Aperol Spritz

This is my new favorite summer cocktail. It is light, bubbly, and refreshing with flavors of orange and rhubarb and a hint of grapefruit-rind bitterness. This is one of the most popular aperitifs in Italy and I can see why!

Ingredients

3 parts Prosecco Italian Sparkling wine
1 part Aperol Aperitif
Splash of club soda or sparkling water
Orange slices

Instructions

Fill glass with ice. Pour Aperol into glass over ice. Top with Prosecco in 3:1 ratio.
Top with splash of club soda or sparkling water.
Add orange slice.

Pineapple-Orange Prosecco Punch

I served this punch at a recent bridal shower. It is a perfect accompaniment to brunch.

Ingredients

2 cups pineapple juice

1 cup orange juice

1 (750 ml) bottle sparkling white wine

Fresh pineapple wedges

Sprigs of rosemary (optional)

Instructions:

Using a pitcher, mix pineapple and orange juice.

Just before serving, add sparkling wine.

Serve immediately, garnishing each glass with a fresh pineapple wedge and sprig of rosemary. 

8 serving

Recipe Source:  Damn Delicious

Festive Christmas Cranberry Mimosa

Perfect for Christmas!

Ingredients

Champagne
Cranberry Juice
Fresh Cranberries
Fresh Rosemary


Instructions

Fill champagne flutes half full with cranberry juice. Top with champagne.
Add a few fresh cranberries and a sprig of rosemary.
Festive!!

Cantelope Martini

On a recent girls' getaway weekend with my daughters in Arizona, we enjoyed a cantelope martini at the Jade Bar at the Sanctuary Resort. This drink was created by the bar manager, Eddie Garcia. The flavors of this drink were like freshly cut cantelope, although we were surprised to learn it actually had no cantelope in it at all.   A perfect special cocktail.

Ingredients for one drink

1 1/2 ounce vodka
1 ounce watermelon liqueur
1 ounce orange juice
1/4 ounce lime juice

Instructions

Combine ingredients in shaker with ice. Shake and pour into glass. Garnish with lime slice or cantelope ball.

Hot Buttered Rum

This is a make ahead recipe that you can store in the freezer and serve anytime - one hot buttered rum at a time if you wish!
It makes a very large batch which should last through the coldest winter or largest blizzard on record!

Ingredients

1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened
1 pound butter, softened
1 pound brown sugar
1 pound powdered sugar
1 - 2 teaspoons nutmeg
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Rum

Instructions

With electric mixer, combine ice cream, butter, sugars and spices. Place in container with tight fitting fit and store in freeze.
To serve spoon 3 Tablespoons of batter into mug. Add one shot of rum and 6 ounces boiling water. Stir to melt the ice cream batter.

Winter Sangria

Here is the winter version of a fruity sangria. A perfect cocktail on a chilly evening.

Ingredients

2 bottles Spanish Rioja wine
1 cup brandy
1 bag frozen dark sweet cherries
1 bag frozen peach slices
1 orange, sliced
2 cinnamon sticks
1 cup simple syrup

Instructions

To make simple syrup, combine one cup of sugar with one cup of water and zest of one orange in a saucepan.  Bring to boil, then lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool and refrigerate until you are ready to make sangria.

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Put setting on high for one hour. Reduce to warm. Ladle into glasses from the slow cooker, including some fruit in each cup.

Chocolate Pudding Shots

I have had friends visiting from out of town this past week and the days were busy touring around Colorado. No time to post new recipes. Our whirlwind week ended with a football game last night and, of course, a great tailgate party before the game. My friend, Rita, made these pudding shots for the tailgate and everyone loved them. Definitely a great idea for a football party.
You can mix and match the flavors of pudding and liqueur to create a variety of tastes and colors (think of pudding flavors that match your team colors!)
We choose chocolate pudding shots as described in this recipe and vanilla-butterscotch using vanilla pudding and Buttershots.

Ingredients

Small package instant chocolate pudding
3/4 cup cold milk
1/2 cup Bailey's
1/4 cup vodka
8 ounce Cool Whip, thawed
Plastic shot glasses

Instructions

Beat pudding with milk, Bailey's and vodka for about 2 minutes.
Stir in Cool Whip by hand. Mix thoroughly.
Pour into 1 ounce plastic shot cups (with lids) and freeze.

White Sangria

Refreshing on a summer evening.

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons sugar
3 shots apple liqueur
1 lime, sliced
1 lemon, sliced
2 ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and cut into wedges
2 green apples, cored and cut into wedges
1 pint raspberries
1 bottle dry white wine
Sparkling soda water

Instructions

Combine sugar, apple liqueur, lime, lemon, peaches and apples in large pitcher. Cover with wine and allow to chill for several hours.
To serve spoon some fruit into glasses or goblets, adding a few raspberries to each glass. Pour sangria over the fruit in each glass and top with sparkling soda.

This recipe comes from Rachel Ray.

Fresh Peach Daiquiri

When peaches are in season and perfectly ripe, this is the drink to make.

Ingredients for one drink.

1 cup peeled and chopped fresh peaches
1/4 cup lime juice
1 1/2 ounces light rum
1 ounce peach schnapps
1/2 ounce apricot brandy
Dash of vanilla
1 Tablespoon fine sugar
1 cup crushed ice

Instructions

Peel and chop peaches. Freeze the chopped peaches.
Combine peaches, lime juice, rum. brandy, schnapps, vanilla and sugar in blender.
Combine until smooth.
Slowly add ice and process until smooth.
Serve in chilled glasses.

Frozen Strawberry Margarita

If you keep this in the freezer, anytime is margarita time!

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) package whole frozen strawberries
1/3 cup sugar
1 (12 ounce) can frozen limeade concentrate
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups tequila
4 cups lemon-lime flavored carbonated soft drink beverage, chilled

Instructions

In food processor, combine strawberries, sugar and limeade concentrate. Process until strawberries are chopped up well and mixture is blended.
Slowly add 1 cup of the water, blending well.
Pour into non-metal container. Add remaining 1/2 cup water, tequila, and 1 1/2 cup of carbonated soft drink. Mix well. Cover container. Stir again after two hours. Freeze overnight.
To serve, stir mixture. Spoon into glasses.
Top each glass with about 1/4 cup of carbonated soft drink.

Peachy Keen Slush

The temperature is supposed to be in the 90's all week and, so, anything cool and refreshing sounds great right now. My neighbor used to make a batch of this drink in the summer and keep it in his freezer just for such days when nothing beats a cold beverage.  This drink is like a frozen Fuzzy Navel. I wish I had one right now!

Ingredients

1/4 cup sugar
2 cups water
1 (12) ounce can frozen orange juice concentrate
1 (120 ounce can frozen lemonade concentrate
3 cups water
2 1/2 cups peach schnapps
1/3 cup lemon juice
Chilled gingerale

Instructions

Thaw juice concentrate.
In medium saucepan, combine sugar and 2 cups water. Bring to boil. Boil for three minutes. Set aside to cool.
In large nonmetal container, combine thawed lemonade and orange juice concentrates, 3 cups water, schnapps and lemon juice. Blend well.
Stir in cooled sugar mixture.
Cover and freeze overnight, stirring after the first two hours.
To serve, place 1/2 cup of the slush mixture into a glass. Add 1/3 cup chilled gingerale.

Brett's Beer Margaritas

This is my son-in-law's recipe for a great summer margarita.

Ingredients

1 12-ounce can frozen limeade concentrate
1 12-ounce bottle Mexican beer (I prefer to use Coors Light)
Tequila
Ice
Coarse Salt
1 fresh lime

Instructions

Put frozen limeade concentrate and beer into blender.
Refill limeade can up to 1/2 full of tequila (depends on how strong you want your margarita to be)
Add tequila to blender.
Add ice to almost fill the blender.
Blend until slushy.

Rub the rim of each glass with a slice of fresh lime and dip glass rim into coarse salt.
Fill glass with margarita and enjoy!

Mojitos

This recipe makes one mojito - so you can plan on doubling or tripling it so you will have plenty.

Ingredients

15 fresh mint leaves
1 teaspoon sugar
1 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 to 1 ounce simple syrup
1 to 1.5 ounces rum
Ice
4 ounce gingerale

(Note: Simple syrup is made by combining equal parts sugar and water. Bring to boil to dissolve the sugar. Cool and refrigerate)

Instructions

In a glass, muddle mint, sugar, lime juice and simple syrup until leaves of mint of mashed. Add rum and ice. Top with gingerale.

Pumpkintini

Ingredients for one drink

1 graham cracker, crushed into fine crumbs
Ice cubes
3 Tablespoons rum
3 Tablespoons canned pumpkin pie filling
1/2 ounce maple liqueur (1 Tablespoon)
1/2 ounce half and half (1 Tablespoon)

Instructions

Place graham crackers on small plate.
Wet the edge of a well-chilled martini glass and dip into the crumbs to coat the edge of the glass.

In cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine other ingredients. Shake and strain into martini glass.