Poetic License and Lolita Margaritas

Hi there, everyone. I’m Bianca Strzelczyk and I’m beyond excited to share my shoes and my cocktails on Bridget’s fabulous blog.

This past weekend my boyfriend and I celebrated our five-year anniversary at Lolita Cocina and Tequila Bar in Boston. The restaurant has a dark, seductive feel -- with red lights behind the bar, large leather chairs in the lounge area, and lots of black detail on the walls. It’s dungeon-like and creepy – but in a good way. (Yes, that’s possible.)

Naturally, super sexy, super high heels are a must at place like this, and I flaunted these badass Poetic License beauties.

I’d bought them a week earlier at a little shop in my neighborhood for … wait for it … $39. Craziness, right? The brand retails at Nordstrom for at least $100.

But that’s George’s Shoes for you in Jamaica Plain – the place is so small it doesn’t even have a website. Trust me, though, if you’re ever within 10 miles of the shop, you must go. Great deals, fun styles, what more could a gal ask for?

Besides the perfect margarita, of course.

Inspired by the Lolita Margarita (pictured above) – which is an absolute phenomenal combination of ingredients – I set out to recreate a comparable drink the morning after my anniversary. (Literally – I started Googling recipes at 10:30 a.m.)

After some research, I think I pretty much got it. (Well, at the very least, I got some ridiculously delicious.)

Looks similar, right?

It’s a combination of the SkinnyGirl Margarita and the Lolita Margarita, so it’s semi-calorie light. I like my margaritas a bit more salty (mmm sodium!) than sweet and this recipe reflects that but feel free to tweak it to your taste.

Ingredients
2 oz silver tequila
3 to 4 Tbsp fresh grapefruit juice (one grapefruit is plenty)
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice (one lime is plenty)
1 tsp (or more!) agave nectar* (or simple syrup)
Splash of Triple Sec, Grand Marnier or Cointreau
Lime wedge for serving
Salt (or sugar) for serving

Rub some lime on the rim of a glass. Tip it in salt or sugar. Put a few ice cubes in the glass and set aside. (I usually put mine in the freezer.)

Combine the tequila, grapefruit juice, lime juice, agave nectar (or substitute), and Triple Sec (or substitute) with ice in a shaker. Shake well.

Pour into the glass and garnish with lime.

Enjoy!

*I just so happened to have agave nectar on hand, and decided to give it a try. Turns out, it’s an absolutely perfect sweetener for margaritas, and at only 60 calories per tablespoon (and I only used a teaspoon in the recipe), it’s a great low-cal alternative to simple syrup.

Which naturally means you can drink two. Or five.

Bottoms up!

To read more from Bianca, check out the animal blog Current Instincts, and articles about drunk elephants.

Mello Yellow

I started the homemade limoncello process yesterday by peeling 10 lemons, putting the peels into a large mason jar, and filling it with 750 milliliters of vodka. In four days, I can move on to step two of the process, which involves sweetening it up. I can't wait!

The gorgeous yellow lemons got me in the mood to break out my bright yellow peep-toe sling backs by Guess, my no-name saffron-colored purse and the giant yellow quartz ring I scored at the jewlery counter at TJ Maxx for about $30 a handful of years ago.

I paired it with a blue and white pinstripe denim blazer and a pair of white skinny jeans by Michael Kors.

I'll write more about making limoncello later this week and I'll post some shots of the process. In the meantime, I need to find a great margarita recipe for Cinco de Mayo! Share your suggestions. I'd love to try them out.

Cheers!

Some like it Hot....

Sometimes, you just need some down-home barb-b-que and good strong tequila to unwind.
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I'm Portuguese, so it's in my DNA to love spicy food, but my fiance is on a whole other level when it comes to an affinity for heat. He's not happy unless there are tears streaming down his face and fire shooting from his nostrils.

We have some good friends who also enjoy psychotically spicy foods. So, whenever we meet them for dinner, we hit a place known for suicide-hot wings in West Bridgewater, Mass. called Chili Head BBQ Co.

Chili Heads also has a long list of quality tequilas (100% agave) to choose from, which makes for excellent margaritas (and shots) to wash away the burn.

Last night, I had margarita(s) with Patron Silver, Cointreau, and lime juice over ice. I always go with clear liquors like Patron Silver, because there is far less sugar in clear liquor than in brown liquor.

Also, if you are in a place that doesn't make margaritas from scratch and uses some type of mix, ask them to cut the mix with club soda (the "SkinnyGirl Cocktail" style).

It makes perfect sense because most margarita mixes are full of sugar, and that means calories and hangovers! No, thank you.