The Lush Chef

In my effort to get over a cold earlier this week, I was experimenting with various hot cocktails - a lush's true medicine.  I was craving hot chocolate after dinner and I simply love it spiced Mexican style with some cinnamon, cayenne and vanilla...and tequila.  I usually make this version of Mexican Hot Chocolate, but I was feeling lazy and had some of Trader Joe's Spiced Hot Cocoa Mix on hand.  In addition to tequila, I added in some Fernet (it lends that holiday minty taste) and a few dashes of The Bitter Truth's Jerry Thomas' Own Decanter Bitters.  Feel free to use any cocoa mix, or the recipe from my regular Mexican Hot Chocolate, and any kind of aromatic bitters (i.e. Angostura) is fine.  Scoop in a little bit of vanilla bean ice cream, and you've got yourself a restorative boozy treat!

Mexican Fernet Hot Chocolate
Ingredients:

• 6 oz milk
• 2 spoonfuls of Trader Joe's Spicy Hot Cocoa Mix
• 1 oz tequila (I used Patrón Silver)
• 1 oz Fernet-Branca
• 3-4 dashes of The Bitter Truth's Jerry Thomas' Own Decanter Bitters or any aromatic kind is fine
• 1 scoop of vanilla bean ice cream

- Heat up the milk and stir in that cocoa mix.
- Add the tequila, Fernet and bitters and stir.
- Plop in a little scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

It's now starting to feel like autumn in Los Angeles.  Even though our leaves really don't change out here, us Angelenos get in the spirit by artfully scattering fake leaves and acorns on our tables, and setting out pumpkins on the front porch.  You know it's really fall when this McSweeney's article gets passed around about decorative gourds — makes me laugh every year.  So to get you all in the spirit, here's a rundown of some of my favorite, seasonal cocktails.  So toss some gourds around your neck and get that shaker out!
Figs are in abundance at the market right now, and this fresh fig cocktail with bourbon, maple syrup, balsamic vinegar (yes, try it!) and orange juice, really "falls up" your Old Fashioned.  If you don't have access to fresh figs, then buy some fig jam, add a little cinnamon, rye whiskey and lime juice, and you have yourself this lovely Whiskey Fig Jam libation.
Of course, everyone is obsessed with anything pumpkin flavored right now, so I've got you covered. Warm up those crisp, autumn evenings with a Hot Pumpkin Buttered Rum that has both regular butter and pumpkin butter, along with some pumpkin pie spice and brown sugar.  It's the perfect dessert when topped with whipped cream!  Before you use that whole can of pumpkin purée for a pie, save an ounce for The Midnight Pumpkin Cocktail, which includes tequila, Cointreau and lime juice on a cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar-rimmed glass.
If you're really into shrubs (drinking vinegars) like I am, then The Spicy Cider Mill Cocktail with bourbon, apple shrub and ginger beer, is incredibly refreshing and perfect after a day of picking apples or raking leaves.  Make a batch of ginger syrup, because you'll want to add it to just about any fall and winter cocktail this season, including this Bourbon, Ginger & Pear Cocktail.  For Thanksgiving, you can't go wrong with a really, boozy punch.  You'll be busy slaving over the stove, so make a couple batches of this Pear & Bourbon Punch with pear juice, lemon juice, bourbon, honey and a French sparkling hard cider.

And if you're looking for even more ideas, here's last year's Fall Cocktail Round-Up.

Libations used: 1/4 cup tequila...
Libations left over: How about making a Blood Orange & Thyme Paloma to go with this ceviche...
The heat wave has continued in LA, and it just really discourages me from cooking anything, but I've been the fortunate beneficiary of a lot of fresh fish from a friend.  He's been catching boatloads this past summer off the coast of Alaska, Mexico and California and sharing his catches with his friends.  A few weeks ago, I used some of his fresh fish for this Miso-Glazed Halibut, so this week, it was time to make use of all the Yellowtail I had on hand. This ceviche from AllRecipes, was a perfect end-of-summer recipe with plenty of mango and tequila, and since I'm a sucker for avocado, I added some of that in there too!  You can't go wrong with a quick ceviche for parties, and you certainly won't be slaving away at the stove.  Serve this with tortilla chips, or devour it on it's own.  Either way, you'll be satisfied and hogging the whole bowl.

Yellowtail, Mango & Avocado Ceviche - serves 6
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs of skinless, boneless yellowtail (or halibut), cut into 1/2-inch cubes.
• 1/3 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup tequila (I used Patrón Silver)
• 3 jalapeños, seeded and minced (use 1 or 2 if you can't handle the heat, but the citrus really mellows it out)
• 2 mangos, peeled, seeded and diced into 1/2-inch cubes, reserving half for the inital ceviche preparation
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
• 2 avocados, chopped in 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tsp salt, to taste

- In a non-reactive bowl (i.e. glass, plastic, ceramic), combine the yellowtail, lime and lemon juices, tequila, jalapeño, and 1/2 of the chopped mango.
- Cover and refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours.
- Add the green pepper, sweet and red onions and mix well.
- Cover and refrigerate for another 30 minutes.
- Gently fold in the rest of the mango, avocado, cilantro and parsley.
- Season with salt, to taste, before serving.

You all know how I love my Negronis, and I'm always looking for fun variations.  Thanks to Liquor.com, they introduced me to the Tegroni, which swaps out the gin and adds in the tequila.  It's a fun, summer twist on a traditional drink.  For the sweet vermouth, I've been a big fan of Punt e Mes lately.  It's one of the more bitter vermouths out there, which is perhaps why I like it so much!  The taste is described by many as halfway between a sweeter Antica Formula and the bitter Campari.  Serve this cocktail up with a grapefruit twist and a giant bowl of guacamole...at least that's what I'll be doing for the rest of the summer and in to early fall.

Tegroni
Ingredients:

• 1 oz silver tequila (I used Patrón)
• 1 oz Campari
• 1 oz Punt e Mes or your favorite sweet vermouth
• Grapefruit peel or twist, for garnish

- In a mixing glass filled with the ice, add the tequila, Campari and sweet vermouth and stir.
- Strain into a chilled coupe glass and garnish with a grapefruit peel.

I had picked up a bunch of blood oranges last week to make this Boat House Punch, and had some left over.  So when I saw this recipe from Aida Mollenkamp for a Blood Orange & Thyme Paloma, I just couldn't resist.  Palomas are like a twist on margaritas, except there's grapefruit soda in place of the Cointreau.  I took a slight departure from Aida's recipe, by combining fresh blood orange juice and club soda instead of using San Pellegrino's Blood Orange Soda.  Either way is fine — I'm just a sucker for fresh juices.  

Blood Orange & Thyme Paloma
Ingredients:

• 12 sprigs of thyme with leaves removed and roughly chopped
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 oz tequila (I used Patrón Silver)
• 1/2 oz lime juice
• 3 oz blood orange juice
• 3 oz club soda
• Lime wedge and sprig of thyme, for garnish

- In a small dish, combine the thyme and salt, using your fingers to crush and combine the mixture.
- Run a lime wedge along the rim of the glass.
- Dip the edge of the glass into the thyme and salt mixture.
- Add ice, a pinch of the thyme salt, tequila, the lime and blood orange juices and club soda.
- Stir and garnish with the lime wedge and thyme sprig.

Gee, 4th of July must have sucked in 1919, with Prohibition going into effect on July 1.  That's a great way to put a damper on one's Yankee spirit.  Luckily, all of you lushes no longer have to worry about that, and I'm sure all of you will be out and about during this long weekend, celebrating our country's independence (from the British and the Volstead Act) with plenty of delicious eats and libations.  Whether it's a BBQ, cocktail party or beach blanket bingo, I've got you covered.
There's nothing like pairing bourbon with grilled meats, and I now have two standbys for marinades.  Joy the Baker's Bourbon Orange Coriander BBQ Sauce may have a ton of ingredients, but it's simple to make and well worth the time.  Last summer, we lathered this sauce on grilled chicken, burgers, brats — basically any meat we had on the grill got a generous dollop of this sauce.  People were eating it out of the container...My other favorite marinade is this Sugar Steak with Bourbon.  With just three ingredients (brown sugar, red pepper flakes and bourbon), you can whip this up in no time and it's sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
Speaking of brown sugar and bourbon...these Bourbon Glazed Peaches on the Grill elicited marriage proposals...from men and women.  My friends couldn't even wait for these to cool down before stuffing these in their faces, and they taste like peach cobbler.  If you want to actually make a peach cobbler, then this recipe for Tyler Florence's Bourbon Peach Cobbler has become my go-to.  Sticking with stone fruits and moving away from bourbon, these Nectarine Crostata use a little bit of vodka in the dough.  It's a great recipe to have in one's arsenal for the year, and the fruit can be changed with the seasons.  This would be killer with berries or any other kind of stone fruit, and the small size of the pastries makes them perfect for transporting to picnics.
Watermelon, that ubiquitous, big crowd-feeding fruit pairs so well with alcohol.  A Mojito Watermelon Salad with rum, mint, lime juice and pinches of cayenne and salt takes on the drink in salad form and is perfect for big family reunions where you need to take the edge off.  Pretty much those same ingredients can be transferred into popsicle form to make some Watermelon & Vodka Popsicles.  You might as well keep the party going by making this Bourbon & Watermelon Cocktail in large batches, preferably in a lined trash can.  People love trash can punches!  
Yes, margaritas are pretty much drunk all year-round in Southern California, but they still smack of summer to me.  These Margarita Cupcakes have tequila in the batter and the frosting.  The lime and touch of salt in the frosting really makes these taste like the real deal.  One of my other favorite desserts to make during the summer, and one that should only be served amongst adults, is this Tres Leches Cake.  I have very fond memories from the first time I served this cake at a dinner party in Topanga Canyon.  Everyone was already a little tipsy from all the wine, and this basically put everyone into happy, drunk mode.  Yes, you can get drunk off of cake...

If you're throwing a big party, you have to have some kind of sangria.  Take advantage of stone fruit season with this White Sangria with Peaches.  I like to add a little bit of basil to mine to give it a slightly herbal flavor.  It also reminds me of one of my favorite summer appetizers with peaches, basil and burrata.  I also toss basil in Spicy Strawberry Margaritas.  It balances really nicely with the strawberries and jalapeño-infused tequila.  And because I apparently crave Mexican-cocktails during the summer, the Paloma is a slight variation on a margarita with grapefruit juice and soda or grapefruit soda, and a Michelada is like if a Bloody Mary and Mexican beer had a baby.
Whether you're looking to batch these cocktails or make them individually, these next few truly take advantage of summer flavors and fruits.  I love libations that have the word "smash" in them.  They're fun to make and if you're not careful, you can get smashed.  This Plum Tarragon Smash contains whiskey, plums, tarragon, lime juice and club soda, and if you're not careful, can go down real fast.  And a Blueberry Smash takes on a patriotic color after you've smashed in blueberries, mint, lemon and lime juice with vodka and St. Germain.  Why make a regular mojito when you can muddle strawberries in them?  Finally, for a twist on a Vodka Lemonade, try using lemon verbena-infused simple syrup.

I just finished doing a BluePrint Juice cleanse the other day, but in preparation for it, I picked up a couple of their juices at Whole Foods and had one last drink before I succumbed to a no-alcohol policy for a few days.  Yes, the Lush Chef occasionally doesn't drink!  Louis Anderman from Miracle Mile Bitters and I have always joked about how these juices would taste even better in cocktail form, with bitters, of course.  Well, I finally took a crack at making one with their Lime Ginger Lemon Agave flavor.  I decided to make a margarita, although Louis said next time something with Flor De Caña 7 Year Old Grand Reserve Rum and some of his Yuzu bitters would be pretty amazing.  I couldn't agree more.  Because the juice I was using has such a light flavor, I found I needed to double up on the amount of juice and also put in an extra squeeze of lime.  After tasting it, I thought it needed something more...so I added in a few dashes of Napa Valley Bitters' Tamarind Lime Chili flavor.
BluePrint Cleanse Margarita 
Ingredients:

• 2 oz tequila (I used Patrón Silver)
• 1 oz Cointreau
• 2 oz BluePrint Lime Ginger Lemon Agave Juice
• Juice from half a lime
• 3 dashes of citrus bitters (I used Napa Valley's Tamarind Lime Chili)
• Salt to garnish
• Lime wheel to garnish

- Run a lime wedge round the rim of a glass and dip into a plate of coarse salt.
- In a mixing glass filled with ice, add the tequila, Cointreau, BluePrint juice, lime juice and bitters and shake.
- Strain into your ice-filled glass.
- Garnish with a lime wheel

Still planning your Easter menu for this Sunday?  Need an alternative to lamb?  Whether it's a brunch or dinner, here are some ideas to help you celebrate the holiday and arrival of spring.

Wake up to Easter egg hunts to the smell of these Limoncello Breakfast Rolls.  Prep them the night before so you can quickly pop them in the oven before all the holiday action begins.

What better way to start off brunch with a cocktail or two?  Make use of all those blood oranges at the market with this Blood Orange, Ginger Beer & Tequila libation.  If you haven't hard-boiled all of your Easter eggs, then turn them into fizzes with a classic Gin Fizz or an Apricot Bourbon Fizz.  For an all day drink, the Kew Garden Cocktail with white rum, St. Germain, lime, cucumber and mint can easily be made by the pitcherful.  Give your Old-Fashioned a festive and spring twist by using a little St. Germain and lemon bitters in this Elder Fashioned.
Nothing says Easter like eggs, right?  This Leek & Pancetta Risotto with a Fried Egg on top is a great meal to serve at brunch, and you can cook up a large batch for guests.  Another simple pasta dish that can be served for brunch or dinner is this Chicken & Swiss Chard Pasta Bake, and you can offset all those Easter Basket sweets by using whole wheat penne.  Marcus Samuelsson's recipe for Red Grits & Shrimp is incredibly flavorful and a nice way to end the Mardi Gras season.  One of my dad's favorite pork preparations is this Pork Loin with White Wine, Fennel Seed and Mustard Sauce.  Whether it's Easter or another holiday, this usually makes an appearance on our table at least a few times a year.

Last year when the Lush Chef's parents came to visit during Easter, I served this Sticky Orange Cake with Vodka & Marmalade Glaze for dessert.  It's vegan, but that didn't stop all of us from devouring this moist cake.  It's simple and quick to make, and can be served for brunch or with pistachio or vanilla ice cream after dinner.  A couple of years ago, I also served this cooling Orange Moscato Pudding to my parents for Easter.  It's another light dessert to end a heavy holiday dinner.  Even though pears and Riesling are more appropriate for the winter, this Pear Riesling Sorbet is still a perfect spring dessert.  If you have any of that Limoncello still lying around from the breakfast rolls, then use the rest for a Limoncello Rosemary Cake.  The candied lemons and rosemary sprigs make such a festive and tasty decoration.

For New Year's Eve, I'll be in tucked away in a log cabin in Big Bear with a few of my close girl friends.  There will be plenty of champagne and good wine, and of course, a specialty cocktail to ring in the new year.  All of us love our margaritas, so I'll be making this winter version from The Kitchn that uses pear and holiday spices.  If you plan on making this libation, be sure to start preparing the simple syrup a couple of days in advance so the spices have time to steep.  For the pear brandy or eau-de-vie, I used J Pear Liqueur by J Wine Company, which the fine folks at K&L Wine Merchants highly recommended.  Here's to a new year and plenty more Lush Chef treats!

Spiced Pear Margarita
Ingredients for the spiced simple syrup:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 3 whole cinnamon sticks
• 3 whole star anise
• 8 whole cloves

Ingredients for the spiced sugar:

• 1/2 cup fine granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves

Ingredients for the cocktail:

• 1 1/2 oz silver tequila (I used Patrón)
• 3/4 oz pear brandy (I used J Pear Liqueur)
• 1 oz fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 3/4 oz spiced syrup

To make the spiced simple syrup:
- In a small sauce pan, add all the ingredients, stir and bring to a boil.
- Lower heat to medium-low so it simmers for about 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let cool before transferring to a container in the fridge.
- Let the ingredients steep for 24-48 hours and strain the spices.

To prepare the garnish:
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
- Take a chilled coupe and lightly dip the rim in the simple syrup.
- Dip the glass in the spiced sugar and set aside.

To make the cocktail:
- In a shaker filled with ice, add all the ingredients.
- Shake and strain into your prepared glass.

Today the Lush Chef is doing some much-needed relaxing with her family, and I hope all of you are as well.  But if you're in dire need of some Christmas cocktail recipes, here are a few of my favorites to sip on.  They're all hot cocktails, so hopefully you're in a cold climate, and even if you're not, they're sure to keep that holiday cheer going.

- Eggnog spiked with your favorite cognac, rum, whiskey, bourbon or brandy
- Wassail Punch with bourbon or whiskey
- Mexican Hot Chocolate with tequila
- Hot Apple Toddy with Applejack
- Whiskey Chai with rye whiskey
- Hot Pumpkin Buttered Rum with dark rum

Halloween isn't until next week, but everyone I know is going to start celebrating this weekend.  I've been doing a ton of apple cocktails so far this fall because of the large bounty of apples I picked.  For this holiday though, I really wanted something with pumpkin in it.  It just seemed more fitting...

The Rundown recently posted a couple of Halloween cocktail ideas by Stacy Nikkila at The Swizzle.  I opted for the Midnight Pumpkin, which is essentially a pumpkin-flavored margarita and has a beautiful festive orange color.  Note to self - this could totally work for Thanksgiving as well! Unfortunately, I didn't have any reposado tequila on hand, so I just used some Patrón Silver.  I think next time I make this, I'll opt for the reposado because it has that spicier finish and complements the light flavors from the pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar.

Midnight Pumpkin
Ingredients:

• 2 oz tequila (preferably reposado)
• 1 oz Cointreau
• 1 oz fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 1 oz pumpkin purée
• Cinnamon, nutmeg & sugar, for garnish

- Rim a glass with cinnamon and sugar and fill with ice.
- In a shaker filled with ice, add the tequila, Cointreau, lime juice and pumpkin puree.
- Shake and strain into the glass.
- Sprinkle some nutmeg on top.

Libations used: 1/4 cup tequila
Libations left over: Make yourself my Children of the Sun Cocktail - it's a spicy, smoky margarita...
Even though I get some lovely ocean breezes in Santa Monica,  it's still pretty sweltering right now.  I've had zero desire to turn on the stove or the oven, and I just want to eat a lot of popsicles and drink cocktails.  But it's important to actually eat something, lushes.  After this Sunday's market, I brought home an armful of big, yellow pineapple heirloom tomatoes to make gazpacho.  It's the perfect dish to prepare during those hot days of summer when there's an abundance of tomatoes at the market or in your neighbor's garden.  Tasting Table had recently come out with a recipe that gave suggestions for variations on fruit and veggies to use, as well as vinegars, citrus juice and booze to add.  They included champagne on that list, but I thought tequila would be a better substitute, because don't you just crave a margarita with your gazpacho?  I left out the bread in my recipe, but feel free to add a hunk to thicken the soup up.  I just used a couple large pieces of fresh, rustic sourdough to dip in the soup and topped it with some goat cheese.
Spiked Gazpacho - serves 8
Ingredients:

• 3 lbs of ripe red or yellow tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped
• 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 jalapeño, stemmed and seeded (feel free to add more if you like it spicier)
• 1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped (I used 2)
• 1/4 cup tequila (I used Patrón)
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 2x2 inch piece rustic bread (optional) or 1/2 cup Marcona almonds (optional) for thickening
• Garnish options - goat cheese crumbles, ricotta, olive tapenade, salsa verde, pan-fried prosciutto, cooked shellfish.  In other words, get creative!

- Combine all the ingredients, except for the bread, almonds and garnish in a big bowl.
- Let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour or covered in the fridge overnight.
- Add the mixture into a blender in batches and blend until smooth.  If you like it chunkier, reserve 1 cup of the mixture and add it to the smooth soup, pulsing briefly.  This is where you can also add in the bread or almonds to thicken.
- Put in an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Add garnishes and serve with more bread and that margarita...

I was still in a Mexican mood the other night after visiting Guelaguetza with some friends.  My co-worker had brought in more of his tasty grapefruit from his tree in Palm Springs, so naturally I thought to make a Paloma.  Don't even think about cheating with grapefruit soda or freakin' Squirt.  We don't do that here.  Haul yourself to the store and at least by a grapefruit and juice it, ok?  If you're looking for a simple tequila-based cocktail and getting tired of Margaritas, then this could be your best amigo this spring and summer.  If you're having a party, whip up a pitcher of these and I guarantee you'll find yourself whipping up a second one in no time.

Paloma Cocktail
Ingredients:

• 3/4 oz grapefruit juice
• 1 oz lime juice
• 2 oz tequila
• Soda water
• Ice
• Salt
• Grapefruit peel or wedge for garnish

- Wet the rim of the glass with grapefruit juice and dip into a plate or bowl of salt.
- Fill glass with ice and add the grapefruit and lime juices and tequila.
- Stir, then top with 1-2 oz soda water.
- Garnish with a grapefruit peel or wedge.

There is so much for the Lush Chef to celebrate this coming weekend.  There are two, count 'em two, festive events happening that involve imbibing on Saturday—the Kentucky Derby and Cinco de Mayo.

Last year, I co-hosted a now legendary Derby party with some girl friends of mine at the Downtown Independent.  Everyone dressed up in their finest—the boys were wearing their fedoras and suspenders and the ladies had on vintage dresses and decorated hats.


LA mixologist Joel Black made us mint juleps, Elijah Wood DJ'd and I baked 100 mini mint julep cupcakes.  The drinks were flowing and people were dancing.  If you want to throw your own Kentucky Derby soirée, here are some recipes you'll need to get started.

Mint Julep Cocktail - stock up on plenty of crushed ice, fresh mint and bourbon.  These things can go down fast.

Mint Julep Cupcakes - Yes, there's bourbon in the cake and the frosting.  These are some boozy little confections and still one of my favorites that I've made.  You'll need more of that fresh mint to garnish the tops.

This Saturday, I'll be hitting up Get Me Out of LA's Cinco de Mayo fiesta in Venice.  She's hired someone to come and make tacos and there will be plenty of Mexican beer flowing, so the Lush Chef doesn't plan on lifting a finger (except to open my beer).  But if you do plan on hosting and need some cocktail ideas, here are two very different margaritas to get people salsa-ing, and a treat to wash it all down.

Spicy Strawberry Basil Margaritas - I came up with this cocktail idea last summer after I had made a bunch of jalapeño-infused tequila and had a bunch of fresh strawberries from the market.  The basil adds a nice herbal flavor and color.

Children of the Sun Cocktail - This is a twist on a cocktail originally made with Mezcal at Las Perlas in downtown LA.  I used smoked salt along the rim, so when combined with tequila, the flavor is reminiscent of Mezcal.  The jalapeño-infused tequila gives it another kick in the pants.  We downed pitchers of these at Coachella last year while lounging by the pool.

Margarita Cupcakes - This is another favorite cupcake of mine.  They're not quite as boozy as the Mint Julep Cupcakes, but there's still tequila in the batter and frosting.

Winter is almost over and that means that blood oranges will soon be out of season.  While that makes me incredibly sad, I have to remind myself that each season brings something yummy and new.  I wasn't having any kind of party at the Lush Chef Chateau this week, but it was Monday night and sometimes a girl just has to make herself a fancy cocktail.  This Blood Orange, Ginger Beer & Tequila Cocktail from Food Porn Daily was just calling to me, with the wintery combination of blood orange and ginger (I actually used a non-alcoholic ginger beer, but feel free to amp it up).  And let's face it, throwing in tequila almost always makes it a fun time.

Blood Orange, Ginger Beer & Tequila Cocktail 
Garnish Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup blood orange juice
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Zest from 1 blood orange
• Blood orange slices

Drink Ingredients:

• 2 oz blood orange juice
• 3 oz ginger beer 
• 1 1/2 oz tequila
• Juice from 1 lime wedge
• Ice

To prepare the glass:
- Put the 1/4 cup blood orange juice in a bowl.
- In a separate bowl, combine the zest and sugar.
- Dip the rim of a highball glass into the orange juice and then into the zest & sugar mixture (coat it nice and even!).

To make the drink:
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, blood orange juice, tequila and lime juice and shake.
- Pour into your pretty, garnished glass and top with ginger beer.
- Stir lightly and garnish with a blood orange slice.

The Lush Chef was home in Michigan for the holidays, and the colder weather definitely makes one crave a warm cocktail.  While heading out to church on Christmas Eve, I did a quick poll in the car and this is what the family requested.  This recipe for Mexican Hot Chocolate from Liquor.com has a slight heat from the cayenne and incorporates some holiday spices like cinnamon and allspice.  I may never want hot chocolate any other way now...

Mexican Hot Chocolate - serves 3
Ingredients:

• 6 Tbs cocoa powder
• 3 Tbs sugar
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 2 pinches allspice
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 3 oz water
• 16 oz whole milk
• 6 oz tequila

- In a small saucepan, stir together the cocoa powder, sugar, cayenne pepper, cinnamon and water until it forms a thick paste.
- Over medium heat, stir in the milk and whisk constantly until the mixture is hot, but not boiling.
- Remove from heat and stir in tequila.

A beach afternoon on Labor Day always calls for a little cocktail time.  The strawberries are still in season and my basil plant was begging to be picked.  Malbec and Hefeweizen love their spicy cocktails and I had some leftover jalapeño-infused tequila.  These various ingredients may seem like an odd combination, but trust me—it works.  The slivers of basil add another level of flavor, and when combined with strawberries, reminds you of the dog days of summer.  So whip up a pitcher and sneak it onto the beach...

Spicy Strawberry Basil Margaritas - serves 6-8
Ingredients:

• 12 oz jalapeño-infused tequila
• 6 oz Cointreau
• Juice of 4 limes
• About 16 strawberries
• 6 basil leaves, chiffonade
• Ice

- Infuse the tequila - check out my Children of the Sun cocktail recipe if you haven't done this before.
- Purée 10 of the strawberries.
- Combine the tequila, Cointreau, puréed strawberries, lime juice and basil.
- Add ice and stir.
- Quarter the rest of the strawberries and garnish each drink with a few pieces.

Libations used: 2 Tbs tequila
Libations left over: Shots! But just one...
Margaritas mean summer to me—well, actually they're lovely anytime of year—but they're best during the summer!  So why not combine that lush deliciousness with a cupcake?  I love this particular recipe from the food blog Tracey's Culinary Adventures because of the oh-so-lightness of the cake (thank god for buttermilk) and the subtle amount of tequila in the buttercream.  Usually, I really like to booze up my cakes and confections, but sometimes I have light lush days.  Plus, I took these to share with my girl friends for Shakespeare in the Park...and there were children around...and I wouldn't want them to get their little hands on something that would knock them out...

Margarita Cupcakes - serves 12-14
Cake ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 limes, zested and juiced
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 Tbs tequila 

Frosting ingredients:

• 1 cup softened unsalted butter
• 2 3/4 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 1/2 Tbs freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 Tbs tequila
• Pinch of salt

To make the cake:
- Preheat oven to 325 and line those muffin tins.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with a hand or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at time, beating well after each addition.
- Mix in the lime zest, juice and vanilla.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately (in 3 additions) with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.  Beat until just incorporated.
- Fill the muffin tins about 3/4 full and bake for 20-22 minutes.
- When they're done baking, lightly brush the tops with tequila.
- Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting:
- Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the butter until smooth.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add 2 3/4 cups confectioners sugar until fully incorporated and frosting is smooth.
- Add the lime juice, 1 Tbs tequila and salt, and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- If you want your frosting boozier, add more tequila.  If you need to thicken it up, add more confectioners sugar.
- After frosting the cupcakes, garnish with lime zest or wedges.

Normally, the Lush Chef does cocktail postings on a Friday, but for all you Children of the Sun heading out to the desert like I am, I figured it'd be helpful to pick up some ingredients for Coachella cocktailing beforehand.  Just because you're dressed like a desert hippie, doesn't mean you need to forgo having a classy drink.  I was inspired by Las Perlas, my favorite tequila and mezcal bar downtown, when I made this drink last summer.  The Lush Chef and "Malbec" have come to crave spicy cocktails, and neither of us like our margaritas sweet and syrupy, so this one really wanted to make us salsa and have seconds.  The tequila is infused with jalapeño, and you can easily adjust the heat to your palate.  Because I didn't have mezcal (and still don't...I need to remedy that), I used Salish salt from Spice Station to rim the glass.  It gives the drink that smoky flavor that mezcal has, and you can easily substitute regular salt for those who don't like that kind of finish on their drink.  This cocktail is perfect for lounging around a pool in the desert before heading off to the Empire Polo Grounds - because who really wants to wait in that beer garden line?

Children of the Sun Cocktail - serves 4

• 8 oz tequila
• 4 oz Cointreau
• 4 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
• 1 jalapeño 

- Slice half of the jalapeño longways and remove the seeds.  I remove the seeds because I don't like digging them out of my tequila, and the long slices can then be repurposed as a garnish.  Add the slices to the tequila and let sit for a minimum of 2 hours.  If you desire more heat, let it sit longer.  I like to do mine at 4 hours.
- Run a lime wedge around the rim of the glass and finish in the smoked salt.
- When tequila's done infusing, add Cointreau, lime juice and shake with ice.
- Strain over a glass with ice, and top with a jalapeño slice.

If you're looking to do this for a big group, here are the adjustments.  I recommend just making this in a pitcher and letting it chill for a while, so you're not having to deal with playing bartender.

Serves 15

• 3 3/4 cups jalapeño-infused tequila
• Scant 2 cups triple-sec - sorry kids, but I'm not busting out the expensive stuff in the desert
• Scant 2 cups lime juice
• 2 jalapenos
• Smoked salt to rim the glasses 

Libations used: 1 Tbs tequila
Libations left over: Margaritas, anyone?
Two words - 96 degrees.  For all the lushes heading out to the desert this coming weekend for Coachella, it won't be the 100's, but it's still going to be HOT.  In that kind of weather, there's nothing I want more than cool salads and libations - so of course, I'm mixing the two!  I've found in the past, that eating options on the polo grounds and at all those crazy pool parties are not the most healthful of offerings.  If you're staying in a house, you also want something quick, cheap and easy to prepare for large groups of hungry revelers.  The flavors of this salad fit the mood of the desert, but the colors really pop.

Coachella Corn Salad with Tequila Lime Dressing - serves 4

• 1 cup canned corn
• 1 cup edamame
• 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 avocados, cubed 
• 1 Tbs minced cilantro

Dressing:

• Juice of lime 
• 1 Tbs tequila
• 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 Tbs olive oil
• 2 pinches cumin
• 2 pinches cayenne

- Whisk together all those dressing ingredients, and toss it in a bowl with the veggies.
- Done.
- Now go party like an indie rockstar.