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