Sometimes we go a little overboard with the cocktail recipes. Amateur mixologists don’t really need 20 or 30 drinks to learn at one time, but we also can’t really help ourselves when it comes to celebrating the national holidays of margaritas, mezcal, and tequila. For National Cocktail Day, however, let’s dial it back a little and focus on simply learning how to make a pair of drinks that’ll not only be your favorites, but will also knock your friends’ and guests’ socks off.

At any given time, I have approximately 100 new recipes to choose from in my inbox, but for this occasion I have chosen two based on my personal spirits preferences. The first is a delightful drink from Mezcal El Silencio, which not only produces one of the best bottles around, but also has one of the coolest accommodations in Mexico. And the other is a tequila twist on the whiskey smash, brought to us by my favorite neat sipping choice, Gran Centenario Cristalino.

Both of these bottles belong in your home bar, and you’ll probably agree once you try these cocktails.

Blood Orange Margarita

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Mezcal El Silencio Espadin 
• 1 oz Agave nectar 
• 1 Blood orange, juiced 
• 1 Cara cara orange, Juiced 
• 1 Lime, juiced 

How to Make It:

Combine the ingredients in a shaker with ice, but feel free to start light on the juices and then add to find your preferred taste. Pour over ice and garnish with a blood orange peel or wedge.

Vined Up

Ingredients: 

• 2 oz Gran Centenario Cristalino
• 0.5 oz Fresh lime juice
• 0.5 oz Fresh cucumber water
• 0.25 oz Simple syrup
• 5 Sweet green grapes

Garnish: Long cucumber peel and 1 green grape

How to Make It:

Muddle 5 grapes in a mixing tin and then add remaining ingredients with ice. Shake and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with lime peel and 1 green grape.

The post Celebrate National Cocktail Day with Two Simple Recipes for Tequila and Mezcal Lovers appeared first on Islands.

Can’t make it to the famed Soggy Dollar Bar in the British Virgin Islands to enjoy a true Painkiller drink? Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. Our Painkiller recipe comes straight from the Soggy Dollar Bar on the island of Jost Van Dyke so you can make your own, true-as-it-gets Painkiller to relax in a hammock on your front porch or perhaps sunbathing poolside.

It’s a bright drink with vibrant fruit flavors and colors that’s meant to be celebrated and consumed on a hot, sunny day. Don’t worry: The convenience of concocting these cocktails from home means you have the option of either staying dry or getting in the spirit of Soggy Dollar Beach by getting wet. Then, you can find your in-home bartender and pay with a soggy dollar bill, as the namesake bar suggests.

Where did the Painkiller originate?

As the name suggests, the Soggy Dollar Bar earned its keep from patrons who would swim to the bar and pay with soggy bills. They did so on the island of Jost Van Dyke, an island with a population smaller than 400 people. The Soggy Dollar Bar, however, is not just there to accommodate guests who want to enjoy a Painkiller after a relaxing day in the water; there’s also food.

Try everything from filet mignon kabobs, Soggy’s famous conch fritters, coconut shrimp, crab cakes and lobster rolls, among many other items — and those are just some of the appetizers.

Want to take a piece of the island home with you? Check out the Soggy Dollar’s boutique. Not able to make it out to the BVIs? You can shop their goods, including Soggy Dollar Rum, online, too.

Painkiller Drink Recipe

• 2-4 oz. of Pusser’s Rum
• 4 oz. pineapple juice
• 1 oz. cream of coconut
• 1 oz. orange juice
• Grated fresh nutmeg

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add first four ingredients and shake. Pour into cocktail glasses over ice and top with grated nutmeg.

Serves 1-2

Step 1:

First, the bartender adds the Pusser’s Rum, two to four ounces depending on the generosity of the pour.

Optional Ingredient:

Is that mango rum? Yes it is. To each his or her own.

Step 2:

Next, add pineapple juice (four ounces), cream of coconut (one ounce) and orange juice (one ounce).

Step 3:

Top with grated fresh nutmeg, vigorously grated with oomph.

Step 4:

The most important step: Enjoy your Painkiller drink in a hammock, preferably alongside a fellow Caribbean beach bum. Does the resulting painkiller drink actually kill pain or increase it? That’s up to you.

The post Best Painkiller Drink Recipe appeared first on Islands.

When it comes to holidays this week, all eyes are on Thursday, March 17, or St. Patrick’s Day for those of us who forgot the passwords to our Google Calendars. So, it wouldn’t be a surprise if you discovered that everyone around you forgot the week’s other big day, National Espresso Martini Day. We know, it doesn’t quite roll off the tongue, but we’re sure that people raised some eyebrows the first time someone suggested celebrating Groundhog Day.

If this special day tickles your fancy, we have good news—the mixmasters at the spectacular W Punta de Mita resort have gifted us a perfect cocktail recipe for raising a toast and perhaps suggesting another round. The lxitia Cocktail might be difficult to pronounce, but it sure is easy to enjoy.

lxitia Cocktail 

Ingredients

• 45 ml Vodka
• 15 ml Hazelnut liquor (Frangelico)
• 15 ml Fortified wine (Martini Rosso)
• 3 ml Pandam
• 1 shot of espresso 
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 5 g Piloncillo

How to Make It

Mix the shot of espresso together with the cinnamon and sweeten with the piloncillo until there is a very sweet, concentrated mixture similar to coffee.

Then mix all the ingredients in the shaker the espresso, vodka, martini rosso, and frangelico.

Shake vigorously to mix the ingredients well and achieve a foamy consistency in the drink.

Serve in a tall glass and double strain.

The post Celebrate National Espresso Martini Day with an Awesome Recipe from W Punta de Mita appeared first on Islands.

In case it’s not perfectly clear by now, National Margarita Day is upon us, and that means at some point today, this week, or during the weekend, you will celebrate. Many people will pour their favorite cocktail using tequila and one of those giant jugs of mix you can grab from the grocery store, and that’s fine. Our first rule of margs is: never judge, only appreciate.

But if you’re tired of the same old and want something new, unique, and even a little crazy for this year’s holiday, we have you covered. Some of our favorite tequila brands and bar geniuses know how much Islands loves February 22, so they’ve sent some of the most bonkers recipes we have ever seen. So, let’s not wait another moment—it’s time to pour.

The People’s Margarita

• 2 oz Teremana Blanco
• 0.75 oz lime juice
• 0.5 oz agave nectar 
• 1 oz pineapple juice (to taste) 

How to Make It: 

Mix ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker. Strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a lime wheel, pineapple leaves, and sea salt (as desired).

Cucumber Margarita

• 1.5 oz 1800 Blanco
• 0.75 oz Triple Sec
• 0.5 oz cucumber juice
• 0.75 oz. lime juice
• Pinch of salt 

How to Make it:

Combine all ingredients (and pinch of salt) into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a cucumber ribbon on a pick.

The Blue Nectar Sriracha Margarita

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Blue Nectar Tequila
• 0.5 oz Triple Sec
• 2 oz fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp Sriracha sauce
• Ice
• 1 jalapeño pepper cut into wheels
• Salt for rim

How to Make It:

Salt the rim of your glass by placing a small amount of Sriracha on a plate, dipping the rim of the glass with Sriracha, then dipping the rim in salt. Place ice in a cocktail shaker with ice, then add in tequila, triple sec, lime juice, and Sriracha. Shake vigorously, then pour the margarita into the glass. Garnish with a jalapeño wheel and enjoy.

Not a Margarita

Ingredients:

• 2 oz iichiko Saiten
• 0.5 oz Lime Juice
• 0.5 oz Grapefruit Juice
• 0.5 oz Simple Syrup
• 0.5 oz Triple Sec
• Citrus Wheel

How to Make It:

Mix all ingredients into cocktail shaker with ice. Shake, then strain into Rocks glass over ice. Garnish with citrus wheel.

Watermelon Lime Mashup Margarita

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz JAJA Blanco
• 2 oz Limeade
• Spiked seltzer
• Watermelon (for garnish)

How to Make It:

Combine all ingredients in a highball glass over ice. Garnish with a watermelon wedge and a salted rim.

Beet It Margarita

• 2.5 oz Tequila Don Ramón Punta Diamante Silver
• 1 oz beet ginger juice
• 0.5 oz Cointreau
• 0.75 oz lime juice
• 1 tsp agave nectar
• Splash of sparkling lime mineral water
• Beet lace tuile for garnish

How to Make It:

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice. Pour over ice and top with the sparkling lime mineral water. Garnish with the beet lace tuile for extremely Instagrammable results.

Slush Fun Margarita

Ingredients: 

• 6 cups frozen watermelon chunks
• 4 oz Tequila Don Ramón Punta Diamante Silver
• 1.5-2 oz Elderflower Liqueur (depending on how sweet you like it)
• 2 oz fresh lime juice

How to Make It:

This serves two. Freeze your watermelon in 1-2-inch cubes (or scoop it out with an ice cream scooper) and put it in your freezer for about 24 hours. And voila! You’re ready to whip up these frozen watermelon margaritas. Blend all ingredients and serve.

The Garden Margarita

Ingredients:

• 2 oz mezcal
• 1 oz lime juice
• 0.5 oz honey syrup
• 1 oz celery juice
• Maldon salt for rim
• Lime wheel for garnish

How to Make It:

Combine all ingredients and shake well. Strain over ice in a salted glass and garnish with the lime wheel.

Salted Cucumber Margarita

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz Tequila Don Ramón Punta Diamante Silver
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 0.75 oz. agave nectar
• 0.75 oz. Triple Sec
• 2 cucumber slices
• 2 jalapeño slices
• 1 pinch of smoked sea salt
• 1 sprig of basil for garnish
• Salted cucumber spear for garnish

How to Make It:

Add tequila, basil leaf, cucumber and jalapeño slices to a shaking tin, lightly muddle. Add all ingredients except garnishes into the tin and add ice. Shake, strain, and pour cocktail into a rocks glass over crushed ice. Garnish with salted cucumber spear and sprig of basil. Serve and enjoy.

Spicy Carrot Margarita

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Tequila Don Ramón Punta Diamante (or Mezcal is especially nice here)
• 0.75 oz carrot juice
• 0.75 oz fresh lime juice
• 0.5 oz jalapeño-infused agave syrup

How to Make It:

Combine ingredients and shake with ice. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.

Garnish with a lime wheel and a dried chili spice mix.

Highland Margarita

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz Tequila Don Ramón Platinium Plata
• 0.5 oz giffard banana
• 0.25 cup chopped celery
• 0.75 oz lime
• 0.5 oz honey syrup
• Pinch of salt
• Celery ribbon for garnish

How to Make It:

Add all ingredients in a shaker with ice, short shake, and strain into your favorite glass. 

Hibiscus Margarita

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz El Tequileño Platinum
• 2 oz sweetened hibiscus juice
• 0.5 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
• 0.5 oz agave syrup
• Hibiscus flower for garnish

How to Make It:

Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake until ice cold and strain into a rocks glass over cubed ice. Garnish with a hibiscus flower.

Italicus Margarita

• 1 oz Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto 
• 1 oz lime juice 
• 2 oz Tequila avion 
• Lime peel for garnish

How to Make it:

Combine ingredients, shake, and serve in a Martini glass. 

Margarita in Fuoco

Ingredients: 

• 2 oz of Espolon Tequila infused with peppers (bell, roasted habanero, roasted poblano)
• 1 oz Triple Sec 
• 1 oz lime juice 
• 1 oz simple syrup
• 0.5 oz Solerno
• Salt rim, lime wedge, and pepperoncini for garnish

How to Make It:

Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Shake, then strain over ice into a rocks glass with a salted rim. Garnish with a lime wedge and pepperoncini.

Monterita

• 2 oz Amaro Montenegro
• 1 oz blanco tequila
• 0.5 oz fresh lime juice
• Lime wheel for garnish

How to Make It:

Combine ingredients, shake with ice, and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Pomegranate Manarita

Image: 16 Pomegranate Manarita

Credit: Teremana Tequila

Caption: Pomegranate juice is a low-key great ingredient for any margarita.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Teremana Blanco 
• 1 oz Pomegranate Juice 
• 0.75 oz Fresh Lime Juice
• 0.5 oz Agave Nectar 
• Pinch of Salt
• Lime wheel for garnish

How to Make It:

Combine ingredients, shake, and strain into a rocks glass with ice. Garnish with a lime wheel. 

Sage Margarita

Ingredients:

• 0.35 oz Freshly squeezed lime juice
• 0.7 oz Grand Marnier
• 2.25 oz sage-infused añejo tequila*
• 4 fresh sage leaves
• Half spoonful of icing sugar 
• Sage leaves and sage salt for garnish**

How to Make It:

Slide the rim of the glass along a quarter of lime, then place the glass in a bowl of sage salt. Place ice cubes and all ingredients in a shaker and shake vigorously so that the ice cubes crush the sage. Filter through both a sieve and a chinois strainer into the sage salt rimmed glass. Place a few leaves on the surface of the liquid.  

*Sage-infused añejo tequila: Infuse 15 sage leaves in 700ml of tequila for 48 hours. Filter. 

**Sage salt: Sprinkle sea salt on an aluminum tray, then place the sage leaves side by side on the tray, ensuring they are perfectly flat. Sprinkle them with salt once more. Place the tray in a warm oven (approx. 160°F) and remove after 20 minutes. Place the salt and sage in a blender and mix briefly. 

The Golden Margarita

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz Altos Blanco Tequila 
• 1 oz Nitxa Licor de Elote 
• 0.75 oz pineapple juice 
• 0.5 oz lime juice 
• 0.25 oz agave
• Pinch of salt (optional) 
• Lime wedge for garnish

How to Make It:

Combine ingredients, shake with ice in a cocktail shaker, and strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a lime slice.

Marg IZO Pastor

Ingredients:

• 1.5oz IZO Mezcal
• 0.5oz ancho reyes
• 1 oz lime
• 0.75 oz pastor syrup

How to Make the Pastor Syrup:

Blend 1 cup agave nectar, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup pineapple juice, 5 cilantro sprigs, 5 Thai basil sprigs, 5 parsley sprigs, 5 grams black cracked pepper, 1/2 de-seeded jalapeño. In a covered pot, bring mixture to a low simmer for 5 minutes. Strain solids and let cool. 

Once cool, bottle and refrigerate. Syrup will last for 2 weeks. To fortify add 2 oz of your favorite tequila to extend shelf life to 1 month. 

How to Make the Cocktail:

Combine ingredients in shaker, pour over ice.

St. Tropez Margarita

Ingredients:

• 4 oz of La Fête du Rosé
• 1 oz of silver tequila 
• 1 oz of fresh lime juice
• 1.5 oz of simple syrup 
• Salt for rimming glass

How to Make It:

Add all ingredients to a tin with ice. Shake. Strain into salt rimmed glass with ice and enjoy!

Bodega Taqueria y Tequila’s Luau Libre

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz Gem & Bolt Mezcal
• 0.35 oz Chinola Passionfruit Liqueur
• 0.75 oz agave syrup
• 0.75 oz fresh lime
• 2 dashes tiki bitters

How to Make It: 

Combine all liquid ingredients in shaker tin. Add ice. Shake roughly 20 seconds to fully combine ingredients. Strain shaken ingredients over fresh ice in rocks glass. Garnish with lime wheel.

Spicy Cucumber Margarita 

Ingredients:

• 3 oz Hornitos Plata Tequila
• 0.5 oz DeKuyper Triple Sec Liqueur
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 1 oz lime juice
• 1 oz agave nectar (optional)
• 1 mini cucumber
• 1 jalapeño

How to Make It:

Muddle 1-2 thin slices of jalapeño in the bottom of a cocktail shaker with the lime, lemon, and optional agave nectar juices. Add the tequila, Triple Sec, and a handful of ice. Shake and strain into a margarita glass over ice. Garnish with thinly sliced cucumbers, and jalapeño slices (optional for spice).

Passion Fruit Pineapple Margarita

Ingredients:

• 2oz Round Barn Distillery Blue Flame Agave (or silver tequila)
• 1.5 oz passion fruit simple syrup
• 0.75 oz pineapple juice
• 0.75 oz Triple Sec
• 2 oz sour mix
• Tajin
• Large rocks glass

How to Make It:

Fill a rocks glass with ice. Fill shaker with ice. Pour agave, passion fruit, pineapple juice, Triple Sec, and sour mix into a shaker. Shake vigorously. Strain into the rocks glass. Sprinkle tajin over top of the cocktail.

The post 23 Wild, Crazy, and Wonderful Recipes for an Amazing National Margarita Day appeared first on Islands.

Has it already been a full year since National Margarita Day? Feels like only yesterday we were celebrating cocktail Christmas with a collection of our favorite signature resort recipes, but here we are, chalices once again ready to be filled to the brim. Only there’s no point in rolling out the same drinks all over again, even if they’re absolutely delicious and surprisingly easy to make.

Instead, when it came time to compile this year’s guide to making this the best National Marg Day yet, we asked, nay demanded, that mixologists have a lot of fun with this one. “Give us your most creative and weirdest margaritas yet,” we implored them. And they delivered. Oh boy, did they ever deliver.

Have fun trying to recreate some of these margaritas, and then be sure to thank the bartenders the next time you visit these awesome hotels and resorts, too.

Homegrown Margarita

The Place: Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa, Grand Cayman

“It doesn’t get much more local than this! This cocktail is made using lemongrass grown right here in our backyard: just outside Coccoloba, in fact. The lemongrass is complemented by a hint of pamplemousse (grapefruit) liqueur and fresh-pressed cucumber, with the flavorful citrus, spice and rich agave notes of Herradura 100% agave blanco tequila as the base. This clean, delicate set of flavors is brought to life with a great aromatic profile, whilst retaining the true essence of the Margarita.” – Jim Wrigley, Beverage Manager

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz Herradura Silver Tequila
• 0.75 oz lemongrass syrup (pro tip: make your own lemongrass syrup by resting 2 chopped stalks of lemongrass in 1 quart of simple syrup overnight)
• 0.25 oz grapefruit liqueur
• 0.75 oz fresh lime
• 0.5 oz cucumber juice
• Garnish: Salt rim, Cucumber slice

How to Make It:

Fill shaker with ice and all ingredients. Shake very hard and strain over cubed ice into a chilled short glass. Salted rim and garnish with a cucumber slice.

Cucumber Jalapeno Margarita

The Place: Quivira Los Cabos

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz blanco (white) tequila
• 1 oz agave honey 
• 0.25 g cucumber
• 0.25 g basil
• 1 oz lemon juice 
• 0.5 oz pineapple juice
• 0.10 g jalapeño
• 0.02 g tajin
• Ice

How to Make It:

Prepare your glass: Cut a slice of lemon, run the wedge on one side of the rim of the glass. Put tajin on a plate and pass the glass over it.

With a peeler, make thin slices of the cucumber and intertwine them to form small mosaics to decorate the inside of the glass. Leave an extra slice for the garnish.

Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker (although any container that you can close and shake will work). Add the basil leaves, the seedless cucumber pieces, lemon and pineapple juice, agave syrup and a small piece of jalapeño pepper to the shaker. Macerate for 30 seconds.

Pour the blanco tequila and ice into the shaker and shake it for 10 seconds. If you have a cocktail shaker, shake it until icy cold on the outside. Place a few ice cubes in the serving glass; strain the margarita over the ice. To finish, use the cucumber slice that was separated. Insert a toothpick into it for a nice garnish.

Prosecco Margarita

The Place: JW Marriott Cancun Resort and Spa

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz Casa Dragones Blanco (recommended)
• 2.5 oz Prosecco
• 1 oz Grand Marnier
• 0.5 oz lemon juice
• 0.5 oz simple syrup

How to Make It:

Pour all ingredients in a shaker, except chilled Prosecco. Add ice and shake. Pour ingredients into a glass. Top with Prosecco. Garnish with lime slice.

Rosarita Margarita

The Place: Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel, Miami Beach

“Experiencing paradise in a margarita from your eyes to your very first sip of endless delight and sheer perfection.” – Mariana Pena, Restaurants & Bars Marketing and Programming Manager

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Patron Reposado
• 0.5 oz tropical hibiscus
• 0.5 oz Cointreau
• 0.5 oz rosemary infused simple syrup
• 0.5 oz lime juice

How to Make it: 

Combine ingredients into shaker tin. Shake and pour over ice. Red Jell-O rim. Garnish with a hibiscus leaf.

Farmers Margarita

The Place: JW Marriott Tampa Water Street, Tampa

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Casamigos Blanco
• 1 oz carrot juice 
• 0.75 oz fresh lemon juice
• 1 oz agave syrup
• 3 slices of jalapeños

How to Make It: 

Combine ingredients into small shaker tin. Add ice and shake 20 times. Double strained into Tajin rimmed rocks over fresh ice. Garnish with baby carrot.

Spicy Margarita 

The Place: The Ritz-Carlton, St Thomas, USVI

Ingredients:

• 2 oz jalapeño-infused silver tequila
• 1 oz simple syrup
• 1 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
• 1 oz Cointreau
• Grand Mariner (optional)

How to Make It:

Add tequila, simple syrup, lime juice, and Cointreau to a shaker with ice and shake until combined. Pour into a salted rimmed glass. For added flare, float Grand Marnier on top.

The Sandspur

The Place: The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Lunazul Blanco Tequila
• 1 oz St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
• 1 oz Fresh lime juice
• 1 oz simple syrup
• 1 grapefruit juice

How to Make It:

Combine ingredients into shaker tin. Shake and pour over ice. Hibiscus-Salt rim.

Baja Margarita

The Place: Vista Encantada Spa Resort and Residences, Cabo San Lucas

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz Don Julio Blanco Tequila
• 1 oz Damiana liqueur
• 0.25 oz orange juice 
• 0.25 oz lime juice 
• 0.25 oz agave syrup

How to Make It:

Add all ingredients to a shaker and shake lightly. Serve in an Old Fashioned glass lined with a salt rim. Garnish with seasonal herbs.

South Margarita 

The Place: Bar Pierre at Pierre Mundo Imperial, Acapulco

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz of tequila reposado
• 0.5 oz of tequila liqueur
• 1.5 oz mixture of lemon and lime juice
• 1.5 oz simple syrup
• Splash of whiskey
• Twists of orange peel, and lime and lemon peelings
• Grasshopper salt and 2 margarita flowers for garnish

How to Make It:

Start by decorating your martini glass with a rim of grasshopper salt. Mix the tequila reposado, tequila liqueur, lemon and lime juice, simple syrup and twists from orange, lemon and lime in a chilled shaker. Shake the mix prominently, pour the whiskey into your glass, and then pour the contents of the shaker using the strainer. Garnish with two margarita flowers and enjoy!

Lemon Mezcal Margarita 

The Place: Wild Dunes Resort, Isle of Palms, SC

Ingredients:

• 1.75 oz mezcal
• 0.5 oz St Germaine Elderflower Liquor
• 2 oz lemonade
• 0.5 oz lemon and lime juice
• Smoked hickory salt rim
• Lemon wheel for garnish

How to Make It:

Combine ingredients, shake vigorously and strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with a hickory salt rim and lemon wheel.

The Likeani

The Place: Wai’olu Ocean Cuisine, Honolulu, HI

Ingredients:

• 1 oz blanco tequila
• 0.25 oz Peach Sec
• 1 oz guava puree
• 2 limes (muddled)
• Alaea Sea Salt
• 1.5 oz Rosé Sparkling Wine

How to Make It:

Shake and strain into salt-rimmed Champagne Flute and top off with Rosé Sparkling Wine.

The Sunset Margarita 

The Place: Ocean Key Resort and Spa, Key West

Ingredients: 

• 1.5 oz Don Julio Blanco Tequila
• 1 oz agave nectar
• Splash fresh squeezed lime
• Splash blood orange juice with pulp
• Blood orange slice for garnish

How to Make It:

Combine all drink ingredients into a shaker over ice. Shake. Strain into a rocks glass and garnish with a blood orange slice.

Spicy Pineapple Margarita

The Place: The Reach, Key West

Ingredients: 

• 2 oz Tanteo chipotle tequila
• Pineapple
• Jalapeño
• 1 oz lime juice
• o.5oz agave syrup

How to Make It: 

Muddle jalapeños and pineapple with a splash of agave, add tequila, lime juice and more agave. Shake.

Watermelon Margarita

The Place: The Landings Resort and Spa, St. Lucia

Ingredients:

• 2 oz fresh watermelon juice
• 1 oz Cointreau 
• 1.5 oz lime juice
• 2 pieces of jalapeño
• 1 wedge of fresh lime (squeezed in shaker)

How to Make It:

Shaken and poured over ice in a rocks glass with salt on the rim. Garnished with a slice of lime and slice of jalapeño.

Carnaval

The Place: Conrad Fort Lauderdale Beach

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz silver tequila 
• 1 oz orange liqueur 
• 1 oz lime juice 
• 0.5 oz agave 
• 2 slices jalapeño 
• 4 chunks of watermelon 
• Tajin seasoning for garnish
• Watermelon triangle slice for garnish

How to Make It: 

In a Boston Shaker, muddle slices of jalapeño and watermelon chunks. Add all remaining ingredients with ice and shake. Rim rocks glass with Tajin seasoning. Strain concoction into rimmed rocks glass. Add fresh ice. Garnish with watermelon triangle slice.

Margarita al Pastor

The Place: Hilton Cancun, an All-Inclusive Resort

Ingredients:

• 1 oz white tequila 
• 0.5 oz Controy (or Cointreau, but the former for authenticity)
• 0.5 oz Ancho Reyes Liquor 
• 0.5 oz lemon juice 
• 15 coriander leaves
• Half piece chile guajillo (dried chiles)
• 0.10 g tajin 
• 0.5 oz natural syrup 
• 0.10 g pineapple 
• Worm salt and chapulín (grasshopper)

Instructions:

Fill an Old Fashioned glass with ice till the top.  Pour 1oz of white tequila, 0.5 oz of Controy Liquor, and 0.5 oz of Ancho Reyes Liquor. Stir everything for a few seconds. Then add 0.5 oz of lemon juice, 15 leaves of crushed coriander, and add half a piece of Chile guajillo also crushed and stir again. 

Add 10 grams of Tajin, 0.5 oz of natural syrup. Add worm salt and chapulín (grasshopper). Stir everything for the last time and add pineapple for decoration.

Bazooka Rita

The Place: Hilton Austin

Ingredients: 

• 1.75 oz Corralejo Reposado 
• 0.5 oz agave nectar 
• 1 oz lime 
• 0.25 oz Cointreau 
• 1 oz smoked pineapple cordial 
• 0.5 oz tamarind syrup 
• Pineapple wedge, smoked chili lime salt rim, and a bouquet of fresh mint for garnish

How to Make It:

Prepare a Collins glass with rimmed smoked chili lime salt. Combine Corralejo Repadado, agave nectar, lime, Cointreau, smoked pineapple cordial, and tamarind syrup into a mixing glass filled with ice. Shake contents in mixing glass, strain into a Collins glass with fresh ice. Garnish with pineapple wedge and fresh mint.

Ginger Margarita

The Place: Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills

Ingredients: 

• 1.5 oz Casamigos Reposado Tequila
• 1. oz Cointreau 
• 1 oz fresh lime juice 
• 0.5 oz ginger syrup 

How to Make It:

Mix all ingredients in a tall shaker with ice. Shake for 30 seconds to chill. Prepare a rim rocks glass with salt. Pour all ingredients over ice, garnish with lime and enjoy.

Blackberry Margarita

The Place: Hilton Sedona Resort at Bell Rock

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz tequila (reposado preferred)  
• 1 oz Cointreau 
• 1 oz fresh lime juice 
• 0.5 oz simple syrup
• Fresh blackberries (a handful) 

How to Make It:

Add fresh blackberries to a mixing glass and muddle. Mix all ingredients in a tall shaker with ice. Shake to chill. Prepare a rim rocks glass with salt. Pour all ingredients over ice, garnish with lime and enjoy! Bonus points if you get creative with the lime garnish.

Spa Day Margarita 

The Place: Fairmont Grand Del Mar

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz Volcan de Mi Tierra ‘Blanco Smoke’ Tequila
• 0.25 oz Chareau Aloe Liqueur
• 1 oz lime juice
• 0.75 oz lemongrass simple syrup
• 2 slices muddled cucumber

How to Make It:

Salt the rim of a tumbler glass and line glass with cucumber slices. Add ingredients over ice. Use mint for garnish.

RC-Biscus Rita 

The Place: The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua

Ingredients:

• 2 oz RCK Patron Barrel Select Patron Anejo
• 0.5 oz peach liqueur
• 1.5 oz hibiscus mixer (recipe below)
• 0.5 oz lime juice

How to Make Hibiscus Mixer:

• 37 oz hibiscus syrup
• 24 oz lemon juice
• 4 oz raspberry puree

Add all ingredients to a Cambro and mix thoroughly.

How to Make the Cocktail:

Add all ingredients to shaker, shake and dump. Garnish with a lime Wheel and hibiscus flower.

The post Let’s Get Creative for this Year’s National Margarita Day. Really Creative. appeared first on Islands.

When it comes to tropical cocktails, we don’t hear much about bourbon. That’s a shame, because as we know well, this is a spirit that makes a delightfully delicious summer drink. But on our favorite islands, it’s pretty hard to get our hands on the good stuff, which is why we go crazy for recipes like a Tamarind Old Fashioned.

One thing we’ve learned over the last few years, though, is that Caribbean and other island distillers are becoming bolder and more creative, and U.S. companies are also producing more distinct variations of whiskey and other spirts as tributes to our favorite regions. For example, Basil Hayden’s Caribbean Rye was one of my favorite bottles ever produced, so it was disappointing when it was discontinued (probably had something to do with me being the only person who liked it).

Fortunately, another bottle has come along that is even tastier and was also conceived for the purpose of giving back. Made in Kentucky, Walker’s Cay is finished with sherry cask staves, giving it a very sweet, smooth flavor that makes it extremely difficult to set down. What makes it so easy to pick up in the first place is the knowledge of who benefits from every sale.

King Spirits founder Steven Busch (yes, of that Busch family) has spent a lot of time in the Bahamas and witnessed the devastating impact that hurricanes have on the islands and people. Walker’s Cay and its sister spirit, Hope Town Vodka, benefit grassroots organizations like Hope Town United, which focuses on the restoration of Elbow Cay, and the Green Turtle Cay Foundation, which is currently helping to rebuild the Amy Roberts Primary School.

If that’s not enough, the bottle labels were designed in collaboration with celebrated marine artist Carey Chen, so they look great on any home bar. And, like most of our favorite spirits, Walker’s Cay bourbon and Hope Town vodka come with simple-yet-wonderful cocktails we can make at home while dreaming of our next trip to the Bahamas.

King Kong

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz Walker’s Cay Bourbon
• 0.5 oz Jamaican rum
• 0.5 oz Tempus Fugit Banana Liqueur
• 3 dashes Angostura bitters

How to Make It:

Add all ingredients into a mixing glass. Combine with ice and stir for 8-10 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass with a single large ice cube. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Vodka Margarita

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz Hope Town Vodka
• 0.75 oz Cointreau
• 0.75 oz fresh lime juice
• 0.25 simple syrup
• 4-6 mint leaves
• Pinch of salt

How to Make It:

Add all ingredients to a shaker, fill with ice, and shake vigorously for 10-15 seconds. Fine strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with mint sprig and/or lime wheel.

The post Here’s a Taste of the Bourbon that Gives Back to the Bahamas appeared first on Islands.

One of the things that I’ve loved about visiting the Caribbean lately is the magnificent abundance of ginger in the food and especially cocktails. For example, in St. Croix, I enjoyed a terrific bush tea that featured ginger with honey and lime, and later that same day I couldn’t get enough of a killer old fashioned that also relied on the root for incredible flavor. The only problem, of course, is satisfying the craving after the return trip.

I’ve had limited success incorporating ginger into my smoothies and other drinks; in fact, I’d call it a Sisyphean challenge at this point. Practice makes perfect, sure, but sometimes a guy needs a cheat code for making something as simple as it is delicious. Fortunately, the bar wizards at Four Roses were reading my mind when they offered the recipe for their Sweet and Spicy cocktail.

We don’t give bourbon enough love when it comes to tropical cocktails, so this one is a very nice, convenient addition to the Islands bartenders’ guide. Just make sure to have plenty of ginger beer on hand.

The Sweet and Spicy

Ingredients:

• 1.5 fl oz Four Roses Small Batch
• 3 fl oz Barritt’s Ginger Beer
• 0.5 fl oz lime juice
• Strawberries
• Jalapeño
• Spicy BBQ rub

How to Make It:

1. Use lime to wet half the rim of a Collins glass, then dip rim in spicy BBQ seasoning/rub.
2. Squeeze a quarter of the lime into the glass. Add 6 slices of strawberries, 2-3 sliced jalapeños, and muddle.
3. Add Four Roses Small Batch, ice, and a small pour of Barritt’s Ginger Beer, then give a quick stir.
4. Add more ice and top with ginger beer. Garnish with jalapeño slices and a lime wheel (strawberry slice optional).
5. Mix Master Memo: When choosing a BBQ seasoning/rub, look for peppers and sugar in the ingredients and opt for one with thicker granules for the best, most flavorful rim. For less fruit chunks, shake ingredients in an ice filled shaker, then strain over fresh ice.

The post It’s Never too Late to Learn a Perfect Summer Cocktail appeared first on Islands.

Have you heard the news? National Tequila Day is upon us! Every year on July 24 we pay tribute to one of the greatest spirits ever conceived on this planet or any other, and we do so by sipping it neat, mixing it in margaritas, pouring a delicious tequila sunrise, or any other number of ways. Its greatness lies in its versatility, and so we want to enhance the celebration by offering recipes for some of the most creative cocktails out there.

But let’s not limit the festivities to one day. Keep these cocktails in mind all year round and feel free to add your own twists here and there. That’s what makes tequila (and mezcal) so darn fun anyway.

Margarita Viva México

The Resort: Hacienda Jurica by Brisas

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz tequila
• 1 oz orange liqueur
• 1 oz simple syrup
• 3 oz grapefruit soda
• 3 jalapeño pepper slices
• 1 lemon slice
• 2 oz white wine
• Ice cube

How to Make It:

In a shaker, place the 3 slices of jalapeño peppers and tequila—lightly marinate just so that the pepper releases a slight flavor. Add the orange liqueur, simple syrup, and grapefruit soda, and shake until it reaches temperature.

Pour into an old fashion glass frosted with half chili and half salt, marinated with white wine, and decorated with a lemon wedge.

Jamaiquilla

The Resort: Galeria Plaza Reforma

Ingredients:

• 2 oz white mezcal
• 2 oz orange juice
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 1 oz hibiscus concentrate juice
• Dash of tabasco sauce

How to Make It:

Fill the shaker with 50% ice, add all the ingredients, and shake it. Serve in a frosted Old Fashioned glass with worm salt. Decorate with an orange twist.

IK Margarita

The Resort: NIZUC Resort & Spa

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Silver Tequila Centenario
• 1 oz fresh lime juice
• 0.75 oz Triple Sec, chili powder
• Salt for rim
• 1 oz habanero-infused simple syrup (1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, 1 habanero chile halved)

How to Make the Habanero Syrup:

Combine the water and the sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Add the habanero chile and continue to heat, bringing the syrup to a light boil. Cover, reduce heat, and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool and steep in the covered pan for about 1 hour or until it reaches your preferred taste. Strain out the habanero and bottle under a tight seal. Store in the refrigerator—it should keep for about two weeks.

How to Make the IK Margarita:

Rim your favorite glass with chili powder and salt and set aside. Pour the tequila, lime juice, habanero syrup, and Triple Sec into a cocktail shaker and add a handful of ice cubes. Shake vigorously for 10-15 seconds. Create your own rhythm, feel free to dance and have fun!

Assembly: Strain the preparation into the rimmed glass full of ice and add a lime wedge with a slice of habanero as a garnish.

Tierra Mexicana

The Resort: Mexico Grand Hotels

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz tequila reposado
• 1 oz ancho reyes chile liqueur
• 0.5 oz hibiscus concentrate
• 0.5 oz natural lime juice
• 0.5 oz simple syrup

How to Make the Hibiscus Concentrate:

Steep 500 grams of hibiscus flower in 350 ml boiling water. Separate the solids and use the liquid as the concentrate.

How to Make the Tierra Mexicana:

Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake for 15 seconds. Serve in an Old Fashioned glass with large ice cubes and garnish with a hibiscus worm salt rim.

Optional: add the leftover dried hibiscus flower from hibiscus juice concentrate.

Agave Citrico

The resort: Mexico Grand Hotels

Ingredients:

• 2 oz of tequila blanco
• Mandarin basil syrup (mandarin juice infused with equal parts basil and 2 tablespoons sugar)
• 0.5 oz natural lime juice
• Citrus shrub
• A pinch of salt

How to Make It:

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice. Stir for 10 seconds, then strain through a Julep strainer, and serve in a Coupe glass. Garnish with dried mandarin.

White Wave

The Resort: Live Aqua Urban Resort San Miguel de Allende

Ingredients:

• 0.75 oz lime
• 0.75 oz passionfruit juice
• 0.5 oz lemongrass syrup
• 1 oz Nami Sake Daiginjo
• 1.5 oz Casa Dragones Tequila
• Scoop of frappe ice
• Plenty of attitude

How to Make It:

Mix and serve over ice.

Tourist Visa

The Resort: W New Orleans

Ingredients:

• 2 oz house-infused spicy tequila
• 1 oz lime juice
• 0.5 oz orgeat syrup
• 0.5 oz house ginger syrup
• 2 dashes orange bitters
• 2 dashes orange flower water

How to Make It:

Combine all ingredients into a mixer, mix and strain into a Collins glass filled with ice. Garnish the cocktail with a dehydrated lime wheel and ginger candy and enjoy.

Isn’t Shiso Lovely

The Resort: W Aspen

Ingredients:

• 2 oz tequila blanco
• 1 oz St. Germain
• Splash of Yuzu Juice
• Shiso leaves

How to Make It:

Combine all ingredients into a mixer, mix and strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass. Garnish the cocktail with Shiso leaves and enjoy.

The Red Dragon ‘Rita

The Resort: JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz tequila (preferably Don Julio Añejo)
• 1 oz Cointreau
• 0.5 oz simple syrup
• 0.5 oz lemon juice
• Mint leaves
• 6 raspberries

How to Make It:

Muddle raspberries and mint leaves and set aside. Pour rest of ingredients into a shaker, add ice and shake to mix. Pour mix into a double rocks glass and add muddled raspberries and mint leaves to serve.

Sunday Margarita

The Resort: JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa

Ingredients:

• 1 oz tequila blanco
• 1 oz simple syrup
• 1 oz milk
• 1 oz nutella
• Whipped cream
• Chocolate sticks

How to Make It:

Combine all liquid ingredients into a mixer, add ice and shake. Pour mix into a double rocks glass and garnish with whipped cream and chocolate sticks.

The post 10 Cocktail Recipes that Make Every Day National Tequila Day appeared first on Islands.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my last few trips to my beloved Aruba, it’s that the island’s mixologists are incredibly proud of their cocktails. I know that can be said for almost any destinations, but this is one of the only places where I’ve been bombarded with tales of drink history and personal inspiration, and also treated to behind-the-bar lessons on how to make signature recipes. It’s like visiting an art gallery, but with way more rum and tequila.

Now, there are a lot of awesome cocktails to be enjoyed in Aruba, from the Aruba Ariba to several variations of the classic Hurricane, so choosing just one is like picking a favorite child. Wait too long, and the drink would melt. So, for the sake of adding another summer cocktail to our repertoire, I’m giving some love to the Dushi Mango from Aruba Marriott Resort and Stellaris Casino, because there’s simply never enough of this spectacular fruit to enjoy.

And, of course, this Palm Beach resort is one of the best places on One Happy Island to enjoy any beverage, with its adults-only H2Oasis outdoor pool providing an awesome setting for VIP rest and relaxation before and after a round of golf at Tierra del Sol. Just thinking about it has me thrilled for my next Aruba trip. In the meantime, cheers!

Dushi Mango

Ingredients:

• 1.3 oz Grey Goose vodka
• 1.2 oz Peach Schnapps
• 1.2 oz Watermelon Pucker
• Dash of Grenadine
• 2.5 oz Mango Mix

How to Make It:

Add ingredients to blender with ice and blend. Pour into glass and serve.

The post How to Make the Dushi Mango Cocktail from Aruba Marriott Resort and Stellaris Casino appeared first on Islands.

One thing we know, after years of sharing recipes for all kinds of frosty concoctions, is that some people simply do not like certain cocktails. My monocle shatters at the thought of someone not liking daiquiris, piña coladas, or (GASP) margaritas, but the heart wants what it wants. Also, some of us are simply picky and I totally get that—this is a judgement-free digital bar room.

So, for National Rum Day, which is celebrated on August 16, we wanted to focus on variety. Not just in terms of the types of drinks and ingredients, but also in the rum we use. For this year’s celebration, we chose the new Kasama Rum, a small-batch bottle from the Philippines and the divine creation of Alexandra Dorda. Even as a sipping rum, Kasama has all the makings of an industry disruptor and a mainstay on our bar cart, so we highly recommend it.

We asked their mix masters to recommend a cocktail for this National Rum Day, and they offered three. Two are as simple (and fantastic) as it gets, and the third might just be the most ridiculously good twist on a piña colada you’ll ever try. Enjoy!

Island Fresca

Ingredients:

• 1 part Kasama Rum
• 2 parts coconut water

How to Make It:

Combine over ice and stir.

Watermelon Breeze

Ingredients:

• 1 part Kasama Rum
• 2 parts fresh watermelon juice

How to Make It:

Shake and pour over ice in your favorite glass.

Pinay Colada

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Kasama Rum
• 1 oz. Briottet Creme de Banane
• ¾ oz. fresh calamansi juice (or lime juice)
• ¾ oz. pineapple juice
• ½ oz. cream of coconut
• 1 dash Angostura bitters

How to Make It:

Combine all ingredients and swizzle with crushed ice until a frost forms on the outside of the glass. Garnish with a pineapple.

The post One Unique Bottle, Three Recipes for a Delicious National Rum Day Celebration appeared first on Islands.