I can't resist photographing everything I see on my walk around Álamos, the Spanish Colonial village where we live.
I loved the sprinkle of lilac (not flowers, but confetti) below this vivid green and yellow house.
. . . and the car parked nearby matched.
It seems to say... Sal de Margarita!
I have been saving this Rick Bayless recipe for Sal del Mar's Valentine's Day celebration for several months, because it "speaks" Valentine with its silky, smooth texture and rich, voluptuous color.
To describe this Blood Orange Margarita more than that is difficult - except to say not only does the blood orange and the Cointreau bring a sweet/tart flavor but the blood orange color is rich and intense.
I use martini glasses for my margaritas and I put them in the freezer to get frosty.
Blood Orange Margarita (from Rick Bayless)
Makes 9 cocktails
2/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup 100% agave silver tequila
1/2 cup Cointreau
2 cups fresh blood orange juice (you’ll need about 6 juicy blood oranges)
A lime half for moistening the glass rims
SAL DEL MAR
Ice cubes (you’ll need about 6 cups—small ones are best)
In a large pitcher, stir together the lime juice, sugar and 3/4 cup water until the sugar has dissolved.
Add the tequila, Cointreau and blood orange juice. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
Moisten the rims of three 6-ounce martini glasses with the cut side of a lime half. Spread SAL DEL MAR on a small plate, then upend the glasses into the salt to crust the rims.
Fill a cocktail shaker about 3/4 full of ice and measure in 1 1/2 cups of the margarita for 3 drinks. Cover and shake for about 15 seconds to thoroughly chill the mixture.
Strain into the prepared glasses and hand to your guests.
When you’re ready, finish the remaining margaritas in the same way.
I have to admit it. I am not a football fan but I do love the food and drink part.
At our house the cocktail will be a Paloma... a "margarita" made with grapefruit juice.
It's easy to make:
Rub half the rim of a highball glass with a grapefruit wedge. Dip the glass in SAL DE COCKTAIL.
Combine 1/4 cup fresh grapefruit juice with 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice and 1 teaspoon of sugar.
Stir until the sugar is dissolved and then add a jigger of tequila, ice and top with club soda.
Our new grey linen Sal de Cocktail bags make a great gift for the bar!
Valentine's Day is just around the corner.
And so we designed a Salacious Valentine bag that makes a perfect "little" gift.
One pound of our hand-harvested sea salt is packaged in a fabulous hand-embroidered bag with either a red or hot pink heart.
We've even added a gift tag with a few of the magic ways salt has been thought for centuries to enhance the matters of the heart.
It's a gift for anyone. For friends, lovers, and even a favorite Aunt. And it's already wrapped!
They make a great gift anytime of year. Bon Boutique in Tucson made up gift package of Sal de Cocktail and a shallow crystal bowl for dipping the salt, tied with a simple twine bow.
We always salt the rim of our cocktail glasses in advance of the party so they have a chance for the salt to crust a bit....and so the salt doesn't drip down into the cocktail. Another tip: just salt half the rim so that the guests can have salt or not. I guarantee that even "non-salt people" will like Sal de Cocktail.
We wish you and yours a happy, healthy 2015! We value you as customers and as friends and thank you for your support. It is because of you that our embroiders are able to help sustain their families.
PS: We still have all of our other Sal del Mar and Sal de Cocktail designs available. Our new linen bag is another design to choose from!
It's holiday time and a time to gather ‘round the staff of Sal del Mar and celebrate our fifth year. We drove to the small village of Sabinito Sur, where the women who embroider our muslin bags live. It is a beautiful drive with mountains as a backdrop in a region where the desert meets the tropics. It's only a 20 mile drive from Álamos, but takes one hour to get there by car.
Arriving at the village, we were greeted by a Christmas display in front of the children's school... a tree with colorful ornaments and a red door wrapped like a package. It really shows how the simple things are almost always the most beautiful.
Our gathering took place at Meche's home, who has been with Sal del Mar from the beginning. Rosario, Aide, Natalia of course were there too with their babies and young children.
We stuffed ourselves with decorated Chrismas cookies that Phillip and I made, drank orange soda and talked about our good fortune to have made 2014 the best year yet for Sal del Mar.... and they received bonuses that reflected our good year.
Before leaving, I tried, in my awful Spanish (I promised to be better next year), to let them know what artists they are and how they should be very proud of their work. The salt is the best gourmet sea salt in the world, but it is they, the embroiderers, who make a simple bag a piece of art to treasure.
We headed home to Álamos at dusk, but ready to return soon to work on 2015.
It's Thanksgiving week, but visions of the holidays haven been on my mind lately. This means that among many other ideas, I want to show off our Sal del Mar holiday bag design because (of course) it makes a great gift for the holiday season... for a hostess gift, a stocking stuffer or for any of the "little" gift needs that come up.
I have had the holiday Santa Mermaid bags tucked safely away . . . well, since last November/December. When I opened the cupboard where they were "fast asleep," I immediately smiled. There they were: all their little mermaid "holiday" faces looking up at me.
They made me smile and feel that "I love this time of year" feeling.
As I looked through them, I saw something that I have never taken time to see before....they all have different personalities!
This little holiday mermaid has an innocent look with her blue eyes and pink lips.
This little holiday mermaid is "Hot" with her dark eyes and red lips.
This little holiday mermaid is Sweet.
This little holiday mermaid is happy...look at her smile!
There is also Bashful, Flirty, and Jolly. Each mermaid has her own special charm because all of the Santa Mermaids are created by our embroiderers who reflect their own personal style, giving each mermaid her own special magic.
The women who embroider have a working partnership with Sal del Mar and they are able to earn money from their work to benefit their families.
You can order the Santa Mermaids on our website shop. And if you order by December 21st you should have them in time for Christmas (and you never have to pay for shipping!)
And don't forget... it's a gift that's already wrapped.
I am so excited to show off these photographs taken at a party and tasting for our Sal del Mar hand-embroidered bags that Bon Boutique held at their store in Tucson, Arizona. The photos taken by Amy Haskell (www.haskellphotography.com) are worth a thousand words.
Beautiful Crystal of Bon Boutique.
Bon Boutique, Tucson
Crystal, one of the proprieters (her mother Bonnie is the other) greeted guests with trays of Sal del Mar salted nuts for guests to taste our hand-harvested gourmet salt.
The setting was exquite with garlands and twinkling lights and displays of Sal del Mar gift ideas.
Sal del Mar's NEW grey linen Sal del Cocktail Bags
Gift Idea: Sal de Cocktail with a salt dish
Gift Idea: Sal del Mar with a beautiful cookbook
I loved the gift ideas Bonnie and Crystal designed. For Sal del Cocktail...our new embroidered bag design for the home cocktail bar...they packaged each bag with a shallow crystal bowl for salting cocktail gasses.
Our Sal del Mar gourmet sea salt bags were tied as a gift package with twine and hand-made paper flowers and a glorious cookbook, "Mexico, The Cookbook" by Margarita Carrillo Arronte.
Beautiful Teri Arnold Shannon
Teresita's New Martini
Tiny paper fluted cups held savory and sweet salted almonds.
As the guests browsed through Bon, they were served delectable samplings of Sal del Mar and Sal de Cocktail.
Trays of tidbits were passed with such treats as olive oil sautéed dates topped with Sal del Mar, salted chocolate truffles, melba toast topped with goat cheese and salted caramelized guayaba by Chef Teri Arnold Shannon who prepared them from her Teresita's Panadería y Bistro kitchen in Álamos, Sonora, Mexico.
Sal del Mar filled a salt dish to try with French radishes, herbed butter and baguettes.
Tasting of a new-style Martini was served with salt-rimmed cocktail glasses (for the recipe go to our website).
If you couldn't attend the tasting and party, Bon Boutique is located at 3022 E. Broadway, Tucson. It is worth a visit and you can even order from them on-line! Sal del Mar and the gift ideas shown above, make the perfect hostess gifts, holiday gifts and are packaged beautifully!