Thirsty Thursday: X Rated and Kinky

I taste tested the flirty fruity fusions for you. You're welcome.

They're both pink. Both combine vodka with passion fruit, blood orange, and mango. Kinky lists the mango first, while X Rated touts the blood orange first in its listings.



Bottle Shape: X Rated has a kind of X-shape to the bottle, which makes it easier to hold. Kinky is shaped more like the bomb that's going to go off in your taste buds. 

Color:  I'll give X Rated the lead here. It's a deeper hue of pink, electric and exciting in its presentation.

Flavor Profile: Both lived up to their flavor listing order. X Rated has the bitter tang of the blood orange as it's lead flavor. Think grapefruit, backed off a hair. Kinky is more mellow in its sweetness, with mango as its primary assault. 

Price:  Kinky costs considerably less than X Rated at my local Spec's. Perhaps because it's newer on the market? Or at least newer to my market. I've been drinking X Rated for years, and Kinky is new to me.

Verdict:  (because face it, bottle shape and color is irrelevant when it comes to actually drinking it) Kinky drinks smoother on its own for me, but either way, they are both sweeter than a basket of puppies cuddling kittens. Cut it with a citrus-based soft drink to help ease the acid. Your trachea will thank you. Trust your Auntie X on this one.

If you want sweet and fruity, either will work well for you. Just be sure to enjoy it responsibly. And with something to help break down the sweetness, because, as Willa Wonka said, dayum.

~xxx~

Thirsty Thursday: On Location

Margarita Prima, from Macaroni Grill. Fried Mac & Cheese bites, along with bread, oil, and balsamic vinegar starters joining it. It's a lemon-based 'rita, with Milagro Silver (which is what I mostly use at home) and a Tuaca floater.

(Have I mentioned I like tequila?)

Have fun, responsibly. 

~xxx~

Thirsty Thursday: Texas Breeze

Vodka? On the 4th of July? Sure, why not? When it's from a Texas distillery at least. :)

Recipe:

1.5 oz Dripping Springs Orange Vodka
3 oz Cranberry Juice
1 oz Grapefruit Juice

Results:

The grapefruit juice overpowered everything else for me in this drink. I added another 1.5 oz cranberry juice, and that mellowed everything out more and brought out the orange in the vodka better.

But it's your taste. Have at and have fun. Responsibly.

~xxx~

Thirsty Thursday: On Location

Chuy's Texas Martini. Who needs the glass? Just give me a straw....

Be safe. Be responsible. 

~xxx~

My Birthday, You Get The Present

Well, my birthday was actually yesterday. And yeah, a new freebie from me isn't much of a present, but this awesome cover by the fantastic A.J. Corza is something, right?

(This is my convoluted way of saying my Love Has No Boundaries story is up today at the Goodreads MM Romance Group.)


The Five Times Raptor Messed with The Bull
(and the one time he got the horns)

Raptor has been the only openly out officer in his SWAT team for a while now. Being smaller than the other guys, and leaning more toward pretty than handsome, he's had to work extra hard to prove himself to the bulked-up 'roidheads that continuously challenge his abilities. When Bull shows up in the middle of the night, he presents a new challenge for Raptor: keeping his heart from getting in the way of doing his job.


STORY INFO:
Genre: contemporary
Tags: law enforcement, sparring turned sticky, back alley hand job, public shower handies, seriously handsy protag, bathroom blowjob, self-denial, repeated cases of blueballs, snarky heroes, plot-what-plot?
Word count: 9,599

I'll have the download available here and on my website soon. (I guess that means I'd better get on getting my site updated, huh?)

Happy reading!

~xxx~

Thirsty Thursday: Let Them Drink Cake

Smirnoff Iced Cake Vodka.

Yeah.

That.

Dangerous stuff. Seriously. Tastes like frosting. Licking a(n alcoholic) cupcake. You can easily drink it straight. Keep it in the freezer so it's always chilled. 

Yeah.

That.

If you're mixing it, remember it's got a sweetened vanilla flavor to it, so mix wisely. 

Although... Iced Cake Vodka and orange juice?  Think it would taste like an Orange Julius Screwdriver? Guess I've gotta hit the grocery store for another taste test. Stay tuned... and stay responsible.

~xxx~

Thirsty Thursday: Shake It Up

I know all these Thirsty Thursday posts could give you the impression that I always have a cock...tail in my hand. That I'm a lush, that I have a problem and may just need an intervention.

I'm going to let you in on a little secret: I really don't. Seriously, when I do drink, I tend to drink heavily. But, I'm perfectly content to go months without having a drop of alcohol. I do enjoy the spirits, but they are not a part of my every day life, and I try to indulge safely when I do. I usually do my heavy drinking at home - saves money and public embarrassment. 

At restaurants, I'll order the first drink. The second is on the waitperson - if they ask, why, yes, I will have another, thanks for asking. If not, I'll just have the one and be content. 

This is all just an aside to get to the real point of this post: Shake It Up. 

Want another secret? I'm a closet health food freak. 

I have no bread in my house, no pasta, no deserts, no packaged food stuffs. I'm not going gluten free or anything like that. My thing is what I like to call "closest to the source." I eat fresh fruits and vegetables, whole cuts of meat, and a lot of nuts. I like to recognize what's on my plate for what it once was, and I like to know exactly what I'm eating. 

That's not to say I don't love all the other stuff. I could eat Texican/Tex-Mex/Mexican food all year long. And pasta? Dayum. Gimme. 

Alas, that doesn't help me reach my ultimate goal. (Yes, weight loss, looking better, feeling better, and more energy is part of that, but my Ultimate Goal? Stay medication free for as long as possible. That's it. I just want to stay off any maintenance medication for as long as I can.)


 So, it's salads, steamed broccoli, and grilled turkey for me. 

And protein shakes. Yes, those 'delicious' liquid creations to help save muscles after a work out. So, let's shake up this Thirsty Thursday, why don't we?

Try it. You'll like it. ;)

Almond Joy Protein Shake

1 cup Coconut Almond milk 
2 scoops Cookies and Cream Protein powder 
             

**Mornings, I add 1/2 cup Oats to it and blend the heck out of it.

 (I use Intek Isolate. Its Cookies & Cream is more chocolaty,
 and the cream makes it smoother.
Isopure is also good, but its Cookies & Cream is more cream than chocolate)

You can use a shaker (do yourself a favor and get one with a wire whisk ball in it. Trust me.), or your blender. If you're adding the oats, definitely use the blender. Big flakes of oats in your drink is just nasty.

Till next time, live long and prosper. And maybe get off the couch for a while. You'll feel better for it.

~xxx~