Friday Feature - Imbibing & Inspiring!

photo from reallynatural.com

Today’s cocktail is the margarita.  I know it’s a fairly common cocktail that most of us are pretty familiar with but the standard recipe (glow-in-the-dark margarita mix of questionable origins plus tequila and ice) is, in my book, long overdue for an update.

First off, throw away that bottle of mix you’ve had in the fridge since Cinco de Mayo and promise me you will never ever buy it again.  You will thank me later.  To make the most delicious and refreshing margaritas ever you only need these three ingredients:

Silver Tequila (1 ½ to 2 shots)

Juice of 1 ½ Limes

Agave Nectar to taste (about 2 TBL for me)

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, add the ingredients and shake until well-chilled.  Pour into glass (rimmed with salt if you like) and top with a lime wedge.  How easy is that? 

Now - onto the pretty.   These rooms from Coastal Living all have a beachy feeling thanks to natural elements like driftwood tables, rustic wood accents and natural fiber rugs.  Minimal use of accessories and simple, clean-lined furniture keeps the look modern and comfortable.  The lesson here is you can never go wrong with crisp, white slipcovers and chunky, rustic pieces.



Modern lines with rustic touches and oh yeah, that VIEW combine for an elegant take on coastal style



Elegant sofa contrasted with driftwood cocktail table

Love the warmth the Saltillo tiles bring to this all-white room

Since this is a cleaner, simpler, more grownup margarita recipe I felt the margarita-inspired room board should reflect that.  So I went with a more modern and sophisticated aesthetic but kept some details that hearken back ever so slightly to the kitschy side of a margarita.  This recipe may be more grownup but it’s still tequila we’re talking about people!  So the room is modern, coastal, rustic - with a bit of fun thanks to a punch of turquoise.

I promise next week to change it up and feature a cocktail without lime juice.  Only after finishing this post did I realize I had done that to you two weeks in a row.  Argh.