~Margaritas and Your Wedding~

Now who doesn't love a good margarita?!

Could make a fab signature drink . . .

a nice cool beverage for a summer wedding.

(Source: Real Simple)

Easy margaritas: 

lime sorbet and tequila.  So simple and yummy, and a great way to keep it cold!

(Source: The Foodie Bride)

The Signature Drink: The Blackberry Margarita

Ingredients

• For the blackberry puree:
• 6 oz blackberries
• 1/4 cup water
• For the cocktails:
• 3-4 oz blackberry puree
• 9 oz lime juice
• 9 oz water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 oz orange liqueur
• 3 oz blackberry liqueur
• 6 oz tequila

Instructions

1. Heat berries and 1/4 water over medium heat.
2. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to break down the berries.
3. Pour into a strainer set over a bowl and press the pulp and juices through the stainer, into the bowl.
4. Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1 cup water and heat until sugar is dissolved and the water is clear.
5. Add puree, simple syrup, lime juice, liqueurs, and tequila in a small pitcher or carafe.
(If you have trouble finding blackberry liqueur, omit it or replace it with a couple extra tablespoons of blackberry puree).
6. Stir well and serve over ice.

Notes

Yields: 4 servings

(Source: Bakers Royale)

Margarita Popsicles

• No recipe, just an easy entertaining idea that requires some Dixie cups, popsicles sticks and Mike’s Hard Lemonade Strawberry Margarita. As a side note, the traditional margarita made with Tequila needs a much colder temperature to freeze than the tradtional home unit allows, so that’s why something like these Mike’s Hard Lemonade is better suited for making these popsicles.
• To assemble: Pour and freeze the Strawberry Margarita for two hours then insert the popsicle sticks in the middle. Freeze for another two hours or until the Strawberry Margarita Popsicles solidify. Garnish with a lime and serve.
• Small note, do not rim with salt until serving time as the salt will melt the pops. Alternatively, you can rim the Strawberry Margarita Pops with chunky crystal sugar for an aesethetic effect without worrying about the melting factor. 
• To keep popsicles chilled as long as possible, place the serving tray in the freezer and then top  the tray with a layer of crushed iced. 
• The popsicles  sticks are from one of my favorite baking shops Sweet Lulu. Great prices, awesome customer service and super fast shipping!

(Source: Brown Eyed Baker)

Margarita Cupcakes

Margarita Cupcakes

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Prep Time: 25 minutes | Bake Time: 25 minutes

For the Cupcakes:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
Zest and juice of 1½ limes
2 tablespoons tequila
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup buttermilk

To Brush the Cupcakes:
1 to 2 tablespoons tequila

For the Tequila-Lime Frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2¾ cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons tequila
Pinch of coarse salt

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners; set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

3. In an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugar together until pale, light, and fluffy (about 5 minutes).

4. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and add the eggs one at at time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.

5. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the lime zest, lime juice, vanilla extract and tequila. Mix until combined. (The mixture may start to look curdled at this point, but don’t worry, it will all come back together, power on!)

6. Reduce the mixer speed low. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk in two batches. Mix only until just incorporated, using a rubber spatula to give it one last mix by hand.

7. Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until just slightly golden and a skewer shows only moist crumbs attached, rotating the pan at the halfway point.

8. Allow cupcakes to cool for 5 to 10 minutes, and then remove to a cooling rack. Brush the tops of the cupcakes with the 1 to 2 tablespoons of tequila. Set the cupcakes aside to cool completely before frosting them.

9. To make the frosting, whip the butter on medium-high speed of an electric mixer using the whisk attachment for 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low, and gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing and scraping the sides of the bowl until all is incorporated. Give it a mix on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add the lime juice, tequila and salt mix on medium-high speed until incorporated and fluffy. If the frosting appears a bit too soft, add some additional sugar, one spoonful at a time until desired consistency is reached. Frost cupcakes and garnish, if desired, with lime zest, an additional sprinkling of salt and a lime wedge.

*Note #1: If you would prefer to not use liquor in these cupcakes, you can absolutely omit it from both the cupcakes and the frosting with no problem. If you do omit it, I would add 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract to the frosting.

*Note #2: I used a Wilton 1M tip to frost the cupcakes.

(Recipe adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride)

Yummmmm Right?!

~Simply by Tamara Nicole~

Pssst I had SUCH a fun day visiting 5 venues around Seattle with my clients Liz and Kaushik today! 3 new signed weddings this week, and 3 more new client meetings tomorrow, this is going to be an AMAZING year for SBTN!!