I went all the way to san antonio and all I got was this lousy picture of the alamo

For reals. I being the highly advanced creature that I am I FORGOT TO BRING MY CAMERA. And I don't have a fancy iPhone like you people, so this is LITERALLY the only picture from the entire weekend. I went to visit a friend, he took this lone picture, so there are no pictures of the two of us from the entire trip. I feel like a failure. So, I suppose all you can do is bask in the simplicity. I was unencumbered with technology. Womp womp. It was such a waste. 


But I'll try to give a quick overview of the trip anyways. It was great! There was BBQ, and a drive-through alcohol stand where they sell the drink in bags (apparently that's less illegal?),  and bowling, and a pizzeria movie theatre where you eat while watching the movie, the River Walk (which wasn't really worth all the hype), and the Alamo (which is where the only picture was taken).


Two things I will recommend, though, because they were probably the coolest things we did: 


Numero Uno: Rudy's BBQ--dubbed "The Worst Bar-B-Q in Texas" and is ironically plastered all over the restaurant-- is the BEST barbecue. So yummy! We ate there twice in the span of four days. I couldn't get enough.

Plus it's cheap. And if you know me at all, those are the magic words. You buy your meat by the pound which hopefully gives you an indication of how much Texans love this place.


Numero Dos: Howl at the Moon is an awesome piano bar near the River Walk in San Antonio. 

I guess they have locations all around the U.S. and if you're lucky enough that there's one in your area, GO. I've been to other dueling piano bars before, but this one easily took the cake. It opened at 5 pm on Saturday; we happened to be in the area, so we just waited til they opened, and slowly but surely a HUGE line formed behind us. At FIVE. I'm not sure if I've ever waited in line at five in the afternoon to go to a bar, but clearly I'm the only one. These people believed this bar was worth it. They were right. When we got in, they gave us 4 tickets for 1$ drinks (again, "cheap" is my favorite word ever) and we got wristbands for half off drinks til 8. So this whole alcoholism during the day thing really paid off. Might do that more often. 


All in all, it was a great trip! I'm happy I went. It was nice to catch up with an old friend. Next time I must remember to bring a camera. Rookie mistake.

Drink of the Moment: Whiskey Sours

Every fortnight or thereabouts I get nostalgic for the Old South. Picket fences. Home-made lemonade. Hot nights and cool mornings. Mind you--I've never actually lived in the South. The vase majority of my (excessive) knowledge on the subject comes from True Blood and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. So let's just say, I KNOW A LOT.

In this regard*, I'd like to enjoy some Whiskey Sours with ya'll on this fine summa evenin'.

*insert Southern twang here

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup whiskey (recommended: Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey)
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 lemons)
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (4 limes)
• 2/3 cup sugar syrup (it's a 1:1 ratio of sugar to water, boil until dissolved, fellas)
• Ice cubes
• Maraschino cherries

Directions:

Squeeze juices. Mix the whiskey, lemon juice, lime juice, and sugar syrup. Put about half the mixture into a shaker with ice. Shake it til the ice is a lil crumbly (10-20 seconds or so). Pour into a cute glass. Add a cherry as a garnish.

I DO DECLARE THAT IS THE FINEST COCKTAIL THIS SIDE OF THE MISSISSIPPI.

GRAPEFRUIT MARGARITAS

Marg time, once again. Not to be a one trick pony or anything, since I've already put up a fool-proof recipe for traditional margaritas (here), but I consider this to be another kind of beast altogether. These are (gasp!) GRAPEFRUIT STYLE. And I invented them myself. The grapefruits, that is. You. Are. Welcome.

P.S. This is for a big ol' pitcher of 'em.

Lauren's Grapefuit Margarita

Ingredients:
2/3 cup tequila
1/4 cup triple sec
splash of orange juice
1/4 cup of lime juice
1 1/2 cups of grapefruit juice (fresh-squeezed juices are preferred for all juicy-type matter.)
splash of sugar water (1:1 ratio of sugar to water, boil it. boom, it's a party.)
2 cups of ice

Directions:
Put it all in a blender. Blend it. Serve over ice. Drink it all.

Easy Margaritas

It's 5:00 somewhere, right? So, how about we have a yummy margarita this fine Monday. Not to promote alcoholism, but sometimes it just feels good to have a mid-day drink, and if today is that day for you, here's a recipe that's gonna keep you happy for a long, long time. It's pretty easy, but the trick is having fresh-squeezed juice. My brother buys the sweet and sour mixes, and believe me, they do not COMPARE to having the real thing. Yeah, Ty, I'm calling you out. On the internet.

So, I hope you enjoy! Get into some shenanigans. That way you can just blame the drink. (I never do that in real life.)

Here's the recipe for a yummy margarita:

Ingredients:

1 lime, halved

Kosher salt

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (~5 limes)

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (~1 lemon)

2 tablespoons simple syrup (2 tablespoons hot water combined with 2 tablespoons sugar, or just make a half cup batch of simple syrup and save the rest for later.)

1 cup Triple Sec

3 cups ice

1 cup white tequila (I know this seems like a hellova lot of liquor, but there's lots of ice in it, and you serve them over ice, so that dilutes it a bit.)

Directions:

If you like salt around the rim, use the halved lime and run it around the top of your glass and dip it into the Kosher salt. I tend to just use salt around half the rim because too much salt overwhelms me and I don't feel like carrying more water-weight than necessary. It's science, people. But live yo life! If you like salt, then salt the hell out of it!

Combine lime juice, lemon juice, simple syrup, Triple Sec and ice in a blender. And blend it. Add the tequila and blend for two second more. Serve over ice.

If you prefer frozen margaritas, halve each of the ingredients and double the ice. Blend in two batches to avoid spillage.

Oh and beware, this recipe makes about six margaritas. Go big or go home.

Thanks to ifood.tv for the image!

Sangria Makes Me Happy

I'm planning on having some girl time this weekend and there's no better accompaniment than SANGRIA! Not to brag or anything, but my sangria recipe simultaneously tastes delicious and gets you good and drunk. This recipe is not for the weak of heart. So if you're feeling like a go-getter, drink up, you have a lot of adventures to have.


Ingredients:
2 bottles of red wine (I prefer Pinot Noir, though lately I've been drinking a lot of Panilonco Carmenere from Trader Joe's. It's like 4 bucks and is a lovely table wine.)
1/4 cup of strawberries
1/4 cup of raspberries
1/4 cup of blackberries
1/4 cup of orange (cubed)
1/4 of orange juice
1/8 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of brandy
1/4 cup of triple sec


The fruit combination is really fluid. Just use whatever you have around. In the winter, I use pears. You can use peaches in the summer. I just didn't have any around the house today. The quantity and combination of fruit really doesn't matter. Just use the types of fruit that you like. 


Directions: Mix ingredients in a pitcher. Let sit for at least 6 hours--preferably overnight to let the fruit flavors get all mixed in, but not necessary. And that's it.


Happy drinking! 

Basil Watermelon Cooler

With the excess of basil growing in my backyard and the delicious watermelon in my fridge, this seemed like a lovely marriage of flavors. This drink makes me wish I was sitting on a porch in the old South on a rocking chair enjoying the hot night air. Maybe the sound of the neighbor's harmonica is wafting through the air. At sunset. While I'm wearing a loose cotton dress to keep the heat away. Just to paint a little picture. No big deal.

Basil Watermelon Cooler

Ingredients:
2 parts Grey Goose vodka
3 large basil leaves (and a little extra if you want to be fancy and garnish the thing)
1 slice peeled ginger
1-2 chunks of watermelon
1/2 part simple syrup (just boil one part water to one part sugar, let it cool, and you win)
1/2 part fresh lime juice
splish splash of ginger ale

To Assemble:
In a cocktail shaker, muddle the basil leaves with the ginger, 1 watermelon chunk, and the simple syrup. Add ice, vodka, and lime juice. Shake well and strain into a glass filled with ice. Top with a bit o' ginger ale. Garnish as you see fit (just stick the whole watermelon right in there).

I do declare that is the finest drink I done had in a fortnight.

For My Pa

Happy Pa's Day! I'm a lucky girl. I got a really great pa. He taught me to fish, swim, and ride a bike. He is responsible for my love of boy movies (I'm looking at you Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Lord of the Rings). Without him I'd be eating salads all the time with my ma instead of chili dogs and meatball subs. Here's to all the pa's out there--biological or otherwise. Life would be much harder without you.

And in honor of my pa, I'd like to share his favorite drink recipe. Now, before I was of drinking age my parents hardly had wine, so I must say I've probably influenced his drinking decisions a bit. I'm just gonna say I enhanced his awareness of all the good drinks out there.

Pop's Tequila Sunset

1 part orange juice
1 part pineapple juice
1 part cranberry juice
1/2 part tequila

Pour over ice. Stir. Enjoy! Courtesy of TBDE (The Best Dad Ever).

Blushing Duchess

Happy Sunday! Here's a little cup of joy for your day. The name alone makes me want to drink it, but it does look awfully refreshing. Plus, grapefruit is in season, so you can use all the fresh ones you get from the neighbor's yard.

.

Ingredients:
2 parts Grey Goose Vodka
3 wedges peeled and seeded grapefruit
Turbinado sugar for rimming the glass (can substitute a coarse-type sugar, no problem)
1/2 tsp sugar
1 part Triple Sec

To Assemble:
Rub the grapefruit around the outside of the glass and then roll around in the Turbinado sugar. Place the grapefruit and the sugar at the bottom of the shaker, and just muddle the heck out of it. Add the Vodka, Triple Sec, and ice. Shake like your life depended on it. Pour the drink--with the ice and grapefruit--into a lovely little glass with sugar around the rim.

Kisses.