We are wrapping up summer with a spicy, refreshing cocktail for the books! This past weekend, HBN Cocktail Club gathered for a lovely afternoon, on a beautiful patio, to learn this tequila-based cocktail and enjoy some of the last days of summer. While we are all sad to toast adieu to the warmer months, there is nothing quite like doing it with a craft cocktail and your favorite lady friends.

August Cocktail Club Hostess: McKenzie

McKenzie was a killer hostess this month – offering up a beautiful patio and a lovely cocktail setup. McKenzie wasn’t able to make a lot of our gatherings over the past year due to her travel adventures and her very awesome career as a nurse. However, that didn’t keep her from hosting a huge group of cocktail enthusiast and creating a bevvy that had just enough heat. Beauty and brains – this girl has it. Thank you so much, McKenzie, for showing us all a delightful afternoon.

August Cocktail: The Spicy Pepino

Ingredients:

2 oz. Blanco Tequila
.75 oz. Cointreau (triple sec or orange liquor)
2-3 slices of Jalapeno
5 Cucumber chunks
3 Basil leaves
4 drops Agave Syrup
4 Pineapple chunks
.5 oz. Lime Juice

How to:

Muddle the jalapeno, cucumber, pineapple, and 2 basil leaves in the bottom of your shaker. Once muddled, add ice, tequila, cointreau, agave syrup, and lime juice.

Shake, shake, shake, senora.

Pour into a collins glass filled with ice and garnish with cucumber, pineapple, jalapeno, basil toothpick! Choose one or all! Up to you. I mean really, don’t we all want to eat the garnish? So load it up, friends.

This cocktail was loved by all. It is sweet BUT finishes spicy, and you can really make the heat level to your liking, depending on how many jalapenos you muddle. The pineapple and cucumber pair so nicely together and the basil adds just enough to bring out an earthy profile.

Thanks again, McKenzie, for a tasty toast to the end of summer!

Follow Heartbeat Nosh Cocktail Club on Instagram with hashtag #HBNCocktailClub
to see more photos of our cocktailing each month!

September is going to be awesome – with another patio setting, but ringing in the fall months! I will be hosting, and we will be featuring a cocktail using BittersLab’s new apricot bitters and I am so excited — we will also be doing some giveaways! So, stay tuned for more imbibing ahead.

TWITTER: @HeartbeatNosh
INSTAGRAM: @HeartbeatNosh

CHEERS XO