TAKE A SIP: RASPBERRY BOURBON FIZZ

Summer is officially done, which means this will probably be one of the last fruity-refreshing drinks I get to share on here for a while. Sad day!

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A while back on a good old fashioned date night with Michael, I ordered the most delicious blackberry bourbon drink. It was the perfect combination of sweet, sour, and bitter- with a hint of lemon and seltzer in it.

I didn't have blackberries on hand, but I did my best to recreate it with some raspberries:

What you'll need to make it happen:

- Handful of raspberries

- 2 ounces bourbon (I love Bulleit)

- 1/2 ounce of triple sec

- ginger ale

- ice & cute straws

How to make it happen:

Step 1: Pour your bourbon over your raspberries in the bottom of the glass you're choosing to use & mash 'em up.

Step 2: Add your ice and triple sec & stir!

Step 3: Fill glass with ginger ale, garnish with raspberries, and sip through a lovely straw.

I mean, easy, right?

This drink is both cool & refreshing and warming (thanks to the bourbon) - making it the perfect beginning of Fall/End of summer drink!

What drink are you sipping on these days?

If raspberry is your jam - try these too!

xo, lp

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MIXED BERRY MOJITOS

 I know I've been on a big cocktail kick on the blog lately- but it's just because it's too dang hot to make anything else! 

Today's drink is of course- in honor of the 4th! The berries not only make it delicious- but festive too!

What you'll need:

- Handful of mint leaves

- 2 teaspoons sugar

- Handful of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries

- 1.5 ounces white rum (or sub for vodka)

- Sprite

How to make it happen:

Step 1: Throw you strawberries, raspberries, mint, splash of sprite, and sugar in the bottom of your glass. Muddle until the berries are well mashed.

Step 2: Add your other berries, rum, and mix.

Step 3: Add a bunch of ice cubes (I make mine with mint frozen in) and top with sprite!

Step 4: Garnish with some frozen berries on a skewer and enjoy!

Oh and of course- the best part is eating the fruit when you're all done. Sugary, boozy, delicious fruit!

What will you be sipping on this 4th?

I'll be having one of these for sure!

xo, lp

PATRIOTIC FROZEN PUNCH (just 2 ingredients!)

Okay.

Soooooo this is by far the EASIEST "recipe" I've ever posted on the blog...but that doesn't mean it doesn't deserve sharing! It only takes 2 ingredients to make this sucker, and not only does it look good- but it tastes good too!

What you'll need:

- Red, Blue (+ white if you want) freezies

- Vodka

Garnishes- Paper Straws & Washi Tape

How to make it happen:

Step 1: Separate your frozen icees into bowls- Somehow I dumped a few yellow icees in the white bowl. Oops.

Step 2: Mash them up! 

Step 3: Add an EQUAL amount of vodka to each bowl. Now, it depends on the size of your icees- but I did about 1 tablespoon per 2 small icees. 

Step 4: Throw all the bowls in the freezer to harden as much as possible

Step 5: Begin to layer! Now here's the key if you want it to look really pretty: Make sure you add one color, put the glass in the freezer to freeze. THEN add your next color. If you don't do this all your colors will blend together. I learned this the hard way with the first round of red + white. Oops again. 

Step 6: Put into the freezer until you're ready to enjoy!

 If you want individual size, make these in smaller glasses. 

If you're into sharing, put in a larger glass or bowl and serve with multiple straws!

 Take pictures quickly- otherwise it'll turn into a purple mess....

 

Like this: 

Yeah, not pretty- but tastes delicious!

I fully intend to make a rainbow version of this in the future. Because it'll be lovely. Tacky, but lovely.

This isn't the only 4th of July treat I have up my sleeve...come back next week for another red/white/blue drink! 

What will you be sipping on this 4th?

I'm always game for a new cocktail recipe!

xo, lp

FIZZY (spiked) PINEAPPLE LEMON PUNCH

Two things made this post come together:

1. Michael is obsessed with pineapple, and we have had one in our fridge at all times this summer. It was begging to be used in a cocktail!

2. Back when we lived in Virginia for some reason we'd randomly get Mike's Harder Lemonade tallboys. Yeah. White trashy, I know. Legit just really strong alcoholic flavored lemonade sugar bombs. Feeling nostalgic, I got classy the other day and bought a couple of the regular lemon Mike's Hard Lemonade, and decided those were ALSO begging to be used in a cocktail.

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Thus, this fizzy pineapple lemon punch was born. This drink is great because it's fruity and refreshing without being cloyingly sweet. The fizz from the Mike's Hard Lemonade makes it light & lovely. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

What you'll need to make it happen:

1/2 cup fresh pineapple (+extra for garnish)

1.5 ounces vodka

1/3 cup Mike's Hard Lemonade

Ice + Mint for garnish

How to make it happen:

Step 1: Mash your 1/2 cup pineapple up. Either use a food processor- or do it in a bootleg way like I did- with a potato masher. There should be a lot of juice extracted!

Step 2: Pour your vodka, pineapple smash, and Mike's into a shaker with ice. Shake well!

Step 3: Pour into a lovely glass- garnish with pineapple chunks, mint, and a fun straw!

 (if you're looking for fun paper straws, I buy mine from an Etsy shop called Loollipop. Find them here!)

Simple, right? 

I think a GREAT way to serve this to a big group would be in a huge punch bowl- with plenty of pineapple chunks and ice!

Or, if you're going small scale there's something about serving a cocktail in a pretty glass .... and these fleur-de-lys juice glasses from Anthro are my favorite. Sorry in advance if you see a bunch of them in cocktail posts this summer:)

Any great fresh fruit cocktails up your sleeve?

Share them with me- or leave your Pinterest handle in the comments so I can see what summer drinks are inspiring you these days!

xo, lp

Looking for another yummy cocktail recipes? Try my Orange Ginger Mojitos!

(this post in NO way was sponsored by Mike's. I just figured it would be a good cocktail base. Yup.)

ORANGE GINGER MOJITOS

It's summer, which means it's mojito season!

Normally I stick to beer, wine, and whiskey- but come summertime I can absolutely break those rules for a delicious, refreshing, slightly fruity drink. Not that a classic mojito isn't great or anything, but like most good recipes: I used what I had around- which in this case was oranges instead of limes, and ginger ale instead of sprite or soda water. 

And thus, the orange ginger mojito was born:

What you'll need:

1/2  can ginger ale

2 ounces white rum

1 ounces triple sec

1/2 an orange, sliced

8-10 mint leaves

2 teaspoons sugar (or simple syrup)

lots of ice + fun straws

 How to make it happen:

1. Muddle a slice of orange with your sugar and mint.

2. Add your ice, triple sec, and rum.

3. Transfer into another glass or cover and shake to mix up your mint leaves.

4. Add another slice of orange and top with ginger ale.

5. Garnish with some mint & a slice of orange, and enjoy!

 Everything is better in a mason jar, right?

 ...so do fun straws!

What's your favorite new summer cocktail?

Find more of mine here on Pinterest!

xo, lp

STRAWBERRY LEMON STARBURST VODKA.

Let's talk liquor. 

I'm mainly a whiskey girl, and in general avoid fruity drinks like the plague. 

Ever since an...eventful...night in college that involved wayyyy too many colorful, candy-like cocktails I can't quite stomach those sugarbombs like I used to. Don't get me wrong- nothing is better than a lime margarita on the rocks on a hot summer day- but not too often.

Now, all that being said you're probably wondering WHY I'm writing a post about strawberry lemon vodka. HYPOCRITE! LIAR! FRAUD! Well, sort of yes, and sort of no. 

1. I had some  really crappy vodka to get rid of.

2. I was in the mood to experiment with some leftover jellybeans from Easter.

3. I figured I'll save it for a day where I'm craving sweets or have it for fruit-lovin' guests.

So here's the deal: a few times in college my friends and I made Skittles vodka, and I figured Starburst jelly beans would work just as well! This "recipe" is crazy simple and you could do it with all different flavors- I'm thinking RAINBOW vodkas, people.

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What you'll need:

1/2 liter of vodka (any kind will do)

1/3 large bag of Starburst jellybeans.

Patience.

Sprite.

How to make it happen:

1. Choose two flavors from the Starburst jellybean bag. I went with lemon and strawberry! For the love of all that is good- don't pick two colors that will make brown. No one wants to drink brown vodka. If you choose apple & orange you deserve the nastiness that is coming your way. ::shudder::

2. Pour your jellybeans right into your vodka bottle. Enjoy watching the alcohol rip the coatings of those little guys right off!

3. Wait 4-5 days, shaking the vodka + beans once a day or so. You REALLY can't mess this up. You can leave them in longer, shake more or less. This is the beauty of booze, people.

4. Because these guys have more gelatin or faux-gelatin in them than Skittles they probably won't dissolve all the way- unless you have vodka that is borderline rubbing alcohol.  You can either strain out the mini remains of the beans or leave them in the bottom of the bottle for looks. Orrr you could eat them and get super intoxicated. Bleh.

5. Put it in a cute bottle and label it with washi tape. Then pour 2 ounces out into a glass with ice & Sprite and you have yourself one delicious, sweet treat!

Watch out, this stuff is dangerous. Sweet and a little tangy-perfect with soda water or lemon-lime soda!

Are you a fan of sweet drinks (alcoholic or not)?

You might just have to try this recipe- use those leftovers from Easter!

xo,lp

if you do, try out my grapefruit margaritas or raspberry blueberry champagne fizz recipes!