Not only is today Friday, but it’s also June 1st…so double the reasons to mix up one of these delicious summer-time cocktails! Use fruits and herbs for a fresh twist on traditional summer cocktails, like a {1} Watermelon Daiquiri, {2} Lemon-Thyme Pimm’s Cooler and {3} Grapefruit Margarita. Click on links below the photos for recipes. Cheers!



{Recipes and Photo Credits} 1. Watermelon Daiquiri {Photo: Rachel Weill} | 2. Lemon-Thyme Pimm’s Cooler {Photo: Rachel Weill} | 3. Grapefruit Margarita {Photo: Mai K}

For the Friday before Valentine’s Day I wanted to share a festive easy-to-make cocktail and with blood oranges only in season for a little bit longer there are only a few more weekends to enjoy it! Serve this bellini with a special homemade breakfast this weekend to your sweetie, or start the evening with it – either way it’s sure to be a hit! Ingredients and directions below the photo.



Ingredients :: serves 4
- Fresh-squeezed juice from 3 blood oranges
- 2 ounces of simple syrup
- Prosecco (or another sweet, sparkling wine)

Directions
1. Fill four champagne flutes two-thirds of the way with prosecco.
2. Pour a 1/2 ounce of simple syrup into each flute.
3. Pour 1 ounce of fresh-squeezed blood orange juice into the glasses (it’s important to pour this last).

Cheers!

So switching mental gears from Valentine’s Day prep to Super Bowl Party prep, and thought for this Cocktail Friday I’d explore a beer cocktail. With microbrews becoming more and more popular, so are these beer cocktails (who knew?). This one caught my eye, and seemed like something that everyone could enjoy. So whether you’re tailgating this weekend or watching the playoffs at home, here’s a beer cocktail you could try as “homework” for your Super Bowl party!

Ingredients
- 1 oz. Southern Comfort
- ½ oz. Aperol (or Campari)
- Ommegang Hennepin Farmhouse Saison (or another golden ale microbrew)

1. Pour Southern Comfort into a highball with ice.
2. Add Aperol and top off with Ommegang Hennepin.

Pretty easy, right? Cheers!

{Source} DailyCandy {Photo Credit} Alchemy

Welcome in the Christmas weekend with a fresh Grapefruit Basil Martini. Made with fresh-squeezed grapefruits and basil simple syrup you can consider it your fruit serving in a weekend full of holiday decadence. Ingredients and directions below the photo – Happy Friday and Christmas Eve Eve!

{Ingredients for Two}:

• 5 oz Freshly Squeezed Grapefruit Juice (from 1 large grapefruit)
• 5 oz Absolut Ruby Red Vodka
• 1 oz Cointreau
• 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Water
• 15 Basil Leaves

{Directions}:
1. Heat sugar and water in small saucepan over medium-heat, stir until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and add basil. Let stand for 15 minutes then discard thyme.

2. Fill a martini shaker with ice. Add 5 oz vodka, 5oz grapefruit juice, 1.5 oz basil-infused simple syrup and 1 oz cointreau. Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass.

Happy December and Happy Friday! As we officially enter the holiday season, I thought it would only be proper to welcome in December with a festive, peppermint martini! This red and white drink is a show-stopper on your holiday drink table or a great way to spread the holiday cheer with your friends this weekend. Ingredients and recipe after the photo, cheers to a fabulous month!

{Ingredients for Two}:

• 5 oz Vodka (such as Kettle One or Absolut)
• 2 oz White Crème de Menthe
• 1 oz Peppermint Schnapps
• Splash of Grenadine
• Peppermint candy for garnish

{Directions}:
Add a dash of grenadine into the bottom of the chilled martini glasses and set aside. Pour the rest of the ingredients into a martini shaker filled with ice, shake well and pour into the glass with grenadine creating the “swirl” effect. Garnish with peppermint candy stick.

{Photo Credit and Source | SingleMindedWomen.com}

Happy Friday! Take the chill out of your November with this Friday Cocktail, Spiced Apple Cider. This makes a great group drink, and I serve it for Thanksgiving with appetizers while the turkey is cooking in the oven. I love lightly dusting the rims of the glasses with butter (yes, butter) and a cinnamon & sugar mixture – it really makes the drink. Ingredients and instructions below the photo. Enjoy!

Ingredients {serves 8 people}
- 64 oz of all natural apple cider
- 1 1/2 cups of dark rum or apple brandy
- 8 cinnamon sticks
- 12 whole cloves
- 1/4 cup of cinnamon & sugar mixture (equal parts cinnamon & sugar, spread evenly on a plate)
- 1/2 cup melted butter (put in small dish with rim, butter should be 1/8″ – 1/4″ deep)

Directions
1. Heat apple cider, cinnamon sticks and cloves on stove on medium-high heat for 7 – 10 minutes, or until it begins to simmer then turn heat down to medium-low.
2. Stir in rum or apple brandy, keep heat on medium-low and stir occasionally.
3. Take rim of glasses and dip into melted butter, then dip into cinnamon & sugar mixture.
4. Stir apple cider mixture, turn off heat, pour into glasses and add a cinnamon stick.

{Photo Credit: House & Home}

I absolutely love sangria. It is takes more time upfront to make (it tastes best when the fruit mixture can infuse overnight), but all the work is done in advance making it the perfect party drink – guests can easily pour themselves a glass to enjoy and no one is stuck in the kitchen making cocktails. This recipe serves 6 and can be doubled or triple for larger groups. The cranberries and spiced simple syrup make it a festive must-have drink for the holidays! Ingredients and instructions below the image.



Ingredients
Spiced Simple Syrup
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
3 cinnamon sticks
8 allspice berries
6 cloves
3 whole star anise


Cranberries & Apple Mixture
2 cups fresh cranberries
2 Granny Smith apples, cubed
6 oz. spiced simple syrup
6 oz. triple sec
4 oz. ruby port wine

Sangria Base
1 bottle of spicy red wine (like a Tempranillo)
4 oz. spiced simple syrup
3 oz. ruby port wine
3 oz. triple sec or Cointreau
4 oz. cranberry juice
Apple chips (optional garnish)


1. Heat sugar and water in small saucepan over medium-heat, stir until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and add spices, let sit for 20 minutes while cooling. Strain solids from liquid and discard spices, then set aside to cool completely.

2. Soften cranberries and apples in simple syrup, triple sec, and port wine at least four hours (preferably overnight, mixture should be soupy). Keep covered and refrigerated until ready to serve.

3. For the sangria base, mix wine, simple syrup, port wine, triple sec, and cranberry juice. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

4. To serve, add the fruit mixture to the sangria base and stir. Fill glasses with ice. Scoop 2 tbsp. of the fruit mixture and its juices over the ice. Pour wine mixture into glasses and garnish with an apple chip.

I’m kind of in love with cocktails that have herb-infusions and my husband is kind of in love with bourbon, so for this week’s Cocktail Friday I chose another fall fruit + herb mixture with bourbon as the main liquor…an Apple Thyme Martini. It’s similar to last week’s cocktail where you’ll need to make an infused simple syrup – but once you have that finished you throw everything else into a martini shaker and it’s ready! The apple and lemon balance out the bourbon making it palatable for everyone…not too sweet and not too overwhelmingly bourbon. Ingredients and instructions after the image.



Ingredients {for 4 servings}:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 8 sprigs fresh thyme
- 4 ounce bourbon
- 4 ounce calvados brandy
- 4 ounce apple cider
2 ounce thyme simple syrup
2 ounce lemon juice

Directions:
1. Heat sugar and water in small saucepan over medium-heat, stir until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and add thyme. Let stand for 15 minutes then discard thyme.

2. Fill a martini shaker with ice. Add bourbon, calvados (or another apple brandy), apple cider, thyme-infused simple syrup and lemon juice. Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass.

{Photo Credit: Alice Gao | Recipe adapted from Gramercy Tavern}

I’m starting a new weekly post, Cocktail Friday, with recipes for seasonal drinks. So for this Cocktail Friday I’m embracing the fall with a Pear + Rosemary Sparkler. Photos with step-by-step instructions follow…cheers to a delicious start to the weekend!



{Ingredients for 4 servings} :: 8oz Pear Vodka (such as Absolut Pear or Grey Goose La Poire), 8oz Pear Nectar, 4 Rosemary Sprigs, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water, sparkling wine.



To make the rosemary simple syrup, heat 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Add rosemary and remove from heat. Let stand 15 – 20 minutes, then discard rosemary. Let simple syrup cool completely (syrup can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 month).




In martini shaker filled halfway with ice mix 8oz pear flavored vodka, 8oz pear nectar, and 4 oz rosemary-infused simple syrup (add more/less to taste). Pour into glasses until about 1/3 full. Top with sparkling wine and garnish with rosemary sprig and thin pear slice.




Enjoy the Halloween Weekend…cheers!