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!

The Happiest Hour {Vampire's Dream}

The hunt for the perfect rum cocktail continues! I shared attempt number one last week and have been doing some research ever since for attempt number two. I figured it best to consider all of my flavor combination options before making my next mix. I found this recipe on Pinterest and loved the flavor combination. Add in a bit of coconut and a squeeze of lime and it may be perfect! I'll create my next version this weekend, but until then enjoy this this recipe from Ezra Pound Cake.

:: Ingredients ::
1/4 Cup Spiced Rum
1/3 Cup Cranberry Juice
1/3 Cup Pineapple Juice
Splash Grenadine

:: Directions ::
1. Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake. Strain over ice and serve.

Have a great weekend!

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!

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