Tequila Makes My Clothes Fall Off

By Lisa Moretti

When you’re in Gatlinburg, TN, there’s a lot to do and even more to see – bears, fall foliage, funny tourists. It was all there on my last adventure. In fact, we’d timed it just right to see the leaves turning in Cade’s Cove in Smokey Mountains National Park, to have a sense of pioneer life right outside of downtown in Cherokee Orchard (including seeing Smokey Mountain Black Bears), and to even catch an itinerant street preacher at work. (Um, dude – God is a God of compassion in almost every religion. Let’s start with that as a baby step, ‘kay? Seriously, ramp it down!)

But after all that rambunctiousness, when you’re ready to put your feet up, nothing says “Stop Here” like food that’s fresh, not fried, not boiled, and not parts that shouldn’t be eaten if you’re traveling through the Southern states. (I’ve been to a Piggly Wiggly, I know what goes on!)

Who am I kidding?! What really mattered at that moment was what did they have to drink?

No Way Jose’s Cantina meets all the phresh requirements on the food side, but even better, they meet the alcohol standard. This is a restaurant that endorses tequila with a mighty flair as demonstrated by some of their really alluring margaritas. After a long day of photographing nature’s tapestry of colors and courting the cutest bears in the world, I was ready for an adult beverage. Their margarita descriptions had me drooling (Rosarita Beach with cranberry and fresh lime, Fiesta with a splash of Chambord); but for me, my clothes tend to fall off when I drink tequila. Maybe it’s some kind of cosmic chemical chain reaction. So for now, Tequila and I have broken up.

Thank goodness I didn’t have to miss out on the fun. And I even got to be the center of my table’s attention with my electric blue-colored Tropical Breeze, one of No Way Jose’s specialty drinks. Reading the ingredients on the menu had me excited: light rum, blue Curacao, Malibu, fresh lime and orange juice. But it was the glowing, neon color when it arrived that tickled my fancy and those of my dining companions.

I should caution you though: Yes the description is enticing. Yes the color is delightful. However, the flavor is delish…and deceptive. This cocktail is so fun you don’t notice the alcohol. The melange of flavors was as perfectly fruity and smooth as you could want. I mean seriously, we’re talking about a blue drink here, not single malt scotches so no need to look down your nose. But as blue drinks go it was marvelous shade of blue! I languidly sipped down two of these without a second thought and was oh-so-glad someone else was driving home when it was time to leave.

Yaaay electric blue drink, thanks to you, everybody wins.

Visit www.nowayjosescantina.com.

Lisa Moretti is writer who specializes in health, nutrition, travel, fitness, and dogs. Sometimes she writes about cocktails but mostly she drinks them. Photos taken by Lisa Moretti with her iPhone.

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