spring Break, hangovers, and the whole “eat the worm” thing. But it’s a very versatile spirit, as is its often-ignored cousin mezcal.

Mayahuel bartender Phil Ward loves the agave spirits, as evidenced by this great quote from his interview with BlackBook:

But it’s right back to that first part; the first tequila that was imported to the country was garbage because they knew that people would drink anything because they wanted to get drunk. And then for a long time, up until…maybe even ten years ago…most of the tequila people were drinking was like Jose Cuervo, which wasn’t even a representation of 100% blue agave tequila. So it was really a misunderstood spirit. I almost wanted to call this place was “La Verdad,” “The Truth,” because tequila and mezcal were so misunderstood by people, and we’re here to teach them.

I’m definitely heading over there on my next trip to NYC … to try the “Italian Inquisition,” which includes mole bitters, blood orange liqueur, and reposado tequila. Yes, please!

Mayahuel

Tequila! The future of Drinking… (@ BlackBook)

A Serious Spot for Tequila (@ Seattle PI)

Photo credit: BlackBook Magazine

Patron recently launched it’s new and improved “Patron Social Club“, a place where tequila aficionados can learn more about the brand, ID their bottle, learn about Patron sponsored events, and try out some very good tequila cocktails.

What makes this different from the ordinary spirit brand website is the way they have brought in content from some of the blogoshpere’s top voices. They include, Urbandaddy, Thrillist.com, Daily Candy, and going.com and cover a wide range of topics. My favorite is uncrate’s guide to grill gear.

Chere it out: Patron Social Club

No 4th of July barbecue is complete without watermelon. I’d like to amend that statement to include watermelon cocktails!

This refreshing summer cocktail is the perfect accompaniment to whatever you’ll be throwing on the grill this Independence Day. Martha Stewart inspired this recipe, which I adapted from her watermelon and basil margaritas.

The watermelon is cool and refreshing, while the mint and basil balance the sweetness and give it a fresh, crisp herbal note. You can use all mint or all basil, if you prefer.

4th of July Watermelon Cocktail

7 1/2 pounds seedless watermelon, rind removed, fruit cut into 1-inch cubes
4 teaspoons superfine sugar
8 ounces silver tequila
12 basil leaves
12 mint leaves
2.5 ounces Cointreau
6 cups ice

Make watermelon ice cubes by putting 24 pieces of cubed watermelon on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Freeze for one hour, covered.
Take the rest of the watermelon plus the sugar and puree until smooth. Strain into a bowl. Put the tequila, basil and mint in a pitcher and muddle. Then stir in Cointreau and watermelon puree. Pour mixture into cocktail shaker with ice and mix for each cocktail. Put watermelon ice cubes in a glass and pour cocktail in. Garnish with herb sprigs and enjoy!

Red, White and Blue Cocktail
More 4th of July Cocktails
More Summer Cocktails

The first thing that grabs your attention about Corzo tequila is the bottle — square, smooth, modern … not unlike a really nice cologne bottle.
But when you get past the attractive packaging, there’s a friendly tequila inside waiting to play.

It has a thin mouthfeel and an approachable taste. Though it is 100% agave it lacks the grassy flavor often found in such tequilas.

This is a clean-tasting tequila for sipping or mixing. I found that adding a tiny splash of Midori to a classic margarita made with Corzo brought out the saltier notes and balanced it quite nicely.

On its own, what it lacks in complexity it makes up for in smoothness.

Here’s a good cocktail to try for summer:

Collinsisimo

2 oz. tequila
1 oz. fresh lime juice
1 oz. Grand Marnier
Club soda

Pour the tequila, lime juice and Grand Marnier into a collins glass filled with ice. Top off with club soda and a lime wedge.

Corzo Tequila
Margarita recipes

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• How to speak Tequila (martini-lounge.blogspot.com)
• All About Margaritas Straight Up Cocktails and Spirits (thekitchn.com)

Looking for a Father’s Day gift that is both thoughtful and quick?

These picks are unique liquors that stand out among other spirits of the same type. What better way to show Dad that you think he’s one of a kind.

I’ve included multiple price ranges, but these were chosen for their taste and not their price tag.

Here are a few liquor picks for the discerning Dad on your gift-shopping list:

Single-Malt Scotch: Aberlour A’Bunadh

This scotch combines warmth with spiced honey flavors and a citrus finish. It’s an unusual scotch aged in Sherry casks, which the distillery says is how it was done in the old days. Price seems to vary, depending on where you buy it. Expect a $60-$70 price tag.

Gin: TRU2 Organic Gin 

Boasting more than just an “organic” moniker, this gin goes through only one distillation to hang on to the flavor of the 14 botanicals used in its making. But it’s not a flavored gin. The botanicals impart a strong character without losing the smoothness that marks a high-quality gin. If Dad likes a gin martini, this will make him smile. And at about $25, it tastes more expensive than it is.

Bourbon: Red Stag (more…)

At the recent Nightclub & Bar Conference in Las Vegas I had the pleasure to attend a seminar lead by Georg Riedel. What a treat, not only did I learn first hand from a Master about fine glassware and how it enhances all types of spirits, but I learned how the Reidel family figured it all out. Said Greog to my question, “We’ve been doing this a long time”. And they have, the family run Austrian company has been making glass for 11 generations of Riedels, over 250 years.

The tasting ran through 5 glasses and three spirits. The glassware consisted of a plastic cup, and ordinary brandy snifter and a Riedel Scotch, Cognac and Tequila glass. The specialized glasses bring out the unique flavor profile of each spirit. The spirits we tasted were Patron Silver Tequila, Hennessy VSOP and Talisker 12 Year Single Malt Scotch.

We were first asked to try each spirit in the plastic cup, ok kinda blah. Not bad, but not great. Next came the brandy snifter supplied by the caterers. We were told this glass was designed to withstand being tossed against the wall, not for drinking fine cognac. The cognac was better in this glass than the plastic cup, but it is not much of a competition.

We then moved on to the Riedel glasses. Each is designed to bring our the unique flavors of the spirit. This is achieved through an combination of height, diameter and shape of the glass bowl. The height of the stem is purely aesthetic. First by trying cognac from each of the three glasses. It was incredible how the same Hennessy VSOP tasted in the three different glasses. Of course the most pleasing of the three samples came from the cognac glass. All the fruity goodness and none of the harsh alcohol were detected. We repeated the exercise with the Takisker and Patron with similar results each time.

Of course, your not going to use these for a cocktail, but for sipping the finer cognacs, single malt scotch and tequilas. However, if you enjoy drinking the fine spirits and want to experience then the way they were meant to be, invest in a set of Riedel glasses.

They’ve been doing this a long time.

Riedel Glas Austria

Buy Riedel Bar Glasses Here