Chasing Sunsets with Dahlia

While We Were Young Bar, NYC

It's when the sun sets that the imagination wanders. Dahlia has a thing for sunsets so we dreamed of a journey of tequila cocktails and gradient-colored skies across the country.

A Ladies Night at "While We Were Young"

An exciting journey always starts in NY. There, amidst the multitude, blooms a dream, a desire to start anew. While We Were Young nested in the heart of the West Village is the perfect set-up for a call to adventure. It is the ultimate destination for some time with your closest girlfriends. Soft & beachy in appearance, it is a genuine invitation to reverie and journeys, flower petals and candles strewn about for good measure.

Born and raised in Fort Lauderdale Beach, Florida, Bradford Dunigan grew up in a house where details and flowers abounded. A bit like in the fashion industry, he now knows so well. His love of the ocean (and surfing) is also ever present.

Then comes the cocktail, the wonderful "Too Good For You," mixing Kale, Lime, Agave, Cucumber, and Dahlia cristalino tequila.

"I want people to have an experience," he says. It shows! They all meet here, in little groups: the bloggers, the businesswomen, the lawyers, the doctors, the brides, the wanderers… all the modern, independent women pacing the city (and the world) feeling empowered and proud to be women making things happen over cocktails and fantastic food.

One last pastel photo and you're on your way to your next destination. And take the Gummy Bears given to you with your bill for the road.

Los Azulejos Bar, San Antonio

All about the “Azulejos” in San Antonio

San Antonio, the Lone Star State's best-kept secret, stands high and proud 1,822 miles away from NY via I-81. Its rich colonial heritage and central role in the infamous battle for Texan independence (Remember the Alamo!) grounded it in a human-size way of life, cultivating its multicultural background in an unambiguous Tex Mex flavor. This unique vibe is palpable while walking in Los Azulejos Bar Restaurant - from the mosaic "tiles" ("Azulejos" in Spanish) elegantly adorning the entire space, to the rich food and cocktails menus.

The men behind these menus are Chef Daniel Mendoza and Bartender extraordinaire Jesus Herrera. Jesus Herrera truly is the bar's main pillar. Figuratively speaking, of course. He was one of the first ones to apply for the position two years ago. This "border kid" –as he describes himself– has a typical/atypical curriculum. "I was working in a bank but quit and applied as a bartender even though I didn't know anything about it. I guess I showed enough enthusiasm to be convincing. One day, one of my mentors told me that he was sad to see me here. I thought he wanted to get rid of me. What he truly wanted was for me to try my luck in a better establishment." Jesus did just that with a final crossing of the border. "Food-wise, the American culture and the Mexican culture are different. Mexico is all about tacos, while the US is more into a blend of enchiladas, steaks, and BBQ. They don't contradict but instead complement each other. Chef Daniel Mendoza, my colleague here, inspires me to experiment with "molecular cocktails." I could never have imagined experimenting with different flavors and textures like hibiscus, Chamoy, tamarind, chili jalapeños, coconut cream, and even avocados!"

The stylish dining room is lined in colorful, patterned tiles, quirky light fixtures, and softened gray furniture invoking a modern-meets-traditional Mexican vibe that seems to mirror the eclectic menu. The clientele shows off San Antonio's chic side, peppered with connoisseurs from everywhere in the Lone State, the whole nation, or abroad. "We had 2 star Michelin chefs coming to check us out and give us their two thumbs up," Jesus proudly adds.

Here you can enjoy their Dahlia cocktail the Blueberry Sunset while overlooking the rolling hills surrounding San Antonio.

The Backyard, Oakland

"And you get a Cadillac!” at The Backyard

However you look at it (meaning from the air or from the ground), the way from San Antonio, TX to Oakland, CA is through a couple of deserts and plenty of fabulous sunsets. But why Oakland? Because something is waiting for you there: The Backyard. Or, as Cory McCollow puts it: "YOUR backyard… You can come whenever you want, the food –any food from the menu– is served in a sharable fashion and available all day and evening long. It's very laidback. The trick was to answer this to solve this sphinx-like enigma: "Can there be any place more welcoming and with a more "homely" feeling attached to it than your backyard?" The trick may be in the quasi unprecedented 200 square footage set-up like an authentic "Cantina Mexicana" where your Tequila Dahlia cocktail called "La Casuela" is served in a terra-cotta Mexican punch bowl. "Like in many venues in Guadalajara, or Jalisco," notes Cory. We mix Dahlia with lime, lemon, orange, and grapefruit freshly squeezed with just a little bit of grapefruit soda to add that slight fizzy sensation.

The music in the background is not too loud, just present enough to hum the songs and feel good. Cory is all about feeling good. "I was reluctant, for the sake of authenticity, to serve frozen tequila. To me, it's an aberration. Looking around you, there are agaves and succulents everywhere. You can't serve frozen tequila! It would be silly regarding the pure Mexican tradition. And then, one day, I gave up. A little bit in the Oprah fashion, I gave people their Cadillac in the shape of a slushy!" He says in an unmistakable laugh. A Cadillac to watch the beautiful color gradient on the horizon and the dark blue everywhere else, silver lining silhouettes and shapes that would have been otherwise washed out and made boring under the midday sun. A sunset over the Pacific and a Dahlia Tequila… Does it get any better than that?