Well hello there readers! We’ve made it to the mid-week mark in our Countdown to Coachella celebration, and to honor our continuing desert theme we have an extremely special drink for this week’s quickie cocktail: The TCL.

What is the TCL, you ask? Step inside, and all our secrets will be revealed…

Oh TCL, how we love thee. Not to be confused with the (equally amazing) TLC, you are always there for us when we see a bartender that we know cannot function beyond the Rum&Coke level, on hot summer nights when we need a cool refreshment, and on fall, winter, and spring nights when we need to pretend that it is actually summer. You also have the distinction of being introduced to us during our college years by a supremely awesome, tall, bird-like friend and forever changing our lives. We love you, TCL. We really do.

Alright, enough of that. What does TCL stand for, and what will you need to make it? Well, allow me to answer both of your questions:

TCL = Tequila. Club. Lime.

• 2 oz tequila
• aprox. 4 oz club soda
• aprox 1/2 a lime

That’s it. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Quickly: You may have heard of this drink referred to as the Skinny Girl Margarita, but we here at The Woman At The Bar take major umbridge with that characterization. Listen to us, ladies: if you want a margarita, get a damn margarita. None of this skinny girl crap. And don’t denigrate the TCL by calling it a name first brought into our world by one of the Real Housewives. We are all better than that, okay? Great. Lets move on.

All kidding aside, this really is a fantastically refreshing and fantastically simple drink–perfect for a bar Happy Hour or your very own home game. There is just one very important element to remember when making it — so lets get down to business with the recipe.

As a reminder, our Hump Day Quickie Cocktails are the only ones that we support being made directly in your serving glass. No one forget that.

First off, fill your glass with ice, and then pour in your 2 ounces of tequila. We recommend a good reposado or añejo as opposed to silver. We used our good pal Jose Cuervo Tradicional.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now take your club soda and top off the glass. You want approximately 3-4 ounces.

Now remember a few paragraphs up where we said there was one really important thing to remember when making this cocktail? We have arrived at that really important thing. Pay close attention. Cut a lime in half, and then quarter one side. Squeeze one of the quarters directly into the drink. Do not skip this step! Without the lime, the drink is not the same, and not nearly as good. Make sure you get the full quarter in there, and then give the drink a quick stir to combine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last but not least, take the other quartered piece of lime, cut in a notch in the center, and stick that puppy on the rim of your glass. This way your super simple drink also looks super fancy, and you can use the extra lime to add some more flavor if you need it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(also, make sure you ziplock and save that other lime half. This lime shortage is for real, guys!) 

And there you have it! The TCL. Perfect for all of your desert or pretend-desert needs! Happy Hump Day, everyone! Enjoy.

Stay tuned for our #tbt drink tomorrow, you will NOT want to miss it!