Margarita - sugar free style

This weekend is going to be HOT again, which for me may mean some mid-afternoon scurrying to Lake Nokomis to jump in the lake and cool off, and some lounging in front of the fan while sipping cool beverages. Also, I have friends coming for the weekend, AND I have next week off. So, really, it is a festive feeling happening over here in my self.

With the heat and festivity, I am finding some yearning for a fizzy cocktail - of the alcoholic variety. If a person wants to be grain free, the only grain-free alcohol (besides wine and pure hard cider) is tequila. I haven't really been drinking much lately, but I had one of these last weekend and it definitely satisfied my need for a "cocktail" type experience. Paleo guy Robb Wolf created this recipe for the "NorCal Margarita" - it is a super simple recipe and tastes really nice and refreshing. It is a wee bit strong (I thought), so if you are after a pleasantly buzzy head, this will do it!

NorCal Margarita 
long pour of tequila (no need for top shelf stuff)
juice of 1 lime
soda water
ice

So by long pour I mean more than a shot, but less than 2 (I like el Jimador). Mix the tequila and lime juice together - in a shaker with ice, or just stir it up in your glass. Add some ice cubes, and top off with soda water to your taste bud liking. You can garnish with a lime too.

Dad's Strawberry Daiquiris

Dad's Strawberry Daiquiris (makes 2ish)

1 & 1/2 C fresh or frozen strawberries
1/4 C frozen lemonade concentrate (or lemon juice + a few T sugar)
rum or 7-Up, if you're into the virgin kind (as much or as little as you like)
ice (enough cubes to make it slushy)

Blend it up and enjoy.


Summer when I was a kid meant icy-sweet strawberry daiquiris, fresh from Dad's blender. Whenever the occasion arose (company for dinner on the grill, an especially hot day, extensive begging from my brother and me), he would whip up a virgin batch for the kiddos, followed by a liquored-up batch for the adults. I can still remember sipping one from a blue-rimmed glass with a twirly straw, thinking I must be the luckiest kid in the world.
Truth be told, I still prefer the virgin kind, but other adults in my life tend toward the rummy version. You can choose your own adventure - just don't forget the twirly straw.

Beet Infused Vodka Martini

The inspiration for this post came from two things:
1. I recently had a delicious drink at the Craftsman that included beet infused vodka, lime, and cointreau.
2. I am doing some research about alcohols that are GF (especially because Gin, my fave liquor, is definitely not!)

I discovered that many vodkas (ones made only with potato), all good quality tequilas, and most rums are GF. The folks at Zipps seem very knowledgeable about their GF products - which is helpful because many of the bottles are not labeled. Cointreau, incidentally, is GF.

I came across an excerpt of "Hip Sips" - a cocktail book that includes a beet infused vodka drink. I followed her technique for the infusing. This photo is right after I added the beets - 3 days later the vodka was opaque.

My take on the Craftsman's drink:
Ice cubes for chilling and shaking
3 oz. beet vodka (I used Rain Organics)
1 oz. fresh lime juice
1 oz. cointreau
splash of simple syrup*

Fill martini glass with ice and set aside to chill. Shake ingredients in a cocktail shaker for 10 seconds. Empty ice from glass. Strain drink into glass and drink immediately!

*Recipe thoughts: I am wondering if I add more cointreau if I could eliminate the simple syrup all together?

I also came across this really delicious looking recipe for beet infused tequila with rosemary infused simple syrup...which I tried (this is an addendum now). Kinda strange. I maybe like my tequila straight up.

Milk Punch

So, I've been a little obsessed with smitten kitchen lately, I have to admit. When i saw this recipe last night, I couldn't resist. It's like an eggnog slushie but without the raw eggs. The recipe says to serve it once it's slushy, but I say that it's a little better when it's more frozen. Like a boozy boozy ice cream. But that's just me.

Here's the recipe, or you can click on the title above to link to the much prettier Smitten Kitchen version.

5 cups of a mixture of whole milk/half+half (I used a mixture of heavy cream and skim milk because that's what we had)

1 1/2 cups bourbon, brandy, or whiskey (I used Maker's Mark)

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

whisk all ingredients in a pitcher and freeze until slushy (3-4 hours) or up to one day.