cocktail recipes

elderflower fizz spritzer

January 8, 2013
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elderflower fizz spritzer

Days seem to be passing very quickly lately. I’ve been working on creative things, puttering around my house and getting absorbed in the minute details. I will cook or bake something, take photos of it, edit the photos and sometimes that’s all I get done in a day. Other days I can obsess over one paragraph, in the novel that I’m writing, for literally hours. Getting the words not just right…but perfect… can make a day pass by in a flash. My daughter Andrea and my grand girls Maddie May and Chloe may stop in for a spot of tea…and what I  thought was only a few minute conversation will have been a couple hours. I feel myself drawing inward this time of year. Most of the time it’s...

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dream shakes

January 5, 2013
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dream shakes

We’re settling into our lazy Saturday. We enjoyed breakfast with our daughters this morning at the little neighborhood cafe…pancakes and bennys and hashbrowns…oh my! Meandered to Menards to look at even more paint. Gracie has firmly decided on a shade as pretty as an orange poppy for her bedroom. I think it will look lovely with all the white woodwork. I made Jeff and I some Bailey’s dream shakes for our Friday night dessert. SO delicious and easy. These would make a wonderful company libation. In the bowl of a blender, combine: 7 generous scoops of pure vanilla bean ice cream 1/2 cup Bailey’s Irish Cream (or your favorite homemade version) Mix until well blended and frothy. Pour into two crystal tumblers. Top generously with whipped cream and sprinkles. Drizzle...

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juicy fruit martini

November 1, 2012
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juicy fruit martini

Here’s another little libation I dreamed up featuring Joia all-natural soda. Joia makes some of the best, most uniquely flavored sodas I’ve ever had. Delicious and truly refreshing. I’m not much of a soda drinker…but these fruity concoctions, with flavors such as: pineapple-coconut-nutmeg, lime-hibiscus-clove, grapefruit-chamomile-cardamom, blackberry-pomegranate-ginger, and ginger-apricot-allspice, make lovely drink mixers. They’re also nice to have on hand as interesting NA drinks for your friends who don’t imbibe. The one featured in this cocktail is the Orange-Jasmine-Nutmeg, and I love love LOVE it! In a martini shaker, add: a handful of ice and a shot of vodka shake for 15 seconds and using a strainer, pour into a martini glass top off with some Joia Orange-Jasmine-Nutmeg soda Cheers! ~Melissa

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sparkling cranberry apple crisp martini

October 25, 2012
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sparkling cranberry apple crisp martini

A lovely little libation for Ladies Night! Pink drinks are so pretty! Apple, cranberry and cinnamon sparkle in this yummy drink. Enjoy! In a martini shaker, mix: a handful of ice 1/4 cup cranberry juice cocktail 1 and 1/4 oz. Dr. McGillicuddy’s Intense Apple Pie Liqueur cinnamon, sugar and red cookie sugar for rim of martini glass red and white striped straw cinnamon stick for garnish Combine cinnamon and sugars to taste. Wet rim of glass with a little water. Dip edge of glass in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Shake the cranberry juice cocktail, apple pie liqueur and ice in shaker for 15 seconds or so. Pour through shaker strainer into glass. Place straw and cinnamon stick in glass. Serve immediately. Cheers! ~Melissa

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homemade summer shandy

June 29, 2012
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homemade summer shandy

~ homemade summer shandy ~ A wonderfully refreshing summer beverage that you can make for a lazy afternoon in the back yard while reading a book on the hammock, or for your next gathering. I think this would be fun to serve for a 4th of July picnic! Easy and much better than the premade variety. First you’ll need homemade lemonade: 1 and 1/2 cups sugar 2 cups water 2 cups fresh lemon juice 6 cups cold water (to dilute) Make simple syrup by heating the sugar and 2 cups of the water in a saucepan. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Once dissolved, remove from heat and set aside. Add the fresh lemon juice (from approximately 8-12 lemons, depending on size) to a pitcher. Add the sugar syrup and...

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the sweet taste of summer ~ champagne & tarragon blackberries

May 31, 2012
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the sweet taste of summer ~ champagne & tarragon blackberries

~ champagne & tarragon blackberries ~ A ridiculously easy and wonderfully elegant dessert. The flavor combination is truly sensational. Hold on to your hat! I got the idea for this dessert out of one of my favorite cookbooks, Kitchen Express, by Mark Bittman. I’ll definitely be serving this at our next dinner party. 1 quart blackberries 3 Tablespoons sugar 3 teaspoons to 3 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh tarragon 1 to 2 cups sweet champagne edible flowers for garnish Combine the blackberries, sugar, tarragon and champagne in a medium sized glass bowl. Allow to sit at room temperature for a half hour. Serve in pretty dessert cups or champagne glasses with your favorite sugar cookie. We like Buckingham Palace shortbread. I’ll be sharing that recipe for my next TeaTime Tuesday...

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secret garden iced tea cocktail

May 18, 2012
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secret garden iced tea cocktail

~ secret garden iced tea cocktail ~ Here’s a special little Friday night post just in time for happy hour. I had one of these last night and I have to say, it is one of the prettiest, most delicious cocktails I have ever had. In a lowball or rocks glass : fill glass with ice add a shot of vodka or Jeremiah Weed bourbon Whiskey add a shot of herbal simple syrup top off with cold iced tea and a splash of club soda garnish with violas, herb sprigs and a lemon wedge if you like! Cheers! I hope you all have a lovely weekend! ~Melissa

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herbal simple syrup

May 18, 2012
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herbal simple syrup

~ herbal simple syrup ~ Transform sugar, water and herbs into a flavorful syrup that will make your iced tea and lemonade sing! It’s so simple I could hardly believe it. The result is a gorgeous syrup that will keep in your fridge all summer. Little bottles of this would make lovely favors for a tea party in the garden. How to make some teatime magic… 3 cups water 3 cups sugar generous handful of fresh thyme, basil and mint (about 1/2 cup total) Place the above ingredients in a saucepan. Stir and bring to boil. Boil for one minute. Remove from heat and allow all of the ingredients to rest and cool for 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes is up, gently rough up the herbs with a...

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slushies for grown-ups

July 10, 2011
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slushies for grown-ups

~dana’s wine slushies~ 1 bottle wine, red or white 1/2 cup sugar 4 dozen ice cubes zip in blender. we used white wine and threw in a handful of fresh mint. A super refreshing libation for a summer evening. ~Melissa

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indian sweet lime

June 16, 2011
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indian sweet lime

~indian sweet lime~ Ever since I saw the breathtaking movie, Darjeeling Limited, I wanted to try making the refreshing looking little cocktail that the beautiful train attendant served to the main characters throughout the film. She would enter their train car, dressed in stunning garments from head to toe, holding a tray of drinks and ask the simple question, “Sweet lime?” If you’re as curious as I was about this cocktail, you’ve come to the right place! Here’s the recipe for you to enjoy! 2 oz. gin 3 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice 1 0z. Rose’s sweet lime syrup pinch salt splash of soda water basil leaves Muddle some basil leaves at the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add gin, lime juice, lime syrup and a handful of ice...

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