last night, my good friend beatrice came over for dinner. we met when i was still working in fashion but we really bonded over food and shoes. she came over to catch up and to taste some new menu items i'm testing out for catering. 

i've been suffering from a cold and her and wes went on a whole tangent about tequila being anti bacterial and helping when you have a cold. now, i was calling a bit of bull honkey on that claim. 

but i did some research and it is true that the agave tequila is made from has some great health aiding properties. anti-inflammatory and immune boosting effects were listed as some of the health benefits. so hell, i'm going to give it a go. i'm upping my cold kicking odds of success with some pomegranate, blackberries and lime juice to make a perfect fall margarita. 

pomegranate margarita
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 2 minutes
active time: 1 minute
total time: 3 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz tequila reposado. 1 oz pomegranate juice. 1 oz lime juice. 1 oz triple sec. 2 blackberries for garnish. toothpick or rosemary stick. 10 pomegranate seeds for garnish. shaker. cup of ice. 

start by making your garnish. skewer your blackberries with your toothpick or stick. then add your ice to the shaker. 

pour in all your ingredients. shake well to combine. about 30 second. 

place your garnish in your serving glass. pour the contents of your shaker into the glass.

serve cold. enjoy! 

xo, a

pomegranate margarita
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 2 minutes
active time: 1 minute
total time: 3 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz tequila reposado. 1 oz pomegranate juice. 1 oz lime juice. 1 oz triple sec. 2 blackberries for garnish. toothpick or rosemary stick. 10 pomegranate seeds for garnish. shaker. cup of ice.
tart by making your garnish. skewer your blackberries with your toothpick or stick. then add your ice to the shaker. pour in all your ingredients. shake well to combine. about 30 second. place your garnish in your serving glass. pour the contents of your shaker into the glass and serve cold. 

now, normally for tips & tricks i come up with a concept and then do a bunch of research to make sure i know what i think i know (and i also learn some new tips & tricks along the way) and then i put together what i think is the most important information and i give it to you. 

but today, i found the perfect article covering food coloring, the different types and when to use which type. so why mess with success. the kitchn is one of my go to resources for good tips and great recipes when i need some inspiration or information. you can read the article HERE. here is where i come in. 

now that you have read up on the best type of food coloring for your needs, here come the tips & tricks for perfect colors for you batter, icings and frostings for this upcoming holiday season and for LYYYYFFFEEEE (imagine me yelling that in a deep voice with extended holds on the f and the e). 

i use liquid gel food coloring for almost everything. i have liquids and powders and straight gels of different brands and colors, and the liquid gels in my opinion are the best color with the most ease of use. gel pastes are great color adders but because they are so concentrated and require dipping something into the pot instead of using the dripper, they are not as easy to use or control. when in doubt, get liquid gel. i love the americolor brand (they call theirs soft gel) and you can find assorted boxes or individual colors on amazon HERE. LOVE. THAT. PRIME. 

add color a little bit a time. a little bit goes a long way, and a lot can RUIN your color. so add color a bit at a time. especially if you are using a new food coloring or recipe. don't be afraid to MIX color. that's right, think outside the box. revert back to those lessons about complimentary colors and red and yellow make orange. if you want to play around with a fun online tool to see what happens when you mix colors so you are comfortable before you start throwing ingredients into the mix, CLICK HERE and play around. 

finally, black and white are some of your best tools. adding white to soften color, or adding black to get darker hues is key in getting the perfect colors. i keep a big bottle of black and white color on hand to ensure i always get the perfect color. 

xo, a