Tag: Prickly Pear Margarita

Comedies

Miss Congeniality

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Image: Miss Congeniality, 2000

Did you know April 25th is the perfect date? If so, then you either A) got married on this day like I did, or B) you’ve seen this week’s flick Miss Congeniality (Disc/Download) more times than you can count. Gracie Lou may be talented with water, but I prefer to show off my skills with something a little more alcoholic.

Shot in San Antonio, Texas (a fact the tour guides will not let you forget), Miss Congeniality is about an undercover FBI agent posing as a beauty pageant contestant to capture a domestic terrorist. We’re expected to believe that Sandra Bullock is a gross, frizzy-haired tomboy at the start of this flick (a difficult ask given that she’s one of the most beautiful movie stars on the planet), but things soon brighten when Michael Caine’s Henry Higgins-esque pageant consultant transforms her into someone who can rock an evening gown and a bikini. I love a movie makeover, and Caine plays this like he’s having the time of his life. Gracie shares a tepid romance with her fellow FBI officer (Benjamin Bratt), but the real heart of this movie is her relationships with the other pageant contestants. She teaches them to let loose, eat carbs whenever they want, and not take everything so seriously. In return, they teach her about the importance of world peace.

There are some great shots of the San Antonio River Walk in this, but in my two decades of living in Central Texas, I’ve only found one acceptable place to drink in this floating tourist trap. That restaurant is Boudro’s and the drink is a Frozen Prickly Pear Margarita. If you absolutely must visit the River Walk, this will make the experience a little more tolerable. While watching Miss Congeniality, I recommend drinking a River Walk Margarita.

River Walk Margarita

4 oz silver tequila

2 oz Cointreau

2 ½ oz lime juice

2 oz simple syrup

2 oz prickly pear syrup

Fresh lime wedge (garnish)

Combine tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, and simple syrup in a freezer-safe container. Freeze at least eight hours. Once you’re ready to make your margarita, pour contents into a high-speed blender with 1 cup crushed ice. Blend until smooth. Pour into a martini glass, then add a swirl of prickly pear syrup around the rim. Garnish with a lime wedge.

We can’t forget about the always-gorgeous, always-hilarious Candice Bergen as pageant owner Kathy Morningside, nor Heather Burns as the sweet, ditsy Miss Rhode Island who gives us the iconic April 25th line. I’m totally fine having my anniversary celebrated in tandem with Miss Congeniality every year because the movie is pure fun. If you can’t find something to laugh about here, all I can say is, “Smilers wear the crown, losers wear a frown.” Cheers!

Comedies

10 Things I Hate About You

LizLocke1 Comment

10 Things I Hate About You
Image Credit: 10 Things I Hate About You, 1999.

Picture this: young (but not so young that it’s creepy) Heath Ledger in a bulky jumpsuit that somehow manages to show off his broad shoulders and narrow waist. Long hair pulled back into a rakish ponytail. Beside him, on a bed of hay, lies Julia Stiles, covered in paint. He cups her face with his strong hands, smearing the colors, preparing her for his kiss. Let’s just say, this scene in 10 Things I Hate About You (Disc/Download) DID THINGS to a teenage Liz Locke. Heck, it does things to Adult Liz too. I need a cocktail to cool off.

Adapted from Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, this delightful rom-com is a fun mix of cheesy acting and sparkling dialogue. In his American film debut, Heath Ledger plays the bad boy with a heart of gold. His Patrick Verona smolders with a cocky can’t-give-a-fuck attitude until he meets the girl who matches him eyeroll for eyeroll. Although initially paid to take out the prickly Kat Stratford (Julia Stiles), he makes the mistake of falling for her in the process. We all know how this is going to end (the joy, the heartbreak, the reconciliation), but watching it unfold is so darn fun. There are other charming actors and subplots in this, but let’s be clear—I’m here for Heath, his accent, and his incredible smile (and, okay, his tight black tanktops).

Opposites attract is one of my favorite tropes, especially when there’s some great banter involved.  What I love about Patrick is that he can dish it out just as well as the feisty Kat, thus creating oodles of tension.  These two either have to kill each other or kiss.  While watching 10 Things I Hate About You, I recommend drinking a “Prickly Pair” Margarita.

“Prickly Pair” Margarita

1 1/2 oz Blanco Tequila

1/2 oz Cointreau

1 oz Lime Juice

1 barspoon Prickly Pear Preserves

1/2 oz Simple Syrup

Orange Twist (garnish)

Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake until chilled.  Strain into a glass filled with ice.  Garnish with an orange twist.

Prickly Pear Margarita

Although Heath is delicious and wonderful, let’s not forget about Allison Janney as the  guidance counselor who writes romance novels on the side.  Add to that epic proms, a seaside vista, and Letters to Cleo performing on the roof, and this is basically the greatest high school in the world.  Why would anyone ever want to graduate?  Cheers!