alcoholic

Triple Berry Vodka Spritzer

The Triple Berry Vodka Spritzer is made with fresh strawberries, blueberries and raspberries muddled with vodka and poured over ice with a lemon-lime sparkling water for a refreshing cocktail with few calories and a lot of flavor.

Hot summer days call for a cocktail with simplicity, low calorie and leaves you completely refreshed. This Triple Berry Vodka Spritzer does just that! Bonus that this cocktail is also beautiful and would be great for hosting a get together with girlfriends.

Triple Berry Vodka Spritzer

This Triple Berry Vodka Spritzer is really simple to create. All you need:

Cocktail shaker
Muddler to squeeze the most out of the fruit for that triple berry flavor.
Jigger to measure.
Bar glasses. I like to use stemless wine glasses for a lot of my cocktails.
Fresh berries.
Spakling water lemon-lime.

Triple Berry Vodka Spritzer

The Triple Berry Vodka Spritzer is made with fresh strawberries, blueberries and raspberries muddled with vodka and poured over ice with a lemon-lime sparkling water for a refreshing cocktail with few calories and a lot of flavor.

2 blueberries
2 raspberries
1 strawberry
2 ounces vodka
6 ounces sparkling water lemon-lime
ice
Garnish
1 Strawberry
1 lime slice
2 blueberries
2 raspberries

In a cocktail shaker, muddle 2 blueberries, 2 raspberries and 1 sliced strawberry.
Add 2 ounces vodka and 2 ounces sparkling water.
Shake and strain into a glass over ice.
Top off with more sparkling water.
Garnish with a couple more berries, slice of lime and strawberry.
Serve.

Strawberry Lime Moscow Mule

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. The following content is intended for readers who are 21 or older. #CelebratorySips #HenrysSparklingSips #HenrysHardSparkling #CollectiveBias

Strawberry Lime Moscow Mules are made with fresh strawberries, mint, ginger beer, lime juice, vodka and Henry’s Hard Sparkling Water for a beautiful seasonal cocktail with fewer calories.

Spring has finally arrived in Cincinnati after a very long winter! Good-bye snow boots and bulky coats. Hello sunshine and flip-flops! The temperature has been perfect the last couple weeks and I am itching to start entertaining our friends this season with some Honey Grilled Chicken with Strawberry Salsa and ice cold Strawberry Lime Moscow Mules.

These Strawberry Lime Moscow Mules have a little twist from the classic version, which is using a little less ginger beer and adding in that light Henry’s Hard Sparkling Water for a truly refreshing beverage without the calories that a lot of cocktails contain. It is almost bikini season after all!

Why add Henry’s Hard Sparkling Water to your Moscow mule?

Creates a light, refreshing and down-right delicious cocktail.
No sugar with only 88 calories to keep that beach body in check.
Low carb with no artificial flavors or colors.
Contains as much alcohol as beer but with fewer calories.

Find more recipe inspiration for Henry’s Hard Sparkling Water by clicking HERE.

Make sure to try Henry’s Hard Sparkling Water in all the yummy flavors or just grab a variety pack to find your favorite. I want to hear about your own creative cocktail concoctions that are keeping you and your friends cool this season. Let me know how you are drinking Henry’s Hard Sparkling Water in the comments down below.

Henry’s Hard Sparkling Water comes in:

Lemon Lime
Strawberry Kiwi
Passion Fruit
Variety pack

Strawberry Lime Moscow Mule

Your friends are all going to love this Strawberry Lime Moscow Mule and it is really simple to make. Start by slicing some fresh strawberries, slice limes into wedges and also some slices for garnish. Mint is a great aromatic and flavorful addition to this drink but completely optional. These Strawberry Lime Moscow Mules are a hit regardless!

Each glass will get one jigger of vodka (grab your favorite), one sliced strawberry, one mint leaf and freshly squeezed lime from a wedge. Muddle all those ingredients together well to infuse the flavors into the vodka.

Fill the glass with ice and one more sliced strawberry, followed by three ounces of ginger beer, and fill the remainder with Henry’s Hard Sparkling Water Lemon Lime. Garnish with a lime slice and mint.

Strawberry Lime Moscow Mule

Strawberry Lime Moscow Mules are made with fresh strawberries, mint, ginger beer, lime juice, vodka and Henry’s Hard Sparkling Water for a refreshing seasonal cocktail with fewer calories.

Yields: 1

1 jigger (1.5 ounces) vodka
3 ounces ginger beer
3 ounces Henry's Hard Sparkling Water Lemon Lime
1 lime wedge
2 strawberries
mint (optional)
ice

Slice the strawberries and lime.
In a copper cup or glass, add vodka, the juice from 1 lime wedge, 1 mint leaf and 1 sliced strawberry. Muddle ingredients together.
Fill glass with ice and add the other sliced strawberry.
Add 3 ounces ginger beer.
Top with Henry's Hard Sparkling Water Lemon Lime (3 ounces worth).
Garnish with a lime slice and mint.

Preparation time: 3 minutes

Nutrition

Calories: 172

Cheers to warmer weather ahead! Time to make some great memories with friends and Henry’s Hard Sparkling Water!

Paloma

Today we have a classic Paloma recipe made with club soda, silver tequila, grapefruit soda and a pinch of sugar garnished a lime and salt rim.

Tequila is for more than margaritas! The Kiwi Margarita from a couple weeks ago is awesomely delicious but a Paloma is another great tequila drink that is perfect for hot summer days or even for upcoming Cinco de Mayo celebrations.

To make a Paloma, simply add in equal parts of tequila, grapefruit soda and club soda with a just a pinch of sugar into a half salt rimmed glass. Stir ingredients and fill the glass with lots of ice. Garnish with a lime and you can even squeeze a bit of fresh lime into the drink. I always add a bit more grapefruit soda as a personal preference.

Paloma

Today we have a classic Paloma recipe made with club soda, silver tequila, grapefruit soda and a pinch of sugar garnished a lime and salt rim.

1 part silver tequila
1 part grapefruit soda
1 part club soda or soda water
pinch of sugar ( about 1 teaspoon)
salt
lime slices
ice

Rim half the glass with a lime and dip into salt.
Add equal parts tequila, grapefruit soda and club soda. Mix. I personally like just a little extra grapefruit soda in my drink.
Fill glass with ice.
Garnish with lime slice or wedge.

Don’t these Paloma’s have a beautiful color? Let me know in the comments below what your Cinco de Mayo plans are and what you will be drinking!

Kiwi Margarita

Kiwi Margaritas are made with kiwi, fresh squeezed orange, tequila, sweet and sour mix and melon liqueur for a tasty twist on a classic margarita.

Margaritas are one of my go to drink choices. However, flavored margaritas I am a bit picky on because they tend to be too syrupy but these Kiwi Margaritas hit the spot and the kiwi flavor is amazing! The secret? Using real kiwi, melon liqueur and that splash of orange juice!

These Kiwi Margaritas are really simple. Just slice some kiwi, juice a fresh orange and add to a blender with the liquor and sweet and sour. Toss in some ice and blend until you get a frozen margarita. For flavored margaritas, I like to use sugar instead of salt sometimes so rim the glass whichever way you prefer!

Kiwi Margarita

Kiwi Margaritas are made with kiwi, fresh squeezed orange, tequila, sweet and sour mix and melon liqueur for a tasty twist on a classic margarita.

Yields: 2 cocktails

4 kiwis, peeled and sliced (recommend freezing the peeled kiwis one day prior)
4 ounces tequila
1/2 orange, juiced
2 ounces melon liqueur
2 ounces sweet and sour mix
ice
salt and lime to rim glass

Peel and slice the kiwis. You can freeze the sliced kiwi one day prior to making margaritas.
In a blender, add the sliced kiwi, 4 ounces tequila, 2 ounces melon liqueur, 2 ounces sweet and sour mix, and squeeze the juice from half an orange.
Add 2 handfuls of ice and blend until all ice is at a slushie consistency.
Rim your glasses with lime and then salt. You can swap salt for sugar if preferred.
Pour your margaritas into glasses and serve.

Do you prefer your margaritas frozen or over the rocks? Let me know in the comments below!

Rock Candy Champagne

Rock Candy Champagne is a fun drink for your New Year’s Eve celebrations made with your favorite champagne and a colorful rock candy stick.

Hosting a party can be a headache but it doesn’t have to be. I am loving these Rock Candy Champagne drinks to ring in the new year with friends. I see these being made for a bridal shower too using the wedding colors. You can see I used blue today but there are numerous colors like pink, purple, green or white. Pick the color that best goes with your party.

I am loving these Rock Candy Champagne drinks to ring in the new year with friends. Click To Tweet

Rock Candy Champagne

My family doesn’t really have any New Years Eve traditions. Typically, we just get together with a few friends or family members and hang out for a bit while enjoying a few drinks while the kids run around. When I was a child, we would always spend the evening with my cousins and watch the ball drop on the television and then go outside and bang pots and pans or set off fireworks. It is time to start some traditions in my house!

This year, I will make this Rock Candy Champagne for my adult guests and give the kids a sparkling juice in a fancy glass with a rock candy stick so they can join in on the fun. We will stay up to countdown the New Year and make a toast!

Rock Candy Champagne

Rock Candy Champagne is a fun drink for your New Year’s Eve celebrations made with your favorite champagne and a colorful rock candy stick.

6 ounces champagne
1 rock candy stick

Place a rock candy stick in a fluted champagne glass.
Pour champagne into glass.
Serve.

I need some New Years Eve tradition ideas! What are some things you and your family have done over the years? Do you bang pots and pans? Set off fireworks? Have a few cocktails?

Classic Cosmopolitan

Classic Cosmopolitan made with your favorite vodka, triple sec, a splash of cranberry juice and lime for a simple and classic cocktail for any gathering.

The Class Cosmopolitan has a reputation of being a “girly” drink but it really is a great classic suitable for many occasions girly or not. Bridal showers, holiday gatherings, date night, New Years Eve, or just hanging with friends on the weekend- this drink just works.

Classic Cosmopolitan

All you need to make this Classic Cosmopolitan is the few basic ingredients, jigger, a cocktail shaker and some martini glasses. I found these Martini Freeze Cooling Glasses from Host on Amazon and they are a pretty neat find. You place the glasses in the freezer for a couple hours and there is a solution inside that freezes to keep your cocktails cool while drinking.

To make your Class Cosmopolitan:

Fill the cocktail shaker with ice.
Measure out your ingredients using a jigger and place into shaker.
Shake, shake, shake.
Pour into martini glass.

Classic Cosmopolitan

Classic Cosmopolitan made with your favorite vodka, triple sec, a splash of cranberry juice and lime for a simple and classic cocktail for any gathering.

Classic Cosmopolitan
1.5 ounce vodka
.5 ounce triple sec
.5 ounce cranberry juice
lime wedge, squeezed
Ganrish
lime slice

Combine vodka, triple sec, cranberry and juice from a freshly squeezed lime wedge in shaker with ice.
Shake, strain and pour into martini glass.
Garnish with a lime slice

How do you enjoy a Classic Cosmopolitan?

Chocolate L’espresso Martini

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GiftAndShare #CollectiveBias The following content is intended for readers who are 21 or older.

Chocolate L’espresso Martini is made with Grey Goose Vodka, single-origin espresso, coffee liqueur, a pinch of salt, and a drizzle of chocolate. Garnished with coffee beans and a milk chocolate rim for the perfect holiday cocktail that mixes my love for coffee, dessert, and spirits in one.

A Grey Goose L’espresso Martini was the inspiration for today’s cocktail with one small twist- chocolate! Grey Goose has been my go-to vodka for many years because it is a superior spirit made with high-quality ingredients. It is worth paying a little extra money for the best tasting vodka for so many different cocktail variations.

Grey Goose comes in a new festive package that makes a beautiful gift this holiday season for friends and family. It is not just a gift you give, it’s a gift you share and enjoy. Look for the blue canister pictured above for a gorgeous gift set!

Locate Grey Goose at a retailer near you by clicking HERE.

Chocolate L’espresso Martini

-Time to get mixing!

This Chocolate L’espresso Martini is really simple to make and is a great cocktail for holiday parties or small gatherings with friends this season. Use this recipe for a brunch or as an after dinner dessert cocktail. When gifting, create a recipe card on the tag with instructions on how to make this cocktail at home.

Click HERE for a free gift tag printable with recipe attached.

You need:

Cocktail shaker
Ice cubes
Martini glasses for yourself and your friends
Jigger to easily measure your pours
Chocolate L’espresso Martini ingredients

Gather all your ingredients:

Grey Goose Vodka
Single-origin espresso
Premium coffee liqueur
Pinch of fleur de sel (salt)
Chocolate syrup
Coffee beans to garnish
Chocolate syrup and milk chocolate shavings for rim of glass

The method:

Rim your glass with chocolate syrup, followed by chocolate shavings. Add all martini ingredients into a shaker with ice cubes and shake vigorously. Strain into a martini cocktail glass, and garnish with three coffee beans.

Chocolate L’espresso Martini

Chocolate L’espresso Martini is made with Grey Goose Vodka, single-origin espresso, coffee liqueur, pinch of salt and chocolate. Garnished with coffee beans and a milk chocolate rim for the perfect holiday cocktail.

Chocolate L’espresso Martini
1.5 ounces Grey Goose Vodka
1 ounce single-origin espresso
3⁄4 ounce premium coffee liqueur
Pinch of fleur de sel (salt)
1 teaspoon chocolate syrup
Garnish
3 coffee beans
chocolate syrup
milk or dark chocolate, shavings

Dip the rim of martini glass into chocolate syrup and then dip into chocolate shavings.
Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice cubes and shake vigorously.
Strain into a martini cocktail glass.
Garnish with three coffee beans.

Get more Grey Goose cocktail inspiration!

Click HERE.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season with friends and family. Comment below and share some of your favorite Grey Goose cocktail creations.

Black As Your Soul : Halloween Cocktail

Black As Your Soul :

Halloween Cocktail

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #NightOfTheBat #UnmaskYourSpirit #CollectiveBias The following content is intended for readers who are 21 or older.

Black As Your Soul is a fun Halloween Cocktail made with lemonade, Bacardi Gold and a pinch of activated charcoal for a spooky-good party drink served in a coupe cocktail glass.

Halloween is always a big event around here. The husband and myself enjoy having an adult night out with friends to celebrate. We don’t get out much after having kids so it is kind of big deal when we have the opportunity.

Since we hosted the Halloween festivities this year, there were a lot of items that needed to be checked off on that ‘to-do’ list, starting with the spirits! The mark of the “bat” is also the mark of Halloween so Bacardi Gold and Superior were my obvious spirit selections. Bacardi are also fantastic spirits for simple drink solutions that will impress the guests and make this Halloween party epic.

Visit Bacardi for more great cocktail ideas :

Click HERE.

Party Decorations

Party decorations are an area that I more often than not go a bit overboard with. I can’t help it! However, you truly only need a few items to make your party look and feel amazing. Some Halloween table liners and a few decorations are it. Hang some bats, place fake spiders throughout the party area and consider one special touch. Also, keep in mind that your party guests will be in costume and be part of the décor and be bringing that edgy vibe.

My special touch today is the chemistry set. Test tubes and beakers are used so my friends can all play “crazy chemist” behind the bar to mix their drinks. Simple but loads of fun for everyone.

Black As Your Soul

Let’s get in that crazy chemist spirit and start mixing our drinks! Prepare a large batch of lemonade or buy it premade, whichever you prefer. Pour the lemonade into a large beaker and make sure you leave enough to the side to refill. Pour Bacardi Gold into test tubes for guests to use while mixing their drink. Place activated charcoal into a little pharmacy bottle. We found some neat ones at the craft store and put a #1542 sticker. Then, wash the blueberries and make the garnishes using blueberries on a toothpick with a sparkling bat on top to bring in a little glam.

Set up your bar area with the test tubes, Bacardi Gold and Superior bottles, beaker of lemonade, activated charcoal, ice, cocktail shaker, glassware and the garnishes.

Black As Your Soul is just a clever name we came up with for our guests. Take it a step further and also name the ingredients to follow the theme. Activated charcoal becomes crushed batwings, the Bacardi Gold is poison and the lemonade is werewolf pee… because it makes people laugh and kick starts conversation.

Black As Your Soul

Black As Your Soul is a fun Halloween Cocktail made with lemonade, Bacardi Gold and a pinch of activated charcoal for a spooky-good party drink.

Yields: 1 cocktail

200 mL lemonade
50 mL Bacardi Gold
dash of activated charcoal
5 blueberries
bat garnish

Pour 50 mL Bacardi Gold into a beaker (or cup).
Pour 200 mL lemonade in with a sprinkle of activated charcoal.
Place ice into a cocktail shaker, along with the Black As Your Soul mixture, cover with top and shake well.
Strain into a Coupe cocktail glass.
Garnish (Place a sparkling bat sticker on a toothpick and fill toothpick with fresh blueberries).

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Hosting Tips

The last thing I want to do at a party is get stuck bartending all night. I want to dance and mingle. Here are a few hosting tips to allow you, the host, to enjoy of your night with friends:

Keep the drinks and snacks simple and uncomplicated.
Prepare everything before guests arrive. Make sure there is plenty of ice, Bacardi Rum, clean glasses, place the activated charcoal into the pharmacy bottle, mix plenty of lemonade and have all the blueberry garnishes completed.
Place a sign out or write on a small chalkboard with instructions of the parties signature drink, Black as Your Soul, so everyone can mix their own.
Have the bar, the eating area, the dance area and photo areas all clearly marked. Your guests should walk in and know exactly where to go for a drink or food to make them feel invited and comfortable. Also direct them to where the restroom and smoking areas are.

Click HERE for a free printable for Dark As Your Soul.

Bring out the “bat” in your guests and transform the night with an extra spirited evening with Bacardi.

Bloody Mary : Halloween Edition Cocktail

Bloody Mary :

Halloween Edition Cocktail

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We have a Bloody Mary recipe today for your Halloween cocktail needs with tomato juice, fresh cilantro, roasted jalapeno, crispy bacon and other awesome garnishes, hot sauce, and seasonings that are out of this world!

I know Summer is still in effect but Halloween is literally just around the corner. Halloween parties will be kicking off here in a couple weeks.

I cannot wait!

I love Halloween. Always have. Aaron, my husband helped me out in the kitchen today for this fun Bloody Mary creation. Perfect for those upcoming Halloween parties or less face it… the morning after the Halloween party to… uh… wake up.

What makes a great Bloody Mary?

The right amount of heat and flavor.

I don’t want to drink tomato juice with vodka or be gagged with pepper. A great Bloody Mary is balanced with just the right amount of kick from hot sauce. A stroll through Jungle Jim’s here in the suburbs of Cincinnati put us face to face with a hot sauce we couldn’t pass up : Whoop Ass Bacon Hot Sauce. I kid you not. Who can just walk by that without picking it up? Funny name, cool product bottle and it has a great taste so win, win.

We also decided to add in some heat with jalapeno but not just any jalapeno. We roasted the jalapeno to get that great roasted flavor and also get the most juice from it for optimal taste.

Okay, so we have the heat of a great Bloody Mary handled.

What else sets this apart from a bland ole Bloody Mary?

What makes this Bloody Mary rock is how it is prepared. A cocktail shaker is a must, along with a muddler. The muddler will help get the most from your roasted jalapeno and fresh cilantro. Using a cocktail shaker is going to get the Bloody Mary to that refreshing cold temperature. Yum!

This Bloody Mary crosses over to Halloween edition with just a couple special touches. One being a fun Halloween glass like these ‘Here for the Boos’. Sure it’s a wine glass but who cares? They are awesome.

Black salt is used to rim the glass. I ordered this black salt from Amazon and had to have it because of its product description alone. I quote, ‘Black salt is a powerful ritual component used in removing jinxes and in keeping away evil forces or bad neighbors’. Kind of perfect for Halloween festivities and something fun to tell your guests as you prepare these Bloody Mary cocktails.

The garnishes are also important for a Bloody Mary and can turn a bleh cocktail into an epic one! I basically want a salad bar inserted into my drink. We have lemon, lime, celery, crispy bacon, roasted jalapeno, pepperoncini, pickle and created some olive eyes. The eyeballs are just a candy eye stuffed into a Manzanilla olive for a creepy final touch.

Bloody Mary : Halloween Edition Cocktail

3 ounces vodka
6 ounces tomato juice
1.5 teaspoon horseradish
2 teaspoon Worcestershire
1 teaspoon peppercorn
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
2 sprigs of cilantro
1 teaspoon hot sauce, we used Whoop Ass Bacon Hot Sauce
1 jalapeno
Garnish
1 jalapeno
black salt
1 celery stalk
1 slice thick cut bacon
1 slice lime
1 slice lemon
3 Manzanilla olives
3 candy eyes
1 pepperoncini
1 small cornichon pickle

Preheat oven to a broil.
Cook bacon according to packaged directions.
Place jalapenos onto baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
Rim your glass with a lime or lemon slice and dip into the black salt.
Fill cup with ice.
Place a lime slice on the side of glass.
Insert a celery stalk into drink and a slice of bacon.
Make your eyeballs. Insert a candy eye balls into your olives. You may need to make a small slit to fit them properly.
Build a skewer with pickle, lemon, pepperoncini, and olive eye ball.
Slice one jalapeno.
In a cocktail shaker, add 1-2 slices roasted jalapeno and 2 sprigs of cilantro. Muddle these ingredients.
Fill with ice.
Add tomato juice, horseradish, Worcestershire, peppercorn, celery salt and hot sauce to cocktail shake. Put the lid on and shake.
Strain Bloody Mary into garnished glass.
Add a roasted jalapeno and more eyeball olives.
Enjoy.

I have a final question. Which bad neighbors are getting the boot after you use this black salt?

15 Margarita Recipes That Are To Die For

Inspiration for this margarita round up came from the upcoming Cinco de Mayo that is around the corner! I love any excuse to eat Mexican food and drink a frozen margarita! Here are 15 ahh-mazing margarita recipes from some of my favorite food bloggers.

The Strawberry Margarita Granita from Sugar Spun Run because adult need slushies too.

[Click HERE for recipe}