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

Lime Margarita Frozen and on The Rocks

The Best Lime Margarita

The Lime Margarita is, by far, one of my all time favorite cocktails. It’s the basic foundation for all Margaritas, from Strawberry to Mango and even a fantastic Watermelon or Blueberry Margarita because you’ve got to add Lime. So starting out with that foundation, I’m going to show you a real simple and basic way to make a frozen Margarita and a Margarita on the Rocks using my Lime Margarita Mixer recipe.

Virgin Lime Margarita

If you want to make a virgin Lime Margarita, it’s easy to do. Just leave the Tequila and Liqueur(Triple Sec) out. Triple Sec provides an orange flavor that helps balance out the bitter taste in the drink, so I would recommend adding orange juice to the mix, instead. If you didn’t get a chance to read the Lime Margarita Mixer Recipe I posted, you should because there are a lot of different things you can do to tweak your Margarita’s until they are absolutely perfect for you.

When it comes to Tequila, you’re going to drink what you can afford or what you’re willing to pay for. But, like any Alcohol, the quality goes up the more money you’re willing to spend and a Lime Margarita is no exception. This drink gets better with higher quality booze. Personally I land right in the middle. When I buy cheap, I regret it and I regret it bad. My personal favorite is Cazadorez, which runs around $30 a 5th. Which, of course compared to the almighty Patron, is a great price. But I’d be lucky to see a bottle of either one of those even on my birthday. Cuervo is alright but I really don’t prefer it. For the same price and in this video I used Lunazul. I’m not affiliated with them and I don’t make a dime for talking about, for or against any of these brands, it’s just my personal opinion. So you do what you want and my the Margarita Gods smile upon you!

Lime Margarita Ingredients:

1/2 cup ice
2 oz Tequila
1 1/2 oz Triple Sec
3 oz Lime Margarita Mixer

1 1/2 oz Amaretto, optional for Italian Lime Margarita

Lime Margarita Mixer Recipe

Homemade Lime Margarita Mixer

If you’ve ever purchased a Margarita Mixer from the store, you know that they are both pricey and usually crap. So, why do we buy them? Because we LOVE Margarita’s! Right? Damn straight! But if you’re like me, you wouldn’t mind a cheaper alternative and maybe even a better tasting cocktail and that’s what I aim for when I’m mixing a beverage with spirits. But there are a few things you need to consider before you attempt this recipe because there aren’t just several different ways to make this. You have to consider variable ingredients as well as apposing temperatures, as well.

Margarita Mixer Variance’s

All Margarita Mixer recipes are different and I don’t just mean swapping out fruits like Strawberries, Mango’s or Watermelon to make a Margarita. Store bought bottles literally contain 0% juice. And, if you try one brand to the next, both Lime Flavored for example, they’ll taste completely different from one another. But they also have all of that shelf life crap they have to endure, with all of the ingredients, created to preserve the product, all the while trying to maintain flavor. But the only 3 ingredients you need to worry about today are Water, Sugar and Lime Juice.

I make my Margaritas with Triple Sec in them. Which, if you don’t know, is a sweet orange liqueur. But, if you’re not adding that, you might want to consider squeezing in an Orange with all of the freshly squeezed Limes. This, along with the sugar, will help balance the citrus and citric acid.

Sweetening and Heating the Margarita Mixer

This Margarita Mixer can be tweaked in several other ways and it’s important that you consider these options and understand you might like your Mixer better if it’s heated or unheated, Sweetened with Corn Syrup or Simple Syrup and made with granulated Sugar or Honey.

If you choose to make Simple Syrup, which I recommend, there’s no avoiding heat to fuse and bond the sugar or honey to the water. Simple Syrup is, of course, 1 part water and 1 part Sugar but you can substitute honey, if you like, but consider cooling it down first before mixing the other ingredients at room temperature. The flavor will be different than how it would taste after the ingredients are heated on the stove. To prove my point, think about fresh salsa vs. cooked salsa.

Using the Limeade to make a Margarita Mixer is a quick fix but, once again, you may want to consider mixing the ingredients at room temperature.

Be sure to check out my Pico De Gayo, Shrimp Cocktail with Oyster Shots, Fish Tacos and my Chili Con Queso recipes so you can have something to munch on while you enjoy your Margarita’s. The way I make a Frozen Margarita and a Margarita on the Rocks is up next.

Lime Margarita Mixer Ingredients:

Fresh Recipe
10 to 12 Limes, freshly squeezed

1 cup Lime Juice
1 1/2 cup Water
1 cup Simple Syrup (1 pt sugar, 1 pt water)
add more sugar to taste or as needed

Concentrated Recipe
1 can Limeade Concentrate
1 1/2 cup Water
1 cup Simple Syrup (1 pt sugar, 1 pt water)

Be sure to follow the instructions in the short video tutorial and I’ll show exactly how to make this Lime Margarita Mixer.