Hello, everybody!

Late yesterday afternoon, a friend came over, with a bucket of frozen margaritas dangling from her wrist as proudly as this season’s hottest Louis Vuitton. I was so happy to see them both.

The afternoon temperature was peaking above 100 degrees as we sat outside under the patio umbrella, sipping our luscious frozen ‘ritas, enjoying girl talk as our cats and dogs enjoyed happy hour in their own way. It got me to thinking. I’m pretty much a purist (some say geek) when it comes to foods, beverages, and chemicals around the home. Less is more and I’d much rather cook from scratch (the long, slow way) than use mixes and the like.

I’m that way about cocktails, too. If I’d been serving the margaritas, I’d have whipped up smaller batches in the blender, as we needed them. But then, some of the joy of the pure ease of the situation would have been lost. There’d have been glasses to assemble and ingredients to measure. Dirty dishes and sticky countertops to clean up. Limes to squeeze and . . . !

Didn’t take long and I developed a rather fond appreciation for my friend’s style of mixing a margarita. I think I’ll keep a bucket of frozen ritas just like hers in my own freezer from now on. Sure do like her style!

What’s new at the BellaOnline Cocktails site today?

My Texas roots captured my imagination when I pondered a night listening to live Texas music under the stars at a BBQ joint in the country. Mosey on over to my BellaOnline.com Cocktails website for some cowboy-inspired party ideas and a few recipes sure to invoke an Old West mood.

Where’s your favorite watering hole? Corner bar? Friend’s beer joint? Swanky hotel lobby? What about home? The pollsters at Gallup just released the results of a survey conducted in 2009 that shows more Americans are drinking at home now than at local pubs, taverns, and bars. People aren’t drinking so much at restaurants, either, and we aren’t investing in premium drinks, opting instead for lower cost well drinks, beers, and wines. Learn more about the poll on my Cocktails website then crawl on over to my Cocktails forum and tell us about your favorite watering hole.

BellaOnline Cocktails Forum

What are your feelings about drinking at home? Practical wisdom or economic punishment? Swing by the Cocktails forum (link below) to express your opinion.

Keep those spirits up, everyone - Friday’s just a day and a half away!!


Sandy Hemphill, Cocktails Editor
http://cocktails.bellaonline.com

One of hundreds of sites at BellaOnline.com