Swedish Fish

I don't eat much candy and when I do it isn't gummy chewy things so I've never had swedish fish candy...but if it tastes anything like this yummy drink I might be missing out! This isn't overly sweet and with the lime juice it has just the right bit of tart to it - don't let the name stop you from trying this drink.  I found the recipe here, but I didn't put it with ice in a shaker like a martini - it tasted great just mixed together in a glass with a bit of ice. And I definitely didn't put a swedish fish candy in it for garnish...!

2 oz. vodka
2 oz. cranberry juice
1 oz. Rose's lime juice
1 oz. triple sec

Shake with ice and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a swedish fish candy.

Pitcher Mojitos

Al and Cathy came over for dinner last week - it was a hot night and we decided to eat in the screened in porch, mojitos seemed like the perfect thing to serve with the appetizer "everything" cheese ball I made (click here for that post). I've never made them before because I felt like there was going to be too many steps, but I was wrong - these are easy and simple to whip up, and making them in a pitcher meant we weren't making one at a time and could enjoy seconds with no hassle.

you'll need:
1/2 cup white sugar (note: I used raw natural sugar)
36 fresh mint leaves, plus more for (optional) garnish
3 limes, quartered
1 cup white rum (ok, ok, I added more than this)
1 liter club soda

directions:
Muddle sugar and mint leaves together in pitcher until leaves are well broken down. Add limes and muddle until limes are juiced. (note: I used a potato masher to muddle - basically "muddling" is just smashing it all up!) Stir rum into sugar mixture, add club soda and stir. Serve over ice and garnish with additional mint leaves if desired.

note: I added at least another 1/2 cup of rum (there wasn't much left in the bottle after using the 1 cup as listed). It was a little strong but tasted good! If you stick with the 1 cup I would probably not add as much club soda so it doesn't get too watered down.

I found the recipe here.

Tequila with Citrus

I don't love margaritas - usually too sweet for me...we went to a mexican restaurant in town though that only serves margaritas, beer, or tequila. I told the waitress I'm not a fan of margaritas and I hate beer - what to do? She suggested tequila over a glass full of citrus slices - and turns out that is SO good! I got the flavor of a margarita without all the sugar, and I'm pretty sure with how much citrus juice was in my glass this has to count as "healthier", right?

There isn't a recipe - it's literally cut up limes, lemons, and oranges in a glass (I muddle them up a bit to release the juice) and add a shot of tequila (or more, no judging here). I like it with ice too, so build this in a big glass! Took a big Tervis of this to the lake last weekend and it was the perfect hot afternoon drink.

Old Fashioned (Whiskey Cocktail)

I found this photo on my phone from when we went to Chicago in the fall with friends - we sat on a gorgeous roof-top lounge and had drinks, looking at an amazing view. I forgot that I took a picture of my new favorite drink - an Old Fashioned. It's a whiskey based cocktail, not too strong or too sweet - I wish I would have taken a pic of the bar menu so I could remember what they used - I liked that it had dark luxardo cherries and an orange slice in it and also their sugar wasn't dissolved all the way so every now and then I'd get a little crunchy sugar bit - I'm guessing they used coarse natural sugar; I'm finding tons of recipes but not exactly like the one I had there. I'm including the picture so you can see, but really - you don't have to make it like theirs.. any old Old Fashioned will do!

Basic Old Fashioned Recipe:

1 teaspoon superfine sugar (or 1 sugar cube, or simple syrup)
2 to 3 dashes bitters
2 ounces bourbon or rye whiskey
orange and/or cherry (or both!) to garnish, optional

Place sugar in an Old Fashioned glass. Douse with bitters and add a few drops of water. Add whiskey and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add several large ice cubes and stir rapidly with a bar spoon to chill. Garnish if you like.

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Pineapple Upside Down Cake Cocktail

These are pretty, sweet, and easy to make. What's not to like?

Put some ice in a glass and add a splash of grenadine. Top with 1.5 ounces cake flavored vodka and 3 ounces pineapple juice. Stir and top with a maraschino cherry.

This has to be one of the shortest posts ever - but really what else can I add? These are YUMMY and a little dangerous. Word to the wise - remember this is vodka, not punch...they go down easy. Too easy perhaps. ;) Cheers!

Classic Moscow Mule

Mmmmmm...ever tried a Moscow Mule? This is a super simple cocktail to make, it's light and refreshing so perfect for a summer drink - and ginger beer is so good that even if you don't want alcohol just try it mixed with lime juice and leave out the vodka! Ginger beer is non-alcoholic and tastes like a cross between root beer and strong ginger ale to me. I love it.

Looking up recipes online most of them are pretty much the same - 1 part vodka to 2 parts ginger beer with some lime juice and wedges, over ice.


Ingredients:
-2 oz. vodka
-4 oz. ginger beer
-1 oz. lime juice (or squeeze half of a lime)
-wedge of lime for garnish
-ice
-moscow mule copper mug (or small glass tumbler)


Directions:
add ice to your mug or glass, followed by the vodka and lime juice. top with ginger beer and stir, then garnish with a lime wedge.

Harvey Wallbanger

While roaming Prague we walked by a little bar that had a porch, and on the porch were gliders with a table hooked between them - so you're rocking back and forth while drinking and eating. It was so cute that we totally had to sit out there, never considering if rocking back and forth while drinking and eating is a good idea...

...after a few minutes of rocking, swaying back and forth,  we realized that eating would not be a wise choice - so we just had a drink. It was the middle of the day and nothing really sounded good to me, but then I saw a "harvey wallbanger" on the menu and decided I needed to try one. I've heard of it but didn't know what was in it, but I ordered it anyway - I thought it was going to be a manly cocktail in a short glass, but it came out in a tall pina colada glass with fruit sticking out. Does "harvey wallbanger" make you think of a fruity foofoo drink? It sounds manly to me haha. Anyway, I don't love fruity foofoo drinks and won't be putting this into the "drinks I order often" category - but it was fine and we were rocking, that's good enough. 

And I bet I'll always remember where I had my first harvey wallbanger - in Prague, sitting in a glider on the porch of a bar.

I found a recipe here if you want to try one - it's just vodka, oj, and Galliano.

Fresh Whiskey Sours

I have always liked sweet-tart flavors and this is no exception - a whiskey sour hits just the right balance of a little sweet and a little tart for me.  I've never made one myself though so when I saw this recipe from Barefoot Contessa I decided I'd give it a whirl.

Very easy recipe:

3/4 cup whiskey
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (4 limes)
2/3 cup sugar syrup (see below)
maraschino cherries for garnish

Combine the whiskey, lemon juice, lime juice and syrup. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice and fill two-thirds full with the cocktail mixture. Shake for 30 seconds and pour into glasses. Add a maraschino cherry and serve ice cold.

Sugar syrup:
put 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Chill before using.

Note: I used bottled lemon and lime juices and it still tastes great :)

*
I googled "how to make a virgin whiskey sour" expecting the computer to laugh at me, but on Kraft's website they suggest replacing the whiskey with apple juice. I didn't test that but at least it's an option if you want to try this without alcohol.

Hot Buttered Rum

I've been seeing this drink and wondering (a) what is it (b) is there actually butter in it and (c) why would you put butter in a drink? So I decided to try it - there are lots of recipes and different ways to make this, I found a simple recipe here to experiment with.

You make a "batter" of butter, brown sugar, and spices, add that to a mug and top with a shot of rum (or whiskey) then fill up with hot water. Stir until it dissolves.

It's good but you don't really taste butter haha so I was disappointed. It's a good drink for a cold night tho that is easy to put together and is something different. Next time I will put less water in, I think it'll taste better (and maybe the butter flavor comes out more) less watered down.