it’s Margarita weather!

The last few summers here in Oregon have been woefully inadequate.  I’m from a sun loving state, so I need a couple good months of sun to replenish my vitamin D.  This summer has been exactly what I needed!  We’ve had a marathon run of cool mornings that turn into gloriously hot afternoons.  I’ve been in heaven.

Oregon is a state controlled liquor state, which means you cannot buy booze at the grocery store.  The tasting room at the distillery is technically a tiny liquor store.  We can only sells the products we make.  Since we are not a bar, we can serve “mini” cocktails that have no more than 1/2 ounce of spirit in up to 2 ounces of mixer.  The OLCC has us on a pretty short, but manageable leash.

What says summer better than a Margarita?!  We don’t make a tequilla, but one thing I love in my margarita is our Hot Monkey hot pepper infused vodka.  We came up with a modified margarita to serve this weekend.  The following recipe is for a real “adult” size beverage for you to enjoy at home.

Salt the rim of your glass.  If you really want to be on fire, mix a pinch of chili powder or cayene in with your salt before rimming.
In your cocktail shaker, add:
1 ounce fresh squeezed lime
2 ounce pomegranate juice*
2 ounce Hot Monkey vodka
1 ounce simple syrup
2-3 dashes Fee Bros orange bitters
Shake and pour into your glass over fresh ice.

*a fun alternative is pomegranate flavored fizzy soda from the supermarket, just shake everything else and pour that on top.

Cheers!