Sip

 I love a great year-round cocktail and this one fits the bill! Super refreshing and delicious this is an easy drink to whip up, no matter the occasion.

Cucumber Grapefruit Spritzer

• 2 Persian cucumbers
• 1 grapefruit
• 2 oz gin
• ginger beer

1. Muddle 1/2 sliced cucumber in the bottom of a cocktail shaker.
2. Add juice of 1 grapefruit (reserving a wedge for garnish).
3. Add ice and shake for 20 seconds.
4. Strain into an ice filled glass.
5. Add gin and top with ginger beer.
6. Stir and garnish with grapefruit wedge and cucumber spears.

One of my awesome coworkers – Eddie, gifted J & I the amazing PDT Cocktail Book for Christmas this past year, and I’ve been eager to dive into it.  A cocktail that initially stood out, was the delicious – Cherry Pop, that I had to share with you all!

Cherry Pop 

• 2 oz Plymouth Gin
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 1/2 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
• splash of agave nectar or simple syrup
• 4 pitted cherries

1. Muddle 3 cherries with a splash of sweetener in the bottom of a cocktail shaker.
2. Add gin, lemon juice, Luxardo liqueur and ice, and shake until icy and combined.
3. Strain into an ice filled low ball glass and garnish with a cherry.

I was looking forward to mixing up my blood orange rut when I received these gorgeous grapefruits in my Farm Fresh to You box.  They are so delicious and the perfect addition to a refreshingly light cocktail!

Salty Dog

• 1.5 oz gin
• juice of 1 grapefruit
• 1 grape fruit wedge
• salt
• 3-4 basil leaves
• club soda

1. Rim a highball glass with grapefruit juice and salt (optional).
2. Muddle grapefruit wedge and basil leaves gently with a splash of gin (avoiding the pith/rind as much as possible).
3. Add ice, gin and grapefruit juice to the glass.
4. Stir and top with club soda.

I whipped up some blood orange infused vodka a few weeks ago and was a little nervous about the outcome.  I’ve never infused citrus before and quickly added some sliced oranges to the vodka before thinking through the possibility of the bitter rind ruining my little concoction. Luckily, it was salvageable and turned into a Campari-esque tasting mixture that was tasty by itself!

But while, infused alcohol is great over ice, it’s a smarter (i.e. safer) approach to mix it with something.  I just added a little Sprite and a squeeze of lime and enjoyed this light and refreshing drink.  Nothing makes happy hour happier than whipping up a drink in under a minute!

Blood Orange Spritzer 

• infused blood orange vodka
• sprite or club soda (depending on sweetness preference)
• squeeze of lime juice

1. Add vodka to in an ice filled cocktail shaker.
2. Shake until frosty and strain into glass.
3. Top with Sprite/club soda.
4. Finish with a squeeze of lime.

* you also can just get to the point and pour all three ingredients into an ice filled glass and stir 🙂

Note: While the vodka turned out fine by infusing the whole orange, next time I’m going to try removing the pith and rind to see the difference in flavor… if anyone has tried that – I’d love to know your thoughts!

So much for no blood orange cocktail posts. Sorry I’m not sorry.  But seriously…This one is delicious and oh so easy to whip up!

Blood Orange and Bourbon

Serves 1

• 1/4 cup blood orange juice (from 1.5 oranges)
• 3 tablespoons bourbon
• 2 drops of Angostura bitters
• sparkling water

1. Mix orange juice and bourbon and add a couple dashes of bitters.
2. Stir and top with sparkling water.