Peach mojito

 I'm in love with mojitos and love to add the seasonal fruit to improve the basic cocktail. My new thing is to take the fresh fruit muddle it in the shaker along with lime and mint, then top with flavored club soda. It's not complicated and tastes fresh and delicious.

Ingredients

2oz White Rum

1 oz lime juice

3/4 oz simple syrup

handful of mint leaves

half a white peach

2 oz peach club soda

Recipe

In a shaker muddle slices of peach, lime and mint.

Add to shaker, rum, lime juice, simple syrup and shake together. 

Fill glass with ice and mint leaves slices of peach and lime wedges. Pour mixture over ice. Then top with club soda. Mix together with with straw.

I hope you enjoy. Please let me know what you think.

Blood Orange Mojito

This time of year blood oranges are easy to find and so delicious. I'm always thinking about how I can make a cocktail better. I decided to add one to my mojito. It made the drink quite tasty and such a gorgeous color. Give it a try and let me know what you think. 

Recipe

1 1/2 ounce of White Rum (1 1/2 shot)

1/2 ounce simple syrup 

1 lime

1 blood orange

8 mint leaves

1 can seltzer water

1/2 lime for muddling

Directions

To a shaker add 1/2 lime and 3 mint leaves and muddle. Then add lime juice, blood orange juice, 3 mint leaves, simple syrup, and white rum. 

Add ice to glass jar with mint leaves. I like to rip them to add mint flavor to the drink. Shake your shaker and pour into glass. fill about 3/4 of the way and then top with soda water. Probably even be better if you added Blood soda water. 

Spicy Grapefruit Margarita

My sister made one of these for me last summer and I was addicted. I believe the story goes that her neighbor Susie made it for her. It is a great combination of salty, sweet, tart with a hint of spicy. I gulped it down and needed to share it with you. My friend Susie found it on pinterest from a blog called half baked harvest. She sent me the original recipe. I highly recommend you make this delicious margarita made with fresh juice especially because all this citrus fruit is in season right now. 

Ingredients (for one drink)

2 ounces of tequila

1/2 grapefruit juiced

1 lime juiced

1 tablespoon of honey

1 slice of jalapeno

Ingredients (salt mixture)

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon salt

2 tsp sugar

Directions

Pour all ingredients except jalapeno, in a shaker and shake vigourlsy. Rim glass with spicy salt mixture. Fill glass with ice and pour shaken mixture into glass. garnish and serve. 

If you are going to have a group of friends over it is great to make this in a big batch so you don't have to work so hard. I did this recently and it was great and easy. 

Ingredients (Big Batch) makes about 5 drinks depending on how big your glasses are.

1 1/2 cups of tequila

2 cups grapefruit juice

3/4 lime juice

1/4 cup of honey

5 slices of jalapeno

Directions

Pour all ingredients in a pitcher except jalapenos. mix well and hold in refrigerator a few hours before serving. Rim each glass with spicy salt mixture and fill glass with ice. Pour about 5 drinks. Add jalapeno when serving. 

Let me know what you think. 

Fresh Squeezed Lemonade

One of my favorite things about going to the state fair is getting a glass of fresh squeezed lemonade. What I hated about it is that they would charge $5 a glass. Not such a big deal when I am buying it for just me but when your whole family wants one then it gets way too expensive. I figured out how to make my own by the glass. It just seemed to much work squeezing lemons to make it by the pitcher when not everyone wanted one when I did. 

The only problem is that I can't drink the concentrate any more. It is to sweet and thick for me. 

Ingredients

1 medium lemon

1/8 cup of simple syrup

ice

12 ounce glass

Directions

Fill glass with ice. Squeeze one medium lemon into glass. If your lemon is small squeeze 1 1/2 lemons. Then add simple syrup and fill the rest with cold water. Stir with straw and enjoy. 

Super easy and refreshing.

Passion fruit Mojito

Mojitos are one of my favorite cocktails. It took me a long time to figure out just the right measurements for each drink and now I am adding new flavors. I found this passion fruit puree at cash and carry and now I add it to many different cocktails, ice cream, and even smoothies. 

I made this drink on vacation and they were  a huge hit. I think this fruit is a good addition to a mojito because it is sweet and tart just like the original. 

I'm sorry to say this puree is not easy to find but you can order it on line I believe. 

Ingredients  (per 1 cocktail, double for 2 or triple for 3)

1 1/2 ounce White Rum

1 1/2 Lime

Club Soda

8 Mint Leaves

1/2 ounce Simple Syrup

ice

1/4 ounce Passion fruit puree

Directions

In a shaker add 1/2 lime and 5 mint leaves. Muddle and squeeze lime juice out. Then add rum, squeeze 1 lime, simple syrup, and passion fruit puree. 

In a glass add 3 mint leaves torn up. then fill with ice 3/4 of the glass. Shake ingredients in shaker and pour over ice 3/4 of the way. Top with club soda. stir with straw and serve. 

Let me know what you think.

Blood Orange Margarita

This time of year is great if you love margaritas because oranges and limes are every where and they are cheap. Blood oranges are a bit sweeter and add a wonderful color to the drink. I already add fresh orange juice to every margarita because it adds the perfect amount of sweetness without making it too sweet. 

If you are out shopping get a few blood oranges and try this lovely drink. You could also add it to a lemon drop or mojito. They aren't around for long so this is the time to give it a try.

Ingredients

3 ounces Tequila

Juice of 1 lime

1 ounce triple sec

Juice of one blood orange

salt for rim (optional)

Directions

fill shaker half way with ice. Add all 4 ingredients. Rim glass with salt fill half way with ice. Shake drink and pour in glass. Enjoy

Cranberry Margarita

I attempted to make cranberry margarita in the past and it was awful. I recently attempted to make cranberry lemon drop and it too was horrible. My sister made these on Christmas Eve and we were all very happy. Her good friend Susie created it and taught her this wonderful recipe. I loved them so much I had to make them on Christmas day and they were a huge hit.  I was serving them all night. 

They are a perfect combination of sweet and tart. When I made them the first time back in nyc I made them with cranberry juice. They were just too tart because as we all know cranberries are super tart. I watched Rachel Ray's husband make a cranberry simple syrup so I made cranberry lemon drops and they too were just way to tart. Susie found a cranberry sauce that she adds to the drink and it gives the perfect combination. 

Different from Susie is that I use my margarita recipe but add her cranberry sauce. If you like it a little more tart remove the fresh orange juice. 

For Cranberry sauce: (recipe came from a great food blog called Damn Delicious)

Ingredients

1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

zest of 1 orange

1/2 cup sugar or more to taste

1 (12 ounce) bag of fresh cranberries

3/4 cup of water

Recipe

In medium sauce pan combine orange juice, zest, sugar and water and cook on medium heat until sugar dissolves. 

Add cranberries and bring to a boil. Continue to simmer until sauce thickens about 15 minutes. 

let cool. 

For the cocktail: (Makes one drink)

Ingredients

2 1/2 ounces tequila

1/2 ounce triple sec

2 ounces fresh Orange juice

1 lime squeezed

1/2 ounce cranberry sauce

brown sugar for rim of glass

Directions

Add ice to a shaker and add all ingredients. Rim glass with brown sugar and add ice to glass. Shake all ingredients and pour into glass.

Try it and let me know what you think. You can freeze cranberry sauce to you can continue to have it when cranberries are no longer in season. 

Classic Margarita

I love cocktails and margaritas are great in the summer. The combination of sweet, tart, and little bit of salt in each drink are awesome. I found this recipe from the Rachel Ray magazine and what I like about it is that it is strong and easy to make. I think use premixes are great when you can't get any fresh juice but once you start making them with fresh ingredients it is real hard to drink anything else because they are usually loaded with sugar and give me a stomach ache. 

Ingredients

1 lime (3/4 ounce juice)
2 1/4 ounce of silver Tequila
1 1/2 triple sec
3/4 ounce simple syrup (you can add more if you like it sweeter)
Coarse salt for rimming the glass (optional)

Directions

Spread salt on small plate. Rim the glass with lime and dip glass on to plate with salt to coat. Fill glass with ice.

Fill a cocktail shaker with lime juice, tequila, triple sec, and simple syrup. Add ice and shake well and strain into your prepared glass.

Try it and let me know what you think.

Pear Drop Martini

My husband and I went on a date to Bonefish grill and tried these Pear drop martinis. I was a little leery because I hate paying $9 for a drink that is awful. When I find a place that makes a good cocktail I shout it out to everyone I know because I know how hard it can be to find. Well this drink was so fantastic that I couldn't stop thinking about it. I was now on a mission to make my own and the bartender told me what he put in it but I still need to know just how much of each ingredient. My first attempt was to sour but the second attempt was amaze balls and even my sister and mom said it was just right. They tell me the honest truth and are as picky as me so I know now I have a winner and is why it is now up on my blog. 

The pear vodka was not easy to find and as far as I know only Absolut makes it. If you find another brand please let me know.

Try it and let me know what you think. 

Ingredients

1 part Absolut Pear vodka

3/4 part fresh lemon juice

1/2 part Triple sec

1/2 part simple syrup

1/4 of fresh pear (optional)

lemon for rim

sugar for rim

1/2 cup ice

Recipe

Chill glass in freezer. 

In a shaker add ice and piece of pear and muddle. If you don't have pear no worries it is just as good without it. The pear is great because it makes it just a bit more creamy. Add all other ingredients and a little more ice and shake well. Rim the glass with lemon and sugar. pour into glass and serve. 

Serves one but you can double to make two at a time. 

Scratch Margarita

There is nothing worse than a bad margarita. I'm sorry to say I have had my fair share. I am always reluctant to order them because most often they are made with a super tart mix that is just plane gross. So when I find a good one I want to tell everyone about it.

I went on a road trip with my sister and niece recently and found this lovely margarita at a Mexican restaurant in a tiny little town called Moscow, Idaho. They called it a scratch Margarita and it was made with fresh squeezed lime and orange juice. I instantly fell in love and have recreated it the best I could. Its a perfect combination of sweet, tart and salt. Try it and let me know what you think. 

Ingredients

Juice of 1 lime

Juice of 1 orange

1 1/2 ounce tequila

1 ounce triple sec

salt to rim the glass

Ice for shaker and for glass

Directions

Pour all ingredients into shaker with some ice. Shake well and pour over ice. It makes enough for one drink.

Mojito

My girl Cindy makes the best cocktails. Last year she made me a mojito and I'm so grateful because I had made the same drink a few times and didn't think they were very tasty but after she showed me how to do it I am now successful every time. She is also the creator of Towelocs. You should check them out. Not only are they brilliant at making sure your towel stays on the bar, they also make your towels look pretty. 

Ingredients

1 1/2 limes

1 1/2 shot of white rum

2-3 tablespoons of simple syrup

1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves

2 shots of of club soda

1 cup of ice

Directions

Add mint leaves (tear the leaves to release the flavor), lime juice, and left over rine in a 10 ounce glass. 

 Muddle in the glass.

 Fill glass with ice. Add rum and simple syrup.

 Fill the rest of the glass with Seltzer water. Then mix all together.

 I added a video to help you see it in action.

This makes recipe is for one cocktail. Let me know what you think. 

Christie's Lemon Drop

My sister makes the best cocktails. My favorite is her lemon drops. She made them last summer and they were such a hit that she made them for our family vacation and lets just say that was a great day. It is the best amount of sour and sweet combined. Try it and let me know what you think.

This is her exact measurements and I added the ounces to give you an idea. However not every shot glass is 1 ounce. It may be a little more and that's ok. This is a guide and you can alter it to your size glass. Its best to chill the glass before adding ingredients. Enjoy.

Ingredients

1 shot fresh lemon juice (aka 1 ounce)
1 shot Vodka (aka 1 ounce)
1 1/2 shot triple sec (aka 1 1/2 ounces)
1 cup ice
1/4 cup sugar to rim glass (optional)

Directions

Pour all ingredients in a shaker except sugar and shake well. Rim glass with lemon juice and then dip in sugar. pour in cocktail and add garnish of a lemon slice. This makes one cocktail at a time.

Cosmo

I've been making cosmos since Sex in the City introduced it to me. I've had really bad ones and really good ones. The trick to this is fresh lime juice and not too much cranberry juice. It should be a pale pink color and if you order one that is red then you will probably not like it. I find it taste too chalky and might as well be a vodka cranberry. You don't have to rim the glass with sugar but I like to make mine a little more tart so I enjoy the extra sugar with each sip. Try this and let me know what you think.

Ingredients

1 1/2 ounce vodka

1 ounce fresh squeezed lime juice

1 ounce triple sec

1 ounce cranberry juice

1 tablespoon sugar (optional)

Directions

Before making the cocktail put martini glass in the freezer. In a shaker add first 4 ingredients plus a few ice cubes. Remove glass and rim it with lime juice and sugar. Shake your cocktail rigorously to get a nice froth. Pour into glass and serve. Makes one at a time. 

Hippie Juice

I found this on pinterest and just had to try it with my family at our annual trip to Sun lakes. It was a huge hit so I needed to share it with all of you. I found this recipe on a great blog called Peace Love and Guacamole I changed the ingredients slightly for my own taste. I personally love Simply Raspberry Lemonade so I added it instead of country time. I also added more alcohol because we didn't feel it was strong enough the first time around. Try it and let me know if you think. 

Ingredients

Simply Raspberry Lemonade

5 fresh strawberries sliced

Smirnoff Watermelon Vodka

Triple sec

Malibu Coconut Rum

Directions

Clean an empty container of Simply Lemonade. Using a funnel add 1 1/2 Cups of Watermelon Vodka, 1/3 cup triple sec, and 1/2 cup Coconut rum. 

Add sliced strawberries. Then fill the rest with Simple Raspberry Lemonade. Refrigerate and when ready to serve over ice. 

Bloody Mary

Everyone I know loves a Bloody Mary. I personally do not like them. I am not a big fan of tomato juice but I love everything else that is in them. However, I still made some of the best Bloody Marys on Easter. I basically followed what I saw on the Martha show but slightly different. I made a pitcher put it in the fridge and add a little vodka to each drink. Give them a try and let me know what you think. 

Ingredients

8 cups tomato juice

the juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons horseradish

2 cloves garlic minced

3 tsp pepper

1 tsp hot sauce

1/2 tsp celery salt

Directions

Mix all ingredients in a large pitcher and stir well. Rest in fridge and when you are ready to serve add 1 to 1 1/2 ounce vodka to each glass add mix on top. make sure to blend well with spoon. Garnish with celery stick, lemon, or even olives. I like to see them with all three.