Drinking under Quarantine

Spicy Jalapeno Margarita Mix & Grapefruit Cocktail Mix by LAVA.

These are Great Mixers

This company contacted me recently for a collaboration, which pretty much means that I get to try their product for free and pass on a discount for you, and all for the small price of show casing their product. So, just know that I’m not getting paid for this and I’m sharing my true opinions about these two products.

First off I’m happy with the shipping, 3 days from Florida to the mid-west and nothing was broken. That’s important because I ordered a 6 gallon carboy last week and it arrived shattered with bubble wrap. These mixer bottles are glass too but they both arrived unscathed with no bubble wrap so, that’s saying something.

I received a Spicy Jalapeno Margarita Mixer and a Ruby Grapefruit Cocktail Mix. The Margarita Mixer recipe requires, of course, tequila and Lava recommends vodka or gin for the Grapefruit cocktail mix. I chose to go with gin.

The Jalapeno Margarita I thought was amazing. I salted the rim with chamoy and tajin, which gave it some more kick, and I felt like they paired very well together. Over all, I’ll definitely be adding Jalapeno to my Margarita’s in the future.

The Grapefruit cocktail was good too and probably about as good as it could get. The second time I tried it I liked it even better because I rimmed the glass with honey and sugar and I think that helped balance the sour. My wife thought it was great but we both agreed that we liked the margarita’s better.

How much do they Cost

I only have one con for these products and it is simple; I don’t like the price, and not just because I’m the Poor Man’s Gourmet Kitchen or because I’m frugal. They’ve included a 10% off discount for purchases over $20 dollars but at $12.99 per 1 ltr bottle(33.8 oz), that still only knocks you down to $11.69, plus tax and shipping costs. Sorry Lava, I’ll stick with Mr. & Mrs. T Margarita Mix for $6.99 per 1.75 ltr (59.2 oz)and just blend in a Jalapeno. And, their Strawberry Daiquiri/Margarita mixer is even cheaper than that but tastes incredible. Plus, I can get it at any Walmart and most grocery stores.

I’m all for supporting small business’s and I love these products but LAVA has just got to be reasonable. If they want these drinks to take off, they need to drop that price down a little more, get people addicted to it, like crack/cocaine, and then hike up the price. Just my two cents.

UPDATE: LAVA has the following response to offer in regards to pricing.

“As far as product pricing goes, we definitely feel you but for online orders unfortunately the shipping company makes most of the money as it costs us anywhere from $9~$10 to ship our glass bottles which are much heavier than plastic and require better packaging. Add to that credit card processing fees, packaging, cost of goods, etc., and it doesn’t leave a whole lot. At retail stores here in California, the bottles retail for about $7.99~$9.99 since we don’t need to ship across the country. Just wanted to let you know for reference.
The good news is, we are working on a better discount structure for online orders based on bottle volume so if someone orders 2, 3, 4, bottles we can pass additional savings (that we get from the shipping company) on to the customer.”

Lava Mixers Unveiling/Review – Drinking Under Quarantine – PoorMansGourmet

Bloody Mary Brunch

The Best Bloody Mary

I’ve always loved a good cocktail and this Bloody Mary Brunch is no exception because it’s got it all. Not only are they known for being a fantastic hangover cure, restaurants around the world are now making them a meal by adding epic ingredients to the garnishment. It use to only incorporate a few vegetables like a stick of celery and some green olives but, now days, you can get just about anything and I’m going to show you exactly what I’m talking about.

1 box of frozen microwaveable Cheeseburger Sliders.

Bloody Mary Garnish’s

The last thing anyone wants, when they’re hungover, is difficulty so, in this Bloody Mary demonstration, I keep it simple by using a products that only take a few minutes to put together and cook. In these instances, the freezer section at your local grocery store can be your best friend; especially if you planned ahead and already have a box of microwaveable goodies in your ice box. In this post I use White Castles cheeseburger sliders(which I’m, in no way, affiliated), but you can use all kinds of things. Jalapeno Poppers, Bagel Bites, Jimmy Dean Breakfast sandwich’s, cheese sticks or pizza pockets are just some examples.

Now when it comes to the Bloody Mary mix, I do like them bold and spicy. One of the best mix recipes that I have ever come across, and again I’m not affiliated with, is made by Zing Zang. I’m pretty sure it can now be found in every grocery Walmart around the world. I’ve used it to make my Red Beer and it’s amazing to cook a roast in.

I use pickle juice and Tajin to salt and spice the rim of my glass. Tajin is used in my Mangonada Recipe and I’ve got a pic of what it looks like in that post. It has a wonderful blend of dehydrated and ground chili peppers, sea salt and lime juice so, it’s perfect for any Bloody Mary recipe.

Bloody Mary Brunch Ingredients:

1 glass Ice
3 oz Vodka
8 oz Bloody Mary Mix
3 tbsp Pickle Juice
3 tbsp Tajin, spicy salt
1 pc Bacon, cooked
1 stick Celery
2 Slider Cheese burgers
1 Pickle, small
2 Queen Pimento Green Olives

I use shish kebab sticks for skewers and straws for Drinking these Bloody Mary Brunch cocktail’s.

Happy National Drink Wine Day

How much does your Wine cost?

I believe that a good drink brings a meal full circle, however, wine can get pricey. So you may ask yourself does this really go hand in hand with The Poor Man’s Gourmet Kitchen? I’m here to tell you that it does. We pride ourselves in bringing you gourmet dishes on a budget and we can help you do that with your wine too.

Drinking my favorite Chillable Red Wine While Mr. PMGK Cooks.

Wine while you wait!

You will very often find me sitting at the counter with a glass of red wine while Mr. PMGK cooks us yet another amazing meal. Sometimes I act as his sidekick and get out the ingredients he needs, clearing away dishes and items that have already been added to the meal, anything and everything that I can do without having to do the actual cooking myself. Sometimes I’ll offer him a drink while he works but most the time he’s too busy to even take a sip until he’s done cooking. I’m the drinker in the family. It’s safe to say I drink way more than he does. I can do this comfortably and within our budget by purchasing boxed wine.

Boxed Wine

Now some of you connoisseurs may cringe at the thought of boxed wine. I know I did before I first decided to give it a try. However, when you’re on a budget you have to be open to new ideas while still realizing that you don’t have to sacrifice the things you love and enjoy. Trust me, once you try it you’ll wonder why you’ve been wasting so much money on bottled wine. Don’t get me wrong I’ll still pick up a nice bottle when the occasion calls for it but for dinners at home and winding down after work there’s no need to splurge.

Wine RECOMMENDATIONS

When I finally brought myself to give up the idea that wine is only good if it comes from a bottle, I ventured over to the boxed wine section at the liquor store. I wasn’t looking for a pairing just something to sip on after a long day. I very quickly fell in love with Frazia’s “Chillable Red”. 5L for less than $20! SOLD! It doesn’t get much better than that and very often it’s on sale for under $15.

Now if you’re not a red wine fan like I am, I have the perfect recommendations for you. If you’re looking for a white wine “Moscato” is a very sweet and it’s delicious! You also won’t be disappointed if you go for a “Sunset blush”. I think it might be one of my new favorites. Last but not least I cannot leave you without recommending PMGK’s Peach Sangria. It is amazing for any occasion and especially for National Drink Wine Day! Enough talk, it’s making me thirsty, lets pour ourselves a drink! May you all drink wine and eat well today, cheers!