I get nervous around those big stemmed margarita glasses. They are awkward and top heavy. I can barely drink a cup of tea, stone cold sober, without spilling a generous amount all over myself. I don't own much white clothing. Add tequila and (ideally) some drowsy, sunny catnapping and a heavy, tippy glass into this equation and I am invariably going to make a mess. It's not a super dignified look. Obviously, you should serve these margaritas however you like, but I think they are best in a sturdy and unprecious tumbler. No unnecessary stemware stress.

This pineapple margarita is summer in a glass. Tart and sweet sunny yellow pineapple, acid lime juice with just enough sugar to take the edge off the pucker, with tequila and chili for bite.

Tajin is a delicious Mexican spice blend with chili, salt and lime. It's really good sprinkled on sliced cucumbers, pineapples, mangoes...pretty much any kind of fruit. It's quite sour so if you do use it for the rims, so be judicious at first.

pineapple chili margaritas:

serves 4

2 cups frozen pineapple
1 cup ice
4 ounces tequila
2 ounces triple sec
juice from 2 limes
1/4 cup sugar
pinch of chili flakes
tajin spice, or salt for the rim

Run a wedge of lime around the rims of four glasses and then dip them into a shallow dish of tajin spice or salt.

In a blender, combine pineapple, ice tequila, triple sec, lime juice, chili and sugar and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust sugar, lime juice and tequila to your desired levels of sweetness/tartness/booziness.

Drink in a hammock, if you are particularly confident about your ability to not spill.

This is a kind of seasonless cocktail. It can certainly qualify as a summer drink; the tequila and lime combination feels beachy and sunny. But the pleasant heat from the jalapenos has a winterizing effect; it will warm you during these rainy, snowy, grey months while you pine for sunshine and heat. This cocktail is highly effective all year round. It will fortify your spirits and remind you that winter can't actually last forever.

The tequila sour is based on the whisky sour, but with tequila and lime in place of whisky and lemon. It's easy to double or triple for and you set it out in the pitcher for self serves cocktails if you like.

jalapeno simple syrup:

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced

Combine all ingredients in a small pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the syrup is quite spicy when you taste it (let it cool well before tasting!). Keep in mind that the other cocktail ingredients will mute the heat; I try to make the syrup a bit hotter than I want the drink to be.

Let cool.

hot tequila sour: