Mi Rosa

Mis amigos, I hope you're having a glorious, long weekend! As for me, I'm due at work in about an hour. But that doesn't mean that I don't have time to share with you the most beautiful cocktail with the most beautiful name ever. I've been trolling the old gourmet.com site recently and happened upon this beverage with the following introduction, which completely won me over:

"'To gild refined gold, to paint the lily, to throw a perfume on the violet, to smooth the ice, or add  another hue unto the rainbow, or with taper-light to seek the beauteous eye of heaven to garnish, is wasteful and ridiculous excess.' —The Life and Death of King John, William Shakespeare.

The rosebud garnish on this delicious cocktail seems a bit like painting the lily. Maybe not as bad as garnishing heaven with a taper-light, but still, probably not necessary."

For Gourmet's version, click here.

Can you tell that Matt and I got a new camera? It happened a few posts ago, and to be honest, I'm kicking myself that we didn't do this earlier. That said, fate had much to do with it. A good friend was selling her old one, and the price was too good to pass up! Anyway, part of the reason why this week is a little bon-appetempt lite is because we've been taking the camera out, learning the ropes, and even shot another fun video(!) that we hope to post soon. We hope you understand.

This week, I also sat down with the LA Times food blog and chatted about this almost three-year-old operation. You can check that out here.
So, if I had the day off, this is what I might do. Arrive at my friend's barbeque with a basket of raspberries, some tequila, orange juice, sparkling wine, and ask (quite politely): "Who is ready to gild the effing lily?"

Mi Rosa via Gourmet
1/4 cup rinsed drained picked-over fresh raspberries
1 oz (2 tablespoons) Tequila
1 teaspoon sugar
6 tablespoons fresh orange juice
6 tablespoons chilled Champagne or other sparkling wine

Garnish if desired: short-stemmed rosebud

In a blender blend raspberries, Tequila, and sugar until smooth and force through a fine sieve into a small bowl.

In a Champagne flute stir together orange juice and sparkling wine and add shaved ice to within 1/2 inch of rim. Carefully spoon raspberry mixture over ice and garnish with rosebud. Makes 1 drink.