Indulge In {Fruity Ice Cubes}

It's no secret that Florida is hot. Really, really hot. And this past week has been hotter than normal. With the heat index hitting 110, I found myself constantly searching for ways to stay cool. I'm usually one to avoid ice in drinks, but I couldn't pile it in my glass fast enough. With the heat though, the ice cubes were melting left and right making my cocktails watery, something you never want. To solve the problem, I decided to make my mixers into ice cubes. This way, when the Florida sun melts it away, my drink won't lose any flavor! My favorite thing about this concept is you can do it with just about whatever you want. I layered cranberry and orange juice to go in my vodka soda, but you could also do lime zest and juice for margaritas or chopped mint and simple syrup for mojitos. These spirited ice cubes are simple to make and give big impact to a party. Here's the how to for my layered cran orange cubes...

:: Ingredients ::
Orange Juice
Cranberry Juice

:: Directions ::
1. Pour cranberry juice into ice tray just enough to fill half the cube portion. Place in the freezer and freeze till solid, approximately 6 hours.
2. Top each cube with orange juice and freeze overnight till solid. Remove from tray, mix into cocktail and serve!

Indulge In {Rum Punch Granita}

This blog would be nothing if I wasn't honest with you. So in the spirit of being honest, this post started as rum punch pops. It clearly turned out to be an almost epic fail. In the process, I learned that making pops with an abundance of alcohol is just about impossible. But, I did learn that making granita with it is surprisingly easy and delicious. Because of the alcohol, you don't have to scrape it like a normal granita. It freezes nicely and makes a delicious, cooling summer dessert when accompanied by some fresh fruit. Serve it up after a backyard BBQ or a fun day at the beach. The best part is that when it melts, it turns into a yummy (ice cold!) cocktail. Here's the recipe..

:: Ingredients ::
*Makes 2 Servings*
1 oz Coconut Rum
1 oz White Rum
1 oz Dark Rum
1/2 oz Spiced Rum
3 oz Pineapple Juice
2 oz Orange Juice
1.5 oz Grapefruit Juice

:: Directions ::
Combine ingredients in a tupperware. Place in freezer and freeze for at least 24 hours. Using an ice cream scooper, scrape out serving. Top with fresh seasonal fruit and serve.

The Happiest Hour {Rum Cocktail Round 2}

After the research I did last week, we decided that this was a good weekend to attempt our signature rum cocktail again. This time, Rob participated in the mix up and things went a bit smoother than they did the first time. Now, we are actually on the right track. We started by trying to recreate our favorite rum drink, The Blaster, and got pretty darn close. After 5 attempts, we finally settled on the base and I actually managed to write it down so it can be recreated. This is my biggest problem with most recipes I try. From here on out, it's just a matter of adding our favorite flavors to create the perfect combination. I'd love to get your opinion on the base and what you think we should add. Here's the recipe so far!

:: Ingredients ::
*Makes 2 cocktails
1 oz Malibu Coconut Rum
1 oz Flor de Cana Dark Rum
1 oz Flor de Cana White Rum
.5 oz Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
3 oz Pineapple Juice
2 oz Orange Juice
1.5 oz Grapefruit Juice
1 Cap Full Grenadine

:: Directions ::
Combine all ingredients and shake to combine. Strain over ice and serve.

The Happiest Hour {Dancing Flamingo...Round 1}

So there's this tradition in the Bahamas that I've been dying to bring back to the states for years. Every place you go has a signature house rum drink. Armed with names like The Blaster and The Guana Grabber, these cocktails can't be beat. It has been my mission lately to create our signature recipe. Something that we can whip up in big batches and serve by the pitcher at all gatherings. Creating the perfect recipe isn't something that happens in a single try though. I know the base, coconut rum, and some flavors I'd like to include, strawberry and orange. Everything else though is up in the air. Join us on the journey to creating the perfect house rum cocktail and whip up this first attempt. I'd love to hear your feedback! Here's the recipe...

:: Ingredients ::
1.5 Parts Strawberry Juice
1.5 Parts Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
2 Lime Wedges
1 Part Coconut Rum
1/2 Part Grand Marnier

:: Directions ::
1. Combine strawberry juice, orange juice, coconut rum, and grand marnier in a shaker and shake to combine.
2. Squeeze lime wedge over ice and strain cocktail into glass. Garnish with an additional lime wedge and serve.

The Happiest Hour {Best Berry Sangria}

There is this little bar in historic St. Augustine called Sangria's. They make, hands down, the best sangria you have ever had. They let the fruit soak over night in sangria from the day before and top each glass with bit of sparkling wine for an effervescent flair. I've never made sangria in my life that compares to this. Until now. The trick I learned was mixing it all the night before and letting it sit. I added a bit of the mixture to the berries and let those sit overnight as well. The next day, I mixed  it all up and topped with sparkling wine to create my perfect rainy day cocktail! Here's the recipe.


:: Ingredients ::
750 ml Bottle Red Wine
1 1/2 Cups Port Wine
1 Cup Orange Juice
1 Cup Cranberry Juice
2 Cups Mixed Berries

:: Directions ::
1. Combine red wine, port wine, orange juice, and cranberry juice in pitcher.
2. Place berries in a separate pitcher and top with 1 cup of the sangria mixture.
3. Let both sit in the refrigerator overnight. Serve and enjoy!

The Happiest Hour {Lime Margarita}

Welcome to Margaritaville! I told you to beware of Jimmy Buffet themed posts this week. Tomorrow we are off to Jacksonville for the Buffet concert and I can barely contain my excitement. All night long I'll be sure to be sipping on my favorite Buffet themed beverage, the margarita. While I consider myself to be a margarita aficionado, I've been struggling to find the perfect fresh squeezed margarita since our trip to the Bahamas this past June. However, with a bit of trial and error, I think I may have perfected it. Here's my recipe for the perfect fresh squeezed lime margarita.

:: Ingredients ::
12 Limes, juiced
4.5 Cups Tequila
1.5 Cups Simple Syrup
1/4 Cup Triple Sec
1.5 Cups Orange Juice

:: Directions ::
Combine ingredients in a pitcher. Stir to mix and pour over ice to serve.

Stock the Holiday Bar

Tis the season for holiday parties! They can be such fun to attend, but if you are hosting your own it, like any other party, can get a bit overwhelming. You want to make sure all guests are pleased and have something there they enjoy, but can't tailor a menu to everybody's taste. The same goes for the bar. Some people prefer vodka over gin, whisky over scotch, craft beer over commercial styles, and champagne over wine. Either way, you want to make sure there is something there for everybody but don't want to break the bank buying everything in the liquor store. Fear no more! Here is the guide to stocking the perfect holiday bar. You won't break the bank and everybody is sure to be pleased. With these staple items guests can make the cocktail of their choosing. Happy Holiday bar stocking!

Liquors:
1 Vodka
1 Rum
1 Whisky
1 Tequila

Wines:
1 Red
1 White
1 Sparkling (Champagne, Prosecco, etc.)

Mixers:
Coke
Sprite
Sweet n' Sour
Orange Juice
Cranberry Juice

Additions:
Limes
Cherries