Americano

The Classic Americano!

Americano

1. Ice
2. 1 1/2 oz Campari
3. 1 1/2 oz sweet vermouth
4. 3 oz chilled club soda
5. 1 orange wheel,  for garnish

1. Fill a chilled rocks glass with ice. Add Campari, sweet vermouth, and club soda.
2. Stir well.
3. Garnish with the orange wheel.

Serves 1

Dark & Stormy

Dark & Stormy

Not all of your drinks for Halloween have to be orange and black to get into the spooky spirit! According to Gosling's Rum, this drink was invented more than 100 years ago when members of Bermuda's Royal Naval Officer's Club added local rum to their spicy homemade ginger beer. The sailors would say the hue of the drink was, "the color of a cloud only a fool or dead man would sail under."  Regardless of the tale, it makes a darn good drink!

 Ingredients  

• 2 oz dark rum
• 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
• Ice
• 3 oz chilled ginger beer*
• 1 lime wheel (for garnish)   

Directions

1. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the rum and lime juice and shake well.
2. Strain into an ice-filled glass. Stir in the ginger beer.
3. Garnish with lime wedge. 

Serves 1

 * Not all ginger beer is created equal.  Some are spicier than others therefore try different styles and find the one you LOVE!  For me the spicier the better!

Tailgatin' Lemonade

Tailgatin' Lemonade

 Ingredients

• 13 oz Treaty Oak Rum
• 3 oz Pimm's #1
• 8 oz fresh lemon juice
• 4 oz simple syrup
• 1/2 tablespoon sriracha sauce
• Ice
• 1 liter chilled club soda 
• Thin lemon wheels, for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. In a large resealable container, combine all of the ingredients except ice, club soda, and lemon wheels. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour.
2. After 1 hour; add club soda, cover tightly and shake.
3. Then pour into ice filled glasses and garnish with lemon wheels.

Serves 8

Sweet Tea Vodka or Just Plain Ol' Vodka Thyme Lemonade

Sweet Tea Vodka Thyme Lemonade

 

 

Sweet Tea Vodka or Just Plain Ol' Vodka Thyme Lemonade

The perfect end of summer drink! Whether you use sweet tea vodka or just plain ol' vodka this drink is sure to be a crowd pleaser.  

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups water
• 13 sprigs fresh thyme, plus more for garnish
• 4 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice, about 24 lemons*
• 2 cups Starlite Vodka or Graham's Texas Tea Vodka

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, combine 2 cups water with the sugar and thyme; bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat; let cool to room temperature.
2. Pour mixture through a fine mesh screen into a large glass measuring cup; discard thyme. You should have about 2 cups syrup. Cover with plastic; chill.
3. In a large serving pitcher, stir together lemon juice, vodka, and chilled syrup; garnish with whole sprigs of thyme. Divide evenly among eight glassesfilled with ice; serve immediately.

*Don't want to juice 24 lemons?  Well I don't blame you!  Try Simply Lemonade and omit the sugar and water. 

Serves 8

Meloncello

Meloncello Cocktail

 Ingredients

• White sugar 
• 1 cup chopped seedless watermelon
• Ice cubes
• 3 1/2 oz limoncello
• 1/2 oz Treaty Oak Rum
• Splash club soda
• Lemon wedge

Directions

1. Rim a rocks glass with white sugar, and put glass in the freezer. Puree the watermelon in a blender until juicy.
2. Fill the prepped rocks glass with ice. Add watermelon juice, limoncello, and rum. Top off with enough club soda to fill glass. Garnish with a lemon wedge and enjoy!

Serves 1 

The FireCracker

Fire Cracker

 

 

 

 

Fire Cracker

Ingredients

• 2 oz. Tito's Vodka
• ½ oz. Blue Curacao
• Splash Tonic
• Cherry or Raspberry for garnish*

Directions

1. In a shaker put vodka, blue curacao, and tonic with ice.  Shake well.
2. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a cherry or raspberry.

*Get creative and try muddling 4 or 5 raspberries in the shaker and strain into martini glass or infuse your vodka with raspberries beforehand for the ultimate flavor!

Traditional tasty Sangria

Sangria

Summer time and summer vacations are officially here!  So take a trip to Spain or Portugal and drink sangria!  

Ingredients

• 1 (750 ml) bottle rose wine
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 1/2 cup brandy or vodka
• 1/4 cup triple sec
• 1/4 cup simple syrup
• 1 orange, sliced into rounds
• 1 lemon, sliced into rounds
• 1 lime, sliced into rounds
•  6 oz container of fresh raspberries

Directions

1. Combine wine, pineapple juice, brandy, triple sec, and simple syrup in a large bowl or pitcher. 
2. Stir the oranges, lemons, limes, and raspberries into the mixture at least 30 minutes before serving. The longer the fruit marinates the better. Serve over ice.

Serves 6

The Margarita Mojito

The Margarita Mojito

It is a new twist on a classic just in time for Cinco de Mayo.  Both the margarita and mojito are the perfect refreshing cocktail so why not combine the two!

Ingredients

• 8 oz blanco tequila

• 2 oz fresh lime juice

• 2 oz agave nectar

• 4 oz soda water to top

• Approximately 20 mint leaves

• Approximately 2 limes cut into wedges

• Lime wedges to garnish

Directions

1. In a cocktail shaker, add torn mint leaves, lime wedges, lime juice, and muddle together, allowing the aromas to be released.  
2. Add 2 cups of crushed ice and add to tequila and agave nectar. Shake well. 
3. Pour evenly into 4 glasses, adding additional crushed ice then mix well
4. Top with soda water and garnish with lime wedges

Serves 4

madamemoonshine: Strawberry Fizz

madamemoonshine: Strawberry Fizz: The Strawberry Fizz Cinco de Mayo is almost here which means it is time for tequila!  This refreshing cocktail recipe has a Mex...

Strawberry Fizz

The Strawberry Fizz

Cinco de Mayo is almost here which means it is time for tequila!  This refreshing cocktail recipe has a Mexican twist with the addition of tequila.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 4 oz Republic Tequila

• 4 oz Strawberry Liqueur

• 2 oz Fresh lime juice

• 1 bottle of Prosecco (750 ml)

• Limes or strawberries for garnish

Directions

1. In a shaker filled with ice pour tequila, strawberry liqueur, and fresh lime juice, shake well
2. Strain evenly into 4 champagne flutes
3. Top off glasses with Prosecco and garnish with a lime wedge or strawberry half  

Did you know?

That Cinco de Mayo is celebrated nationwide in the US and regionally in Mexico, primarily in the state of Puebla where the holiday is called El Dia de la Batalla de Puebla.  In the state of Puebla, the holiday commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.  Contrary to widespread popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's Independence Day which is actually celebrated on September 16th.

The Dirty Mother

 

Dirty Mother Cocktail

Add a little humor to your Mother's Day by surprising her with a tasting cocktail that will make her laugh!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 oz cognac
• 3/4 oz coffee liqueur

Directions

1. Build the ingredients* in an old fashioned glass with ice cubes.
2. Stir well.
3. Garnish with an orange peel.

* To make a Dirty White Mother, float cream on the top of glass and enjoy!

The Black Velvet

This unique little cocktail is the perfect St. Patrick's Day drink to satisfy both women and men.  The Black Velvet was first created at London's Brook's Club in 1861, to mourn the death of Prince Albert, husband to Queen Victoria.  The drink was supposed to symbolize the dark colored cloth armbands worn by mourners.

Ingredients

Equal parts Sparkling Wine or Champagne
Equal parts Jester King's Black Metal Imperial Stout

Directions

Fill a chilled pint glass or champagne flute halfway with cold stout beer and float the sparkling wine on top of the stout.  For the most part the stout and sparkling wine will remain in separate layers.  The layering effect can be achieved by pouring the liquids over an upside down spoon placed at the top of the glass so that both liquids run gently down the sides rather than splashing into the lower layer and mixing.  Now sit back and enjoy!

The Kissy Suzuki

The Kissy Suzuki 

The Kissy Suzuki cocktail is named after a fictional character in Ian Fleming's James Bond novel You Only Live Twice.  Kissy Suzuki (at least the literary version) remains the only character who bears James Bond a child.  In the 1967 film version, Kissy is a ninja secret agent and former pearl diver.  Kissy Suzuki was played by Mie Hama who appeared in Playboy magazine becoming the first Asian woman to appear in Playboy.  Now on to the drink!  

Ingredients

2 Tbsp of raspberry puree
2 oz Tito's Vodka
.75 oz cranberry juice
2.5 oz apple juice
Sprite
Raspberries

Directions

Pour vodka, raspberry puree, cranberry juice, and apple juice into a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously, strain into a martini glass, and top with sprite.  Garnish with whole raspberries.

Sidecar

The Sidecar

The exact origin of the Sidecar is unclear, but it is thought to have been invented around the end of World War I in either London or Paris.  The first recipes for the Sidecar appear in 1922, in Harry MacElhone's Harry's ABC of Mixing Cocktails and Robert Vermeire's Cocktails and How to Mix Them. 

Ingredients:

• 3/4 ounce Cointreau
• 3/4 ounce lemon juice
• 1 1/2 ounces cognac

Directions:

Shake well with cracked ice, strain into a sugar rimmed chilled cocktail glass, garnish with a lemon twist, and enjoy!

French Martini

French Martini

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz Dripping Springs vodka
1/4 oz Chambord raspberry liqueur
1/4 oz fresh pineapple juice
1 twist lemon peel

Directions:

Pour vodka, raspberry liqueur, and pineapple juice into a shaker with ice.  Shake, pour into a cocktail or martini glass, garnish with a lemon twist, and serve.

History:

The French Martini was imported from Europe, more than likely Paris in the early 1990's.  Mixologists such as Dale DeGroff attribute the French Martini with starting the "martini craze" in the United States.  What makes this cocktail French is the Chambord raspberry liqueur which is made from black raspberries, honey, vanilla and brandy.  Chambord is made in Loire Valley, France and some form of the liqueur has been for the last 300 years.  

Rum Daiquiri

The Classic Rum Daiquiri

Who says daiquiris have to be overly sweet and served frozen?  This recipe takes you back to those long summer days that we miss with three simple ingredients.  

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 oz Treaty Oak Rum
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 oz simple syrup

Directions:

Place ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake until mixed then strain into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with a lime wedge and enjoy!

Bee's Knees

Well, isn't that just the Bee's Knees?!

Ever wondered what the saying actually means? Well, in modern speak it is the equivalent to the cat's meow or the cat's pajamas.  However, not only is the Bee's Knees an old school saying, it is also a slightly sweet Prohibition era cocktail that is super easy to make!  Combine the following ingredients in a shaker with crushed ice and shake vigorously, and when I say vigorously I mean get your work out in!

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. of Waterloo Gin (made by Treaty Oak Distilling based out of Austin, Texas from all Texas botanicals)
• 3/4 oz. honey syrup*
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice 

Directions: 

Strain all ingredients into a cocktail or lowball glass (glass pictured) and garnish with a lemon twist or wedge.  Then sit back and enjoy your Prohibition inspired cocktail because you legally can! 

*Honey syrup is equal parts hot water and honey.  Stir mixture until honey is completely dissolved.