This past Saturday I hosted several bloggers from the Denver Bloggers Club for a Cocktail Hour at my home. I was prepared to offer tips I've learned over the years on basic cocktail making as well as segue into additional techniques for photographing the results of my bartending activities. There were 13 bloggers in attendance that shared a wide variety of focuses; food/cocktails, parenting, hiking, Gluten Free/healthy, and more.
I set up a margarita bar, featuring the base from my BEST Fresh Margarita with options for different fruits to muddle with the base and an assortment of garnishes. I've taken that basic recipe a step further today with this take on something new to me...making this Raspberry Iced Tea Margarita with Sweet Tea and Fresh Raspberries for our Monthly Progressive Eats event which is all about TEA; the brain child of Heather who blogs at All Roads Lead to the Kitchen. Great idea right?
Now; I had planned to do something other worldly with tea, maybe something in the smoker or slow cooker but honestly, I had to get real. As I mentioned on Friday I had food poisoning early last week and what little energy I had was focused on getting ready for the Saturday event. So I took the easy route (at least for me) this month and decided a cocktail was in order. Since my favorite margarita was such a hit with a large group I thought another one so soon after would be well received too and it was fun; I had never, EVER contemplated combining the words 'Iced Tea' and 'Margarita' but it worked beautifully.
It may have been a long time coming but it was worth the wait. It reminded me a bit of an Arnold Palmer; a mixture of sweet, tart, and a slight tea taste, and in this case, one accentuated with raspberries. If I could discern one problem it would have been the inclination to down it too quickly...it was so wet and refreshing I had to remind myself to not gulp it like a tea but to sip it like a cocktail.
This recipe is not too far off from what we did on Saturday but it's unique in that it includes the tea component. Next time you're here you had better check with me before you down a glass from that pitcher in my fridge as this one is going to be in regular rotation; the perfect summer libation.
Interested in hosting your own margarita party? I think my guests were surprised at two things. How easy they are to make using fresh ingredients and even better? How amazingly good they taste. I heard a LOT of yums being thrown around!
Many thanks to Sprouts Farmers Market for co-sponsoring this event; we were a good team. They provided us with a great selection of goodies to munch on and I just made sure everyone had a cocktail! Win-win right?
This is a fun recipe to try and while you're at it, be sure to peruse the recipes listed below from The Progressive Eats crew for our other tea-centric dishes. There is a main course, bread, sides and dessert as well as another cocktail. It's all about the TEA!
Serves 2 Cocktails
15 minPrep Time
15 minTotal Time
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Ingredients
Instructions
Welcome to Progressive Eats, our virtual version of a Progressive Dinner Party. Our menu this month features recipes that have one special ingredient in common - TEA! We had a lot of fun creating them, and hope you'll enjoy trying them, too. Our event is hosted by Heather who blogs at All Roads Lead to the Kitchen. Our menu includes everything from beverages to bread, an entree to sides, and of course some desserts so we can finish on a sweet note.
If you're unfamiliar with the concept, a progressive dinner involves going from house to house, enjoying a different course at each location. With Progressive Eats, a theme is chosen each month, members share recipes suitable for a delicious meal or party, and you can hop from blog to blog to check them out.
TEA Party (recipes featuring tea)
Drinks
- Matcha Pisco by Spice Roots
- Raspberry Iced Tea Margarita by Creative Culinary (You're Here!)
Bread
Main Course
Veggies/Side Dishes
Desserts
Special thanks to Anshie Dhar with the blog Spiceroots for her photos of the event; I was way too busy in the kitchen!
