Blood Orange Rum Margarita

Posted on October 29, 2022November 11, 2025 by Alyse Nicole

Blood Orange Rum Margarita

Welcome to Saturday Sips which showcases cocktails made with Texas based wine and spirits.

This site contains product affiliate links. We may receive a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links.

Every week, I check the new H‑E‑B ad to see what fruits have been added. Last week, I noticed they now had blood oranges. I’ve never had a blood orange, but I’ve always been intrigued by their dark, almost red flesh. So I decided to give them a try.

I also recently got a new rum I’ve never tried before called Hera Tropical Rum. This rum is made right in Austin by rap artist and innovator Anastasia Hera. The all natural rum is brightly flavored with notes of banana and coconut.

I don’t know why, but something inside me said, “Make a cocktail with the oranges and rum!” So, I did. I almost instantly knew I wanted it to be something like a margarita. So, I searched our liquor cabinet and fridge to see what we already had that would work. Then I checked the grocery store online for blood orange flavored things.

At home, we had orange liqueur, lime juice, and of course the rum. So the base was looking good. I then ordered the blood oranges and blood orange Italian soda to round the recipe out.

Blood Orange Rum Margarita

Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 2 reviews

Author: Alyse Nicole
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 2 drinks
Category: Drinks

Ingredients

¼ cup granulated sugar
1 blood orange
2 oz Hera Tropical Rum
1 oz orange liqueur
4 oz Italian soda
1 oz lime juice

Instructions

Wet glass rim, and dip in sugar. Slice blood orange and wet glass rim with slice. Pour sugar on saucer, and dip glass's rim in the sugar.
Add ice and all liquid ingredients to shaker. Shake. Fill the shaker with ice, and add the rum, liqueur, soda, and lime juice. Place the lid, and shake for about 30 seconds.
Add ice to glass. Strain drink into glass. Remove strainer cap from shaker. Fill sugar rimmed glass with ice, and strain shaker contents into glass.
Garnish with orange slice. Finally, place orange slice from earlier on glass rim for garnish.

Gather Your Ingredients

So, before we start, let’s get all our ingredients in one place. You’ll need

• tropical or white rum

• orange liqueur

• lime juice

• blood orange Italian soda

• blood oranges (mostly for garnish)

• sugar

• and ice

I’m a sugar rim girl. So, that’s how I made this cocktail, but I was tempted to try some pink Himalayan sea salt just for looks. If you prefer salt on your margarita, try it out, and let me know how it is.

Rim Your Glass

Take a saucer (small plate), and pour about a quarter cup of sugar on it. You can use more or less, depending on how many drinks you’re making. Then, thinly slice an orange, and use one of the slices to wet the rim of the glass. I like to go down further where my mouth will be on the glass to give it a little razzle dazzle and to get some extra sweetness while I drink.

After wetting the rim, dip the rim of the glass in the sugar, applying to more areas as needed. If you wet the side of the glass, be sure to roll that section in the sugar as well. Now, let’s make this drink!

Combine the Liquids

Fill a shaker with ice. Then add the rum, liqueur, soda, and lime, in that order. Place the lid on the shaker, and shake it for about 30 seconds. You’ll know it’s ready when the frost appears on the shaker and your fingers start to freeze. lol

Pour Your Drink

We’re almost at the finish line! Take your sugar rimmed glass and fill it with fresh ice. Afterwards, remove the strainer cap from your shaker, and strain the drink into your glass. Depending on the type of glass you used, this will make one to two drinks. Lastly, just place the orange slice you used earlier on the rim of the glass, and enjoy!

After adding everything together and taking the first sip, I knew this would be a staple hosting cocktail in our home until further notice. The way the flavors mix and mingle, while still uniquely standing out from each other is true magic! hope you enjoy it as much as I did. If you try it, tell me what you think and if you’d change anything. Happy sipping!

Thank you for checking out my recipe! Let me know how it turns out for you and if you’d customize it at all. Find the rest of the Saturday Sip series here.

Hard Blueberry Lemonade

Posted on June 28, 2022November 11, 2025 by Alyse Nicole

Hard Blueberry Lemonade

Hey y’all! Welcome to my new series, Summer Sips, where I will share cocktail recipes featuring local or up-and-coming wines and spirits. Not to worry, though. If these brands aren’t available near you, there are other alternatives.

So lately, we’ve been regularly keeping alcohol stocked in the house, partly due to being partnered with a few brands, and partly from us actually purchasing it. Because of the increase, though, we’ve been getting more creative with our recipes. Then I thought why not share them with you!

Today’s recipe will be a hard blueberry lemonade made with Bomade vodka, a lemonade vodka infused with organic lemons, that recently became available in the Austin area. Oh, and did I mention it’s Black owned? This vodka is so smooth and light that it’s almost dangerous! The refreshing lemon flavor helps the vodka effortlessly blend with most mixes. To get your hands on a bottle, click here to check its available locations or to request it in your area. Now, let’s get to the recipe.

Hard Blueberry Lemonade

Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

This is a simple, refreshing drink to end an evening or to serve while entertaining. You can also interchange the berries and sparkling water to make it your own.

Author: Alyse Nicole
Prep Time: 1 minute
Total Time: 2 minutes
Yield: 1 glass
Category: Drinks

Ingredients

¼ cup blueberries (rinsed)
ice
2 oz Bomade vodka
1 can Sanpellegrino Limonata sparkling water
garnish (optional)

Instructions

crush bluberries In a highball glass, add blueberries. Then crush blueberries with wooden spoon.
add ice Fill glass with ice.
add vodka Pour Bomade vodka over ice.
fill with Sanpellegrino Finally, fill rest of glass with Sanpellegrino.
stir Lightly stir with wooden spoon.
garnish You can stop there, or you can garnish the drink with mint.

Once when I made this, I had a little peppermint left in my garden, one of the only plants that actually grew. So, I just added that for a little razzle dazzle.

Now all that’s left is to sit back and enjoy. Get you a good book, turn on some mellow tunes in the background, and take in the vibes.

Thanks for tuning into my first Saturday Sip! I hope you liked the recipe. If you tried it, let me know. If you post it on social media, be sure to tag me @alysenicole85 and @bomadetexas for a shout out! Bye bye for now. See you at the next sip!

Lutie’s Garden Restaurant

Posted on July 16, 2021November 12, 2025 by Alyse Nicole

Lutie’s Garden Restaurant

If you read my last post, you know that we had a staycation at the Commodore Perry Estate during the July 4th long weekend. Unfortunately, William and I didn’t get to eat at Lutie’s during that stay because the restaurant is only open Wednesday through Sunday, and we were only at the resort overnight on Monday. Luckily, though, I was able to return Wednesday to try Lutie’s. Continue reading for a look inside one of the most beautiful, sought after restaurants in Texas, Lutie’s Garden Restaurant.

Lutie’s Garden Restaurant is named after the Lady of the original Comodore Perry estate, Lutie Perry. She was known for her beautiful garden as well as hosting Gatsby level gatherings, from dinner parties to soirees. So this restaurant is a breathtaking homage to her.

The Interior

As soon as you open the door, you’re engulfed by the lush green décor, including a mixture of live and artificial plants hanging from the latticed ceiling. While there is lighting, the restaurant is mostly lit by the sunlight entering two enormous walls of windows. After sunset, the chandeliers and pendant lights take over.

Lutie’s may also have the most beautiful bar I’ve ever seen, with its gold trim around cream and glass shelves, the green velvet rollback barstools, and chandeliers on either end that almost feel like floral arrangements.

Seating is a mixture of booths and tables, as well as outdoor seating on the patio that overlooks the sunken garden. I arrived promptly at 5pm (actually before then), at opening time. So I was the first patron seated.

I was taken to a table for two near the windows and had the perfect view to admire the entire restaurant, both indoors and outdoors. The food is served on antique ceramic dishes with gold flatware, and guests are offered their choice of still or sparkling water. Since this is still during cautionary times due to COVID, menus are still digital.

The Menu

Here’s the thing. Lutie’s menu is a bit different from what you may be used to. There isn’t an appetizer, salad, or entrée section. Instead, the food is listed from the smallest to largest dish, ending with a 2 pound aged ribeye steak. The menu also changes regularly, depending on what fresh ingredients are available. So there isn’t really a menu available online to peruse beforehand.

The entire menu is explained to you upon arrival, and every dish is described in detail. My server, Candace, said they suggest 2-3 dishes per patron, consisting of two smaller items and one larger item. There are also several shareable dishes.

My Meal

I started with a cocktail, the very flavorful Indigo Kick (all specialty cocktails are $17). Its ingredients include vanilla infused Kettle One vodka, blackberry, basil shrub, local honey, ginger beer, and lemon. I used it as a palate cleanser between dishes. For my meal, I chose 3 dishes, the corn falafel ($9 for 3 falafels), the barbecued scallops ($30 for 2 scallops), and the green dish ($18).

The corn falafel was tasty. It was crispy on the outside and nice and soft on the inside. The tangy sauce drizzled on top was a nice surprise for my taste buds.

The barbecued scallops were insanely good! It had several contrasting flavors and was cooked perfectly. The purple daikon relish also gave it a nice little crunch.

Finally, the green dish was also exceptional and nothing I would’ve ever thought of creating. The ingredients for this dish change, depending on what’s in season, but as of July 5, 2021, it consisted of roasted summer squash topped with mixed greens and feta cheese, all covered in a green sauce with a dash of sea salt. If only I knew what the green sauce was made of, I’d definitely try making this at home.

Everything had a great combination of contrasting flavors that made them stand out and keep me excited for the next bite. The three dishes were also just enough to fill me up.

Dessert

Of course, I saved room for dessert! I ordered the chocolate shaved ice ($12), which is layered from bottom to top with dark chocolate ice cream, chocolate shaved ice, vanilla Chantilly, and cocoa nibs.

Now, I’m not a chocolate ice cream fan, but something said try it, and I’m glad I did. The different textures are a lot of fun in your mouth. The chocolate did start to take me over close to the end, but the vanilla Chantilly calmed it back down. It almost reminded me of tiramisu with a crunch. Then Candace, my server, said someone described it as a fancy fudgesicle, and they were absolutely right!

Final Thoughts

Lutie’s Garden Restaurant is hands down the most beautiful restaurant I’ve ever visited, but it’s also very down to Earth. The servers are quite attentive and go out of their way to make sure you fully enjoy your visit. The presentation of each dish was top tier, with nothing out of place. You definitely receive the full 5 star experience from arrival to your last bite (or sip).

I recommend everyone dine here at least once. You’re unlikely to experience anything like this anywhere else.

‘

The Backspace Anderson Lane

Posted on June 14, 2021November 12, 2025 by Alyse Nicole

The Backspace Anderson Lane

I’ve been trying to branch out from my go-to’s and explore new restaurants. So, last week we visited The Backspace Anderson Lane, the sister restaurant to The Backspace, Austin’s first Neapolitan pizzeria. These restaurants are under the umbrella of Parkside Projects, which is comprised of several local restaurants and venues in Austin.

The Backspace Anderson Lane serves Neapolitan pizza (of course), antipasti, pasta, paninis, and many other Italian dishes. Read below to see what we tried, including pictures to lure you in.

First Impressions

When arriving at the restaurant, you enter it from the back side of the building. Get it, the backspace? There’s a nice small outdoor sitting area near the door and cool painted signage on the wall with neon lights of a pizza being flipped (top picture).

Upon entering, you’re welcomed by the hostess, who is kind enough to give your husband a disposable mask because he forgot his at home. To the right, there’s a private dining area with banquet style tables. Straight ahead is the bar, kitchen, brick oven, and a shelf featuring the many Italian wines served there. Then, to your left is the seating, which is a mixture of booths and tables.

There’s a very nice ambiance inside, which is definitely matched by the food offerings. This isn’t your everyday pizzeria after all. I mean, you don’t have to be dressed up as much as I was, but I feel it calls for at least a polo shirt or blouse, depending on your preference.

Though there’s a bar, the restaurant is still family friendly. Case in point, there was a young lady celebrating her 13th birthday with her family and friends while we were there.

I love that the pizzas are made out front where you can see the artistry in action. Also, pretty funny to me, my favorite aspect was the water glasses made from old wine bottles. Enough of the visuals, though. Let’s get to what you really want to know. How was the food?

William (my husband) started with a caesar salad, and I had the crispy calamari. I tasted his salad, and he tried the calamari. Both were delicious!

Usually when I think of a caesar salad, I just think of lettuce, parmesan, croutons, and caesar dressing. So, I was pleasantly surprised to see this colorful medley. The calamari included the typical calamari rings as well as mini octopi and was served with an Italian tarter sauce.

As I said, William had the fettuccini. So, here are his thoughts.

“It was very flavorful. The basil added a pleasant zing to each forkful. There was a nice amount of pesto sauce. It wasn’t too much, and it wasn’t dry.”

I ordered the Speck pizza, and oh my goodness! The flavor combination was almost too good to handle, from the spinach and read onions to the calabrese chili and ham, it was a true party in my mouth! I will be honest, though. The chili almost had me, but I was able to come out victoriously. All in all, though, I’d absolutely recommend it.

Finally, there was the tiramisu, which I have to order whenever it’s an option, thanks to my oldest brother, Chef Tony Evans. May he rest in eternal peace.

In my opinion, tiramisu should be listed as one of the wonders of the world, and the one served at The Backspace Anderson Lane is top tier! The bottom wasn’t soggy, which I have unfortunately experienced elsewhere several times. The coffee flavor wasn’t overpowering, and the mascarpone was perfectly light.

My final thoughts overall are that this won’t be our last visit, and I look forward to trying other dishes in hopes that they’re all as delicious as these. If you have or haven’t been before, make this your next restaurant to visit. Dine in, and really take in the full experience and vibe.

*This was a hosted visit, but all thoughts are my honest opinions.

First Time in Denver

Posted on January 30, 2021November 12, 2025 by Alyse Nicole

First Time in Denver

I had planned on going to Denver, CO for my birthday. It was originally a couple trip for William and me, but once “you know what” hit, that counted William out because he’s considered high risk due to his asthma. So it turned into a family affair, with the addition of my friend Jennifer. Here’s the story.

How it Started

So, we planned the trip for months, as one does. For our first day, since we were all arriving at different times, I decided to hire a private chef for that evening so we could rest up and wind down from traveling. The first chef completely ghosted me. We were conversing. All she had to do was send the invoice. Then she was nowhere to be found. So, I found her on Instagram and asked her if we were still on. I didn’t hear back from her until we were back from our trip. Luckily, I went ahead and moved on. So, I found another chef, and he tried to overprice the meal for whatever reason. So, I cancelled our agreement as well.

The first day of the trip was my actual birthday, and since we were celebrating my 35th birthday, which is a milestone birthday to me, Jennifer and I flew in first class. It was my first time, and let me say, I’m in love! Click here to see how that went lol. We arrived in Denver first, but my niece, Kayla, arrived shortly after. So we waited for her so we could all drive to the Airbnb together. On the way to the house, we stopped by a dispensary. This was also a first for me, and what an experience it was! Once my sisters and other niece made it in, we had also partaken and were under the influence. So this is what happened with the food. smh

Since we were without a private chef, I just found a local restaurant that delivered and had family size dishes. Now, here’s where I messed up. I ordered the food after taking the edible! So, the evening was going on, and I knew the food shouldn’t have taken that long. Eventually, I decided to check the status, only to find that I had ordered it as pickup instead of delivery. Mind you, we didn’t have a car, and the restaurant doesn’t deliver themselves. It’s actually through Doordash. So, I’m freaking out now. I called the restaurant and let them know, and together we came up with a solution. Uber has a new service called Uber Pickup, where they literally pick things up and bring them to you. So, we finally received the food, and it was surprisingly still hot! Night saved! As far as the rest of the night, I ended up crashing around 8pm. Happy birthday to me. lol

Hitting the Town

Now, it’s Friday, day 2, and we’re starting our activities. We headed downtown to Larimer Square, but sadly it was closed. So we walked over to 16th Street to check out the 16th Street Mall. I’m not sure if Larimer Square was closed because we were too early, because of the snow, or due to the lockdown that started back the week of our trip. All during our trek, there was a slight blizzard (to us) taking place. We couldn’t wait to get to Denver and experience the snow until we got to Denver and experienced the snow. It was basically like walking in the rain. lol

So, during our journey, we made it to Angelo’s Taverna, where we had lunch in a greenhouse. The greenhouses are part of their solution to outdoor dining due to COVID restrictions. It was a really cool experience, besides it being pretty cold inside. We started with oysters. Then I ordered a huge calzone with sausage and bell peppers. After dinner, our server brought me a cannoli for my birthday. Everything was delicious!

We had so many plans, like visiting Miracle at Larimer Square, a Christmas themed pop up bar. There’s one in Austin during the holidays too, but we never make it. We were also supposed to go ice skating downtown. While neither of those happened, we did ride the free 16th Street shuttle to the State Capitol and stumbled upon a German Christmas market in the Civic Center Park called the Christkindl Market. Each vendor was set up in a cedar booth that resembled a log cabin. We had some delicious hot chocolate and Russian style crepes from Blinchiki, one of the food vendors on site. If you’re in Denver in December, please visit this market. It’s like you’re in another place and time.

The last details given were from Friday and Saturday. At this point, the whole trip has become one big day because Saturday evening, my niece received some news that would completely change and outweigh everything. At around 5pm, mountain time, my niece received a call that her daughter was in a terrible car accident and had to have emergency surgery, among other things. Of course, this meant we spent the rest of the trip making sure she’d be ok. It was a long night, but our baby girl pulled through. Two months later, she’s still on the road to recovery, but she’s doing so good!

I’m sorry to end the story this way, but that’s how the trip ended. Everyone else’s flights left early in the morning. So, when I got up, they were already gone. I cleaned up, took a few pics (that were all later deleted), and headed to the airport. I did treat myself to some expensive airport restaurant food since I got there early. Then I met up with Jennifer, and we came back home. I will say that I plan to return to Denver when it’s safer and warmer so I can get a better experience of the Mile High City. Have you ever been there? If so, do you have any recommendations for when I revisit?