What's in an L-Streets margarita, anyway?

Photos by Kathy Tran

Want a quintessential Lake Highlands cocktail? Try Cedar & Vine, whose drinks are inspired by the people and places of our neighborhood. Bar manager Tara Dieringer has worked in the area for only a few months, but her regulars already gave her the 411. We’re a place with a small-town feel, where everyone knows everyone. So how do you make a cocktail that reflects who we are?

Flaghanger

1.5 oz Basil Hayden’s Bourbon

.75 oz lemon

.75 oz ginger simple syrup

top with Johnny Walker Black Scotch

garnish with a luxardo cherry

Dieringer used the story of the Lake Highlands High School Flaghangers as the inspiration behind this cocktail. For those who don’t know, The Flaghangers were a small spirit group who played pranks on rivals teams like, say, replacing the opposing team’s flag with their own. Over time the group’s pranks became darker — more like a fraternity than a spirit squad — and became an “underground club” without school sponsorship. Like the history of the Flaghangers, the cocktail that is both dark and light. The dark, bitter liquors play off the brightness of the lemon and ginger.

Highlands Fizz

1.5 oz deep eddy grapefruit vodka

.75 oz St. Germaine

.5 oz simple syrup

.5 oz lemon juice

6 mint leaves

top with club soda

garnish with lemon twist

L-Streets Margarita

1.5 oz raspberry-infused tequila

.5 oz Triple Sec

.75 oz simple syrup

.5 oz lime juice

.25 oz lemon juice

muddled jalapeño

garnish with lime and fresh jalapeño

The L-Streets Margarita is something familiar, but not without surprises. The cocktail is sweet with a hint of spice, thanks to the muddled jalapeño. The L Streets is a rarity in Dallas, because they’ve managed to preserve many of the original homes. The neighborhood, much like the cocktail, is sweet, consistent and something everyone knows.