FRESH + FRISKY — I'll Be Ready in Five Minutes

It's summer time!!! Which means we move cocktail hour OUTSIDE. And maybe extend it by an hour or two... or three, but who's counting?! I always love to tell people my two favorite things are "dining al fresco" and "bars with live music". But I also don't like to be cold. So eating and drinking outside really just occurs in the warm balmy summer months.

ANYWAYS

I have the YUMMIEST, FRESHEST cocktail recipe. It's more of a guide than a recipe I guess, because I'm not exact about many things. But the bottom line is that you should MOST DEF make it and take it outside.

INGREDS

100% Agave Tequila
Soda Water (not tonic)
Fresh Basil
Fresh Cilantro
Fresh Lime Juice
A jalapeno

WHAT TO DO

I make them in twos.

Juice half a lime into a cocktail shaker
Throw in tons of fresh basil and cilantro ((I told you this wasn't exact))
Add some jalapeno - don't add any seeds or any white pith if you don't want it spicy.
Muddle it all up. I used the handle of a wooden spoon for the muddlin
Add two shots of tequila, fill with ice and shake, shake, shake.
Fill two glasses with ice
Strain the mixture and divide between the two glasses
Top with a few splashes of soda water

It's seriously SO GOOD. The first word that comes to mind is FRESH. The second is FRISKY. It is tequila, after all. And I like mine with a little kick.

Since this is a wellness blog...

I once read that Suzanne Somers drinks 100% agave tequila almost every day for "medicinal purposes", and no she wasn't joking. Well, not completely. She likes it because it's natural, organic, low in sugar, doesn't make you fat, and also acts as a probiotic in your GI tract. Seems pretty great as far as choosing alcohol goes. When I read it, I decided to make the switch myself... but completely forgot about it and just carried on with my vodka sodas. UNTIL! I got super sick and was diagnosed with a super fun roster of stomach problems. I've had to give up a lot of foods and have had to cool it with the alcohol. But life is all about balance, right? And a small dose of living on the edge? So I decided I would give up all the gluten and dairy in the name of healing myself, but NOT alcohol. I mean a girl's gotta live, you know? So now I'm just smarter about it. I was told that my best option is 100% agave tequila. Which immediately brought me back to good old Suzanne, the queen of aging gracefully and naturally.

Also, I don't have any science to back this up, but I do feel like wine is aging... anybody else? I know there's the argument out there about wine and antioxidants ((I think I've even used it myself)), but a lot of wine makes me feel super dehydrated... like a little grape that got left in the sun instead of being plucked and turned into a nice velvety cab. Tequila will leave me with a few regrets maybe, but I don't have that same feeling of being shriveled up. So I'm making the switch! And you should, too!