margarita -

by BS

Cocktail O’Clock: Pumpkin Spice Margarita

Behind only brunch, I think pumpkin spice is the second-most surprisingly controversial topic of the fall food season. Fine, the Internet thinks P-Spice is way too basic; but we say October can’t come and go without it…especially if you’re mixing if up with some tequila this year.

Pumpkin “Spice” Margarita

2 ounces Camarena Reposado Tequila
2 can Pumpkin Puree
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Sugar
1 tablespoon Cinnamon
1 pinch Nutmeg
2 cups Water
1/2 ounce Orange Liqueur
Juice of 1/2 a Lime

Make a pumpkin simple syrup by combining pumpkin puree with brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and water in a saucepan over low heat. Stir for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, cool and strain. Combine the juice of half a lime, Camarena Reposado Tequila, and 2 ounces pumpkin simple syrup. Shake well and serve on the rocks.

by Emily

Endless Road Trip Marfa: Hotel Paisano

Marfa’s Hotel Paisano is a very special place. Not only is it a gorgeous historic building with an ultra-classy patio & bar, but it’s also the location/headquarters of the 1956 film Giant, starring Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean. Film, architecture, and a stiff drink? Count me IN!

As I mentioned, Paisano, on the National Register of Historic Places, is a beautiful building. After its silver screen heyday it sadly started to fall into disrepair, but luckily it was purchased by new owners and restored to its original splendor, plus renovated to include modernized rooms, shops, etc. Just look at it:

Endless Road Trip Marfa: Padre’s Bar & Grill

If you haven’t heard of Marfa, Texas, I can’t blame you. I didn’t know much about it until I moved to Austin a couple years back, but then I learned quickly enough: Marfa is a little town in the West Texas desert which has turned into an art enclave in the past few decades. It has some glimmers of weirdness because it was the setting of an old James Dean movie way back in the day, and it’s also home to the Marfa Lights, a mysterious phenomenon in the sky… basically, if you are looking for a scenic, artsy, and perhaps slightly creepy wild west desert roadtrip, West Texas (and specifically Marfa) is the place for YOU!

And the place for ME. I loved our trip so much. It’s funny because Marfa really is a teensy town, but I felt like there was way too much to do in the short amount of time we spent in the town (2 days out of the 4 we were in West TX). And by “do” I mean “eat” obviously, because Marfa actually has a great (albeit small, I mean come on, it’s like a 4-street town) food scene! So many cute food trucks and hole-in-the-wall spots only open for breakfast or lunch. There are like three “fancy”-ish restaurants and three bars as well. At least five days’ worth of solid eating and drinking, is what I’m saying.

Cocktail O’Clock: Mango Ginger Margarita

We were on our third day of sightseeing benders in the world of rodent amusement parks when we ventured to “Tomorrow Land”—you know the one, with the gigantic golf-ball housing the “ride of tomorrow” that ends in some California garage? Unfortunately, the early 80’s tech-savvy scene failed to amuse our five-year-old tech genius. Nothing offered here could compete with our PS3 at home, so he decided to take his boredom out on the rest of us. Purely in the interest of self-preservation, I stumbled upon a stand selling mango-ginger-margaritas in China-land. My wife and I enjoyed 3 of these magical libations. (Yes. That’s 3 each.) I recreated these serenity slushies at home with positive results.

Mango Ginger Margarita

Cocktail O’Clock: Mexico Meets Thailand

Here’s one the will make you reeeeeally mad that you live somewhere so freaking cold. Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit in Mexico shared their recipe for a margarita that mixes things up with two typically southeast Asian ingredients — tamarind and mint — to make pretty much the most tropical drink ever.

Sorry about the cold.