Looking for a local spin on a warm weather classic? Try the Emerald City Margarita.

Courtesy of Bal Mar Seattle

Since summer has FINALLY sprung here in the Northwest, thought I’d share a simple, yet really refreshing concoction to cool your simmering brain:

 Earl’s Summertime Elixir

Courtesy of my Dad

 per glass recipe–adjust to taste

-1-2 parts of your favorite rum (quality)

-3 parts bottled water (flat, but you can mix it up by using fizzy)

-1 part good ice (ie. buy at store)

-Fresh lime juice

Chill the rum in your glass, fill with water and squeeze lime juice to taste. Voila! A refreshing, low sugar, low calorie summertime drink!

Oh shut up.

• The ale goes in first; fill the glass just slightly less than half full with your favorite chilled Irish ale.
• Float the stout on top of the ale, rather than mixing the two layers. To do this, place a spoon over the glass, convex side up, and slowly pour the stout over the back of the spoon so it drizzles into the glass as gently as possible. Allow the stout to settle, and then make a toast and drink up!

(Hopefully there are some green shamrock sugar cookies within reach to cap off the evening).

And to properly toast the luck o the Irish:

May you live as long as you want, 
And never want as long as you live.

May you be in heaven a full half hour before the devil knows you’re dead
Never let your right hand know what your left hand is doing.

Beimid ag ól! (Let us be drinking!)

It’s another New Year’s Eve, another Auld Lang Syne. It’s been a heck of an ’09 so, to celebrate getting on with 2010, treat yourself to a double dose of champagne. Drink a bottle of bubbly and pair it with one or more of these champagne-filled foods. And remember: Friends don’t let friends drink (or eat) cheap champagne.

 For the Chocoholic

The best of both worlds—chocolate and champagne. These milk chocolate truffles are filled with bubbly Taittinger Brut la Francaise. JacquesTorres.com

All Scream for Ice Cream

Blending juicy peaches with sparkling wine—that’s one sure way to get in your 5 fruits ‘n’ veggies each day! Look for Talenti Sorbetto at your local market or go to www.icecreamsource.com.

 Whoop It Up

You gotta love a company that makes champagne-filled Whoopie Pies. Who woulda thought? Apparently, Cranberry Island Kitchen did. www.cranberryislandkitchen.com

Come Here, Honey!

This Willamette Valley Champagne and Honey Mustard beautifully complements chicken and seafood, and makes a killer salad dressing. www.barhyte.com

For the Gourmand

Produced in the Champagne region of France, Martial Picat Champagne Vinegar is light and mild, a good bet for salads and vegetables (think asparagus). A vinaigrette made with it might just be unbelievable on oysters. www.igourmet.com  

 Heather Paper is a freelance writer/editor who specializes in all subjects design-related. A contributing writer for Miscelaney, she’s a dog-lovin’, wine-slurpin’ resident of Atlanta who considers Seattle her second home.

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Miscelaney Holiday SURVIVAL Guide:

12 Days of Christmas

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On the day before Christmas, 
Miscelaney sent to me 
1 saving cocktail

You made it. Now go forth and celebrate in style.

 Merry Christmas!

Recipe courtesy of Yum Sugar

Ingredients

Crushed graham crackers, optional for garnish
1 1/2 ounces dark rum
1 ounce spiced rum
1/2 ounce vanilla vodka*
3 ounces store bought eggnog
1/4 ounce simple syrup
cinnamon stick, optional for garnish

Directions

1. Dip the rim of a martini glass in water and then into the crushed graham crackers.
2. Combine dark rum, spiced rum, vodka with eggnog and simple syrup in an ice-filled martini shaker. Shake well, strain and pour into a prepared glass. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

* I’m going to go out on a limb, but if you don’t have vanilla vodka handy, I’d put just an essance of vanilla in the shaker with regular vodka

Miscelaney Holiday SURVIVAL Guide:

12 Days of Christmas

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On the seventh day before Christmas, 
Miscelaney sent to me 
7 martinis  shaking….. 

Looking for a festive cocktail to serve before or after dinner? Give this list a peek, you are sure to find something that tickles your martini fancy.

 1 ) White Christmas Dream

Ingredients:

Mix all ingredients with ice in a shaker. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Option: Garnish with nutmeg.

 recipe courtesy of thatsthespirit.com

2 )Smoked Anise Tini

Ingredients:

1/8 oz. Laphroaig 10-Year-Old
1/2 oz. Marie Brizard Anisette
2 oz. Sobieski vodka
Garnish: star anise

In a mixing glass, combine all ingredients and fill with ice. Stir well for 15 seconds and julep-strain up into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a floating star anise.

 recipe courtesy of Marie Claire

 3 ) Peach Pomegranate Martini

 Ingredients:

 recipe courtesy of about.com

4 ) Frostini Cocktail

 Ingredients:

Shake and strain. Garnish with chocolate.

 recipe courtesy of fabulousfoods.com

5 ) Sparkeltini

 Ingredients:

-2 oz. vodka
-sparkling wine
-frozen grape

Pour 2 oz. vodka into a shaker half full of ice. Stir for 20 seconds and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Top it off with sparkling wine and garnish with a frozen grape.

 recipe courtesy of fineliving.com

6 ) Red Hot Santa Tini 

From the experts at Tini Bigs

Instructions:

1. Rim a martini glass with cocoa powder with a pinch of cayenne pepper added.
2. Shake together 2 oz. Mazama vodka from Bend Distillery in Bend, Ore. and 2 oz. Godiva chocolate liqueur and pour into glass.
3. Top with 1 1/2 oz. sweetened whipping cream.
4. Garnish the cream with a small Thai chili pepper.

 recipe courtesy of Tini Bigs Seattle

7 ) The Classic–Grey Goose Martini, slightly dirty

 Editor’s Choice

Ingredients:

-2 oz Grey Goose Vodka
-splash of olive juice
-hint of vermouth
-blue cheese stuffed olives (not shown in picture)

Fill martini glasses with ice water, set aside. Fill shaker with vodka and a splash of olive juice (better to add too little than too much). Shake (or roll between your hands, whatever your preference) the shaker until vodka is chilled and ice crystals are forming. Empty ice water out of the now extra-chilled glasses. Swirl a splash of vermouth in the glass, dump out (just want the essence). Fill glass, add olives. Enjoy!

click through the included links to find sources.

The evening started out with interesting background on the culture of tequila along with the history of The Patron Spirits Company. Interesting factoid: John Paul DeJoria (Paul Mitchell Systems) is the founder of Patron. His vision was to create the best of the best tequila available.  As a result, Patron was the first ultra-premium tequila on the market. Another interesting sidenote is Patron’s commitment to corporate responsibility. They are instituting some really innovative programs and we love that.

Now onto the good stuff. We tasted five tequilas. Before putting glass-to-lips we: a) nosed the front of the glass (ie. shnoz in glass and sniffed), then we nosed the back of the glass noting a definite difference in smell (the back of the glass offering more robust aromas) b) we took a small sip and slowly savored emerging flavors c) nosed the glass again–noting stronger and more specific flavors this time d) sipped again with a larger mouthful, pin-pointing exact  flavors. Here’s what we tasted and the order we tasted them in:

1). Patron Silver–crystal clear, ultra premium tequila. Divine in mixed drinks or on the rocks. Citrus and pear notes with white pepper finish. Retail: $50.

2). Gran Patron–the #1 ultra-premium tequila in the world. A true connoisseur’s tequila, the smoothest tequila ever produced. Each bottle is a hand-made, lead-free crystal decanter. Retail: $200.

3). Patron Reposado–aged in oak barrels, this relaxed tequila is perfect for sipping. Citrus and honey with light spices. Retail: $50

4). Patron Anejo–a delicate blend of uniquely aged tequilas. Aged in white oak barrels for 12 months. Vanilla, caramel with a smokey finish. Retail: $55

5). Patron XO Cafe–an interesting blend of ultra premium tequila blended with natural coffee essence. An excellent after-dinner drink, it is dry with an appropriate amount of sweetness. Retail: $25.

Five fantastic tequilas. I think the group left with a new respect for sipping and enjoying tequila (leaving wild memories of body shots, regrettable sour stomachs, and horrid morning-after headaches far behind). Another interesting factoid from the evening was to replace the old-school salt and lime tequila shot with orange and cinnamon. Yum. Also, tequila in cosmos is apparently divine. Ditto with lemon drops.

The evening was rounded out with the gracious hosting from Del Rey in their ever-accomodating back room. Belltown’s Tequila Destination with Happy Hour twice daily (4-7pm and 10-midnight) and 3pm-close Sunday. 

Find out more about Patron at http://www.patronspirits.com/. Check out tweets from the evening at @DelReySeattle search #DelRey.

You aren’t in the mood for any pretense tonight, nor do you want to iron, so you need to sell the dive bar option and fast. You pick up the phone and dial the friend you think you can convince the easiest. You deftly outline the reasons to go: cheap drinks (all things being relative), easy to find a seat, parking is free, there’s always an entertaining crowd and the food ain’t too bad either. And there’s pool.

Your friend counters with the dirty bathrooms, mangy characters and the subtle smell of urine upon entering. You quickly point out the cheap drinks again and offer a gentle reminder all the mangy cats are already a beer or five past passing out so will most likely be gone by the time you arrive. And there’s that great juke box. 

Good on you, you are going divin’ tonight. Every night isn’t necessarily a dive bar night, but sometimes there is no better place than a good, dark, no-pretense bar which pours a stiff drink with an earnest slice of humanity.

 Not To Miss Seattle Dive Bars (includes Good divey and Fun divey):

In no particular order this is a refresher for the locals, easy info for those new to the area and/or those Seattleites who live under a keyboard.

The Pacific Inn (Fremont): Good divey which offers an outdoor patio (number one in my book), pool and board games, good selection of beer on tap, cheap wells, good food and authentic characters.

The Sloop Tavern (Ballard): Good divey which offers big, cheap beer (be sure to Sloopersize) along with pool, pull tabs, local characters and mediocre food (order the nachos…safe bet).

The Lava Lounge (Belltown): This is more fun divey, to be sure, but has great beer selection (ALL DAY happy hour on Sundays), shuffle board, kitschy decor, it’s nice and dark, and has table Pac Man (oh yeah). Was also my first “dive” bar in Seattle and holds a special place in my heart.

Eastlake Zoo Tavern (Eastlake): A dive-divey bar which sparkles occasionally with fun-divey. Cheap beer and snacks (cash only and no liquor), lots to do (shuffleboard, pool, darts, and the juke) but you have to brave the smell coming in, deal with hit or miss staff and put up with the frat boys alongside a few regulars. Surprisingly large in square footage.

The Blue Moon (U Disctrict): Absolutely Dive-divey (kinda scary-divey) but an institution and not to be missed. It’s smelly, has skeezy regulars at the bar, offers cheap beer and peanuts, has live music (but this isn’t the draw), and many are afraid to walk by it during the day. You’ll love it or you’ll hate it, but everyone needs to go once.

The Mecca (Queen Ann): Good divey, half bar half restaurant. The bar slings cheap well drinks and the staff oozes with the surliness you’d expect at a good dive. A colorful crowd bathes in a mystery layer of grime and they’ve got a killer juke box. Home sweet home.  

 The Knarr Tavern (University District): Dive divey. Cheap beer, regulars, pool, darts, shuffleboard. Classic dive bar stench. Still has the classics on the juke. Don’t miss Kill the Keg Wednesdays with $6.00 pitchers of Mannys (until the keg goes dry) or Fat Tire Tuesdays where pints are only $2.25.

The Viking (Ballard): Fun divey. GREAT shuffleboard table, juke box, cheap beer and good food. Has the “dive bar” feel, but all in all, just a really fun place.

But margaritas do come with a price. Besides the aftermath of a little too much tequila, margaritas are typically really high in the calorie department. Sadly. And depending on what type of mix they are made from, it seems a “sour stomach” can follow pretty quickly and ruin that perfect plate of Mexican food you just  inhaled. Point is, you have to be a little strategic with yourself when you are going to enjoy tequila-flavored (adult) slurpees.

A fan of Bethenny Frankel, I thought maybe I’d get on board with the Skinnygirl Margarita. But really, her recipe is just a dolled up shot of tequila. A good way to enjoy tequila, even blended, but certainly not quite the frozen goodness I’m looking for.

On a recent trip to Austin to visit old friends, I was introduced to the perfect margarita. Due to the heat down there, they blend their margaritas much finer, so they stay frozen  longer. And to combat with the high calories and sour tummy issues, the key is to make them from scratch with very little sweet and sour mix. The result is as refreshing as it is delicious. Dare I even say healthy? OK, that may be a stretch but here you go:

Linda’s Perfect Austin Margarita:

• 5-6 limes small limes, depending on size
• 1/2 container of the small size can of Limeade (in your freezer department)
• lots of ice
• 4-6 shots of tequila (you can adjust up or down, depending on whether or not you want to nap after)
• 2-3 shots of Triple Sec
• Margarita salt (optional for rim)

Cut your limes in half and squeeze (with a juicer or manual, however). Set aside. Fill your blender 2/3′s the way with crushed ice. Add tequila. Add lime juice. Add frozen limeade. Add Triple Sec. Blend. Blend some more. Make sure you are looking at a really creamy, smooth version of your margarita. Taste. Probably a little tart, but trust me. This is the key. Salt up your rims or not (some even do a sugar rim), you are ready to pack your pitcher of maggie’s anywhere (backyard, soccer match, outdoor concert) and enjoy a refreshing treat which is low calorie (all things considered), high in vitamin c, and completely what Jimmy Buffet is talking about.