Sweet Tea Hot Toddy
One of our favorite local spots start serving hot cocktails during the colder months of the year. I love a good hot toddy. It's the perfect drink to sip and enjoy good company and chilly weather. Sweet Tea Hot Toddy, makes two. Needed: tea of choice (I used a vanilla chamomile. Heat water and when ready steep the tea. Super easy and super comforting.
Fancy Ice Cubes: 3 Ways
As the summer heats up around here we are looking for ways to dress up our iced beverages. Here are three fun ideas for making your own fancy ices cubes; along with serving suggestions. Enjoy! Raspberry Mint ice cubes: to make simply add a fresh min leaf and a raspberry or two to each ice cube before freezing. These are super pretty! Layered ice cubes: to make pour a layer of juice or other colored liquid into your tray, about 1/3 full. Coffee (or tea) ice cubes: to make simply fill your tray with left over coffee or tea. Have fun coming up with your own frozen favorites. xo.
Flavored Lemonade Inspiration
Elsie and I are starting to plan some spring/summer back-yard parties for this coming season. It's going to be my first summer in my house (just became a first time home-owner this past autumn). We plan to host a few little get togethers, I may build a small fire pit for s'mores. Who knows! Grapefruit Lemonade- to a large pitcher of lemonade add in 2 cups of grapefruit juice and fresh slices of grapefruit. Strawberry and Basil Lemonade- to a large pitcher of lemonade add 2-3 cups of chopped strawberries and a handful of chopped basil. Cucumber Mint Limeade-to a large pitcher of limeade (or lemonade) add one cucumber, thinly sliced, and a handful of chopped mint leaves. Blackberry Lemonade- to a small pitcher of lemonade add 1 cup of slighlty mashed blackbarries. Happy Monday!
10 Cocktails Inspired by Pop Culture
Have you ever wanted to drink just like your favorite book, TV, movie or video game character, or at least drink a cocktail inspired by them? Well, good news. Thanks to the creativity and goofiness of many amateur mixologists, now you can, and here are some of the best cocktails based exclusively on pop culture icons. Special thanks to The Drunken Moogle, which specializes in pop culture cocktails. 1. While the Harry Potter series might be written for kids and young adults, there are enough references to Butterbeer and Firewhiskey that plenty of adult fans were inspired to create their own versions of the drinks. Little Pink Blog has a whole series of Harry Potter cocktails, including drinks inspired by Hermione, Lord Voldemort, Sirius Black, and The Golden Snitch, but the most visually impressive by far is the Goblet of Fire, which contains vodka, blue Curacao, lemonade, Bacardi 151 and a pinch of cinnamon and is served flaming. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Peppermint White Russian Recipe
In our group of friends everyone loves White Russians. We even served them at our wedding! Here's a fun Holiday spin on an old favorite. We're big fans of peppermint over here! Peppermint White Russian, serves one Fill a glass with ice and then combine- 2 parts peppermint schnapps, 2 part Bailey's (the coffee flavored kind), 1 part half and half. The recipe above is mildly minty. Do you have a favorite Holiday cocktail (or mocktail) recipe? In our group of friends everyone loves White Russians. The recipe above is mildly minty.
Make Your Own Coffee Syrup
Do you have any coffee lovers on your holiday gift list this year? (If not, feel free to go ahead and put me on your list!) This is a cute little idea for making your own flavored coffee syrups that you can use at home to take your morning cup of joe to the next level. If you are making these as a gift I highly recommend making 2-3 flavors. For the vanilla syrup you need: 2 cups water, 2 cups sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (the clear kind is much preferred here). For the raspberry syrup you need: 2 cups water, 2 cups sugar and 1/2 cup fresh raspberries. For the caramel syrup you need: 2 cups water, 2 cups sugar and 1/2 cup caramel (store bought or make your own). You can add decorative labels or ribbons to these when gifting them. Enjoy!
3 Easy Infused Water Recipes
Infused waters are one of my favorite warm weather beverages. These fancy waters are perfect for parties or just a special treat to yourself! You can make a pitcher for a group of friends or single servings, like these. This summer I tried out lots of different flavor combinations. Lemon and Cucumber Water. Strawberry and Basil Water.This recipe a unique and so pretty! Mint Water. I hope that you enjoy some pretty fancy water!
Arnold Palmer Mix Up
Arnold Palmers are my favorite summer drink! These sweet treats are half ice tea and half lemonade. They are named after a famous golfer. First I make sun tea. I add fresh fruit to my Arnold Palmers. Here are a few of my favorite combinations. Peach tea + Lemonade + Fresh grapefruit is my favorite combination. I love raspberry anything, so this combination is another favorite. I hope some of you get to try this recipe for the first time this summer! PS.
Bubble Tea Recipe: How to make Boba at home!
For years we tried to make bubble tea at home with no luck. Since opening our own bubble tea business in Red Velvet we learned that most boba drinks made at restaurants or cafes use commercial grade syrups (or powders) to get that wonderful sweet, fruity flavor. But this leaves you in a pickle if you are wanting to make a delicious boba drink at home for yourself or your family, as most commercial grade syrups or powders are sold in large quantities and can be a really expensive option for someone just looking to make boba drinks for a casual get together. Emma developed this super tasty at-home recipe that you don't need any special supplies for (except boba pearls, of course!). Here's a recipe for a Strawberry Boba Slushie that anyone could easily make at home with ingredients that can be found at the grocery store. The strawberries can be substituted for any other berry of your choice, but if you choose a tart berry (like raspberries) you may want to increase the amount of sugar.
