It's Summer...Cheers!

Summer time is here and now is the perfect time to dust off those summer cocktail recipes!  My favorite summer cocktail is the Mojito.  I love the combination of mint and lime with just enough soda water to make it bubbly and refreshing. 

Classic Mojito

Start with a tall glass.  Add in about 10 mint leaves.  Next add the juice of half a lime along with the juiced lime wedges.  Now you want to "muddle" the mint leaves and the limes and juice until fragrant.  Muddling is basically just smashing everything together.  I used the pestle from my mortar and pestle set.

Next you want to add ice to fill the glass.  I then add about 2 Tbsp. of simple syrup (recipe below) and as much clear rum as you want ;).  Top off with soda water, mix, and serve!  Delicious!!!

Simple Syrup

Add 1 cup of sugar to 1 cup of water in a small saucepan.  Heat until sugar completely dissolves then cool before using.  Store in the refrigerator.

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My all time favorite cocktail ever is a Bloody Mary.  I love the spiciness of the drink, but what I love the most are the garnishes!  To me a Bloody Mary isn't really a summer drink but I wanted to find a way to make it work in the hot summer months.  I wondered how it would taste if you blended the drink with ice.....Delicious!!! 

Frozen Bloody Mary

Fill a blender with ice.  Add in vodka to taste and then fill with Bloody Mary mix.  Blend, Garnish, Enjoy!

Garnish.....The sky is pretty much the limit when it comes to garnishes for your Bloody Mary.  Traditionally it is garnished with celery and queen (the larger size) green olives.  I have also seen them garnished with pickles, and pickled jalapenos.  My favorite garnish is the jalapeno stuffed green olive!

Vodka and Mix......I have discovered the best Bloody Mary mix ever and it is definitely worth searching out.  The name is Zing Zang and to me it has the perfect balance of tomato juice and spices.  I love to mix it with Absolut Peppar vodka for a little extra zing!

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My final suggestion for a summer cocktail is a very easy one.  Add some frozen fruit to a glass of white wine or champagne and voila!  You can buy frozen fruit or freeze fresh fruit.  It keeps the wine cool and it is very refreshing!

Enjoy and Cheers!

Kristen and Alyse