Okay, it’s official!!

Cue all the exclamation points. I have our 2024 summer cocktail. And it is THIS!

This cucumber prosecco spritzer is made with cucumber syrup, a splash of seltzer and a light prosecco for the ultimate refreshing warm weather drink. 

Oh my heavens. 

I.L.O.V.E.T.H.I.S. 

There are no words.

Except that this is such a fresh, light drink that just tastes like summer. It tastes like hot sunny days and pool splashing and party snacks and marshmallow clouds. 

And the color!

The freaking color is beautiful. The pictures do not do the drink justice. It’s a lovely shade of light green that again, just appears to taste refreshing. Even before you take a sip! 

To make the cucumber syrup, I blend a few mini cucumbers until pureed and then mix them with sugar and water. It’s like a traditional simple syrup, but cucumber flavored! 

Once all that sugar is dissolved, I strain the cucumber syrup a few times to remove any bits that remain. 

This stays great in the fridge for close to a week! Later this month, I’ll share one more drink you can make with this syrup so it never goes to waste!

The rest is simple. Mix the cucumber syrup with some lime juice, prosecco and club soda. 

Stir it up and boom, it’s ready. 

It’s no secret that I like to make cucumber cocktails.

I like to garnish this drink with a cucumber spear or wedges. You can also use limes.

Grab one of these and sit out in the sun this weekend! (more…)

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Hello I am here with your weekend treat!

Which is the easiest most delicious frosty treat you can make right now. Seriously, when you see how simple this is you won’t believe it. 

Guys, this could not be easier. I mean, it’s very embarrassing just HOW easy this is.

All you need is:

A bottle of rosé, right out of the fridge.

Frozen mango.

YEP.

Yes. That is it. Much like my lemonade frosé or frozen strawberry lemonade, that is all you need to make this come together fast. These are SO incredibly simple but really delicious at the same time. Especially if you’re a mango freak like we are over here.

My watermelon frosé from a few years ago is one of my favorite summer drinks EVER. If you can even call it a drink. It’s a grown up slushy/dessert and so lovely for summer. Especially the dog days of August when it’s so super hot. I’m always looking for new twists on, well, everything.

So of course mango had to come into play.

We use frozen mango a lot – mostly in smoothies, occasionally in a frozen mango margarita. Regardless, I always have it in the freezer and since it’s so accessible, this recipe can be made in a pinch. Plus, it’s much easier for me to have good frozen mango as opposed to fresh mango – I can rarely find good ones that are ripe in time for me to use them. 

Also! It’s possible that I love rosé even more when it’s frozen, so this really hits the spot. It’s refreshing, icy, cooling and perfect right now. Pop in a sprig of mint and let’s go!  (more…)

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This is the perfect dreamy drink to cool you down this weekend.

Truly, I don’t think I’ve ever had something as refreshing as this cucumber mint margarita. It’s tangy, cooling, fresh, tart and tastes like you’re drinking a super fancy spa water with a hit of tequila.

I LOVE IT.

Also, this color? It just screams DRINK ME. I see this glass and imagine holding this in my hands on a hot summer day. Under the shade of course because that’s the only way to survive.

This drink is incredibly simple, one that I almost didn’t share. Because it’s that easy. But it’s something that is so ideal for summer, you won’t be able to live without it.

When we went on our little staycation back in June, we left on the hottest day of the year. There was a cucumber mint margarita on the menu and it sounded so refreshing. It instantly made me think of my cucumber vodka sodas!

I am not madly in love with cucumbers – until they are pickles, of course – but I do enjoy them in drinks and cocktails. I ended up ordering the cucumber mint margarita and it tasted so much better than expected. The ingredient list was simple on the menu, so I figured as much. But nothing tasted artificial and it was wonderfully light. You could tell that the only cucumbers in the margarita were the slices that were dropped into the cocktail – but it worked. 

Kind of like how spa water is infused with cucumbers and lemon? It’s like that. Shaking the cucumbers with the cocktail imparts a lot of that fresh, cooling flavor, and then I drop a few of them into the glass too.

Plus, hello, you can snack on them.

This was one of the first things I made when we returned home from that trip. I’ve done a mint syrup many times (and often do for coffee in the summer) so that part was easy. It’s something you can prep ahead of time too and keep in the fridge, which I love. 

Shaking this drink together takes no time at all, especially if you have the syrup ready to go. It’s just tequila, fresh lime juice and the mint syrup, plus a handful of cucumber slices to infuse and garnish. 

And some pretty fresh mint too!  (more…)

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New summery drink alert!

This blueberry lavender vodka soda is refreshing, fruity and fragrant with a slight hint of dessert-like floral flavor. Save this recipe below so you can make it this weekend!

Every time I make a fun new drink for summer I call THEEEE drink for summer. Like I declare it’s the best drink you can make this summer. And it’s not that I’m wrong, I very much feel that in the moment. 

Which means that again, I’m telling you that this is the drink of the summer. THEEE drink of the summer.

It’s so cooling and icy with classic summer flavors that just work in the heat. I find a vodka soda with lots of lime to be refreshing and this is an elevated version of that. 

Flavored vodka sodas are my thing. I’ve done a cucumber vodka soda, a cherry lime vodka soda and a clementine vodka soda! So good.

I have loved the blueberry lavender combo forever. I’ve made blueberry lavender scones, blueberry lavender chia jam, blueberry ricotta cake with lavender glaze and even blueberry mojitos with lavender syrup! Lavender complements blueberry and together you get this lovely combination that screams summer.

This blueberry lavender syrup is delightful. I make my lavender vanilla syrup all summer long for iced coffee, and dare I say that you can probably take this and put it in your coffee too. I know some people go for more fruity flavors with coffee so it definitely works. 

The syrup is super easy and you can make it ahead of time and keep it in the fridge. I do equal parts water + sugar then a big handful of blueberries and a pinch of culinary lavender.

Oh and I find my culinary lavender on amazon – it’s the easiest place to get it. I have some at all times because I use it frequently and it lasts a very long time. 

Once I make the syrup and it cools, I do strain it to remove the lavender and blueberry bits. I don’t want chunks of anything coming up my straw so this is the best way, plus the syrup lasts longer in the fridge this way. 

The other ingredients?

Just your classic vodka and soda. I use Tito’s and whatever club soda I have on hand. You could use a flavored seltzer water if you have one, but I let the blueberry lavender syrup shine.

If you want to make these for a party, I suggest making a jar of the “mixer.” So combine the syrup and vodka in a jar and shake or stir, then store it in the fridge. When it comes time to make a new drink, pour over ice and top it off with the soda.

You don’t want to make a big pitcher with the soda because you’ll lose all that effervescence for the drinks.

These are super fun, pretty, absolutely delicious and perfect for this weekend! (more…)

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Grown up fruit punch is exactly what this holiday weekend needs. 

This spiked fruit punch is a fun party drink that is packed with pineapple and cherry and bubbly and more. It’s perfect over ice on a hot summer day and a little goes a long way! Trust me.

Now to be honest, if someone handed me a glass of something like Hawaiian Punch or Minute Maid Fruit Punch, something that was around when I was a kid, I’d gladly pass. Any kind of juice that is sweet enough to hurt my teeth? No thank you, I would rather have a glass of practically anything else.

BUT.

And that’s a big but. When there is a boozy punch on the menu or at the party? I can be swayed. Easily. 

A few weeks ago we took a little staycation to a local resort and they had quite the cocktail menu. I couldn’t try everything because, hello, family time! But they had fruit punch on the menu and I couldn’t pass it up. It sounded super good and refreshing. I had to try it, if only a few sips for research!

Research for us to be able to make it at home this summer and enjoy it by the pool. Or on the beach. Or the patio! 

I have to say that I got the recipe to match almost exactly. It tastes almost identical. While the one I had contained a few delicious fruit purees (like peach and passionfruit), I knew that wouldn’t work here. I don’t have time to puree different fruits before throwing everything in a pitcher to drink – and I don’t think you do either.

So I kept the pineapple and cherry flavors, went with some orange liqueur, some other bubbles… and this fruit punch was born.

And, um, my favorite part? The frozen peaches used as ice cubes, of course! This is my favorite summer hack. Get a bag of frozen peaches and use them as ice in your drinks. In this case, we’re using an entire bag. The peach slices not only chill the drink, but also infuse a good amount of peach flavor into the pitcher. 

They also taste amazing once you finish your glass.

Here’s what goes into our tequila fruit punch!

• Tequila, obviously. I love to use Casa Amigos blanco
• And entire little jar of maraschino cherries. Yes the cherries and the juice.
• Pineapple juice!
• Grand Marnier or Triple Sec or another orange-ish liqueur.
• Club soda for some bubbles.
• Dry sparkling rosé (like this one) or even Prosecco for MORE bubbles. 
• And frozen peaches, to chill the whole pitcher!

Let’s just say that this fruit punch… packs a punch. Oh yes. It’s definitely sweet and tastes like the fruit punch of my youth, but in a good way. Aside from the booze, of course. If you are not into sweet drinks, this is not for you.

But if you like to make a summer punch and tequila is your mixer of choice? We’re good!  (more…)

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Here’s how to become the most popular this summer!

Make a frosty, refreshing drink that everyone adores.

Frozen gin and tonics! Gin and tonic slushies. Cooling, refreshing, limey, and the best thing to drink on a super hot summer day. 

I can’t get enough of these! 

My drinks of choice are usually on the rocks – rarely ever frozen. But the past few years, I’ve really enjoyed making some frozen drinks at home. Like frozen watermelon mojitos (omg they are SO good), lemonade frosé and more. I used to share cocktails every Thursday, so there’s a plethora of them right here for you! I’ll do a summer cocktail round up on my faves soon too – as well as mocktails. I’ve got lots of them since I was pregnant for lots of warm weather seasons. 

Anyway! Frozen gin and tonics. They are deeeelish. Not too sweet and an ideal way to cool down when these temps go insane. One caveat: you must enjoy gin and tonics to enjoy these. If they are too potent for you, this may not be your drink. This truly tastes like a legit gin and tonic… just frozen.

And this could not be easier. 

The only thing you have to do is freeze your ice cubes ahead of time. Personally, I would just go and freeze some rightthisminute so you have them at all times and can make this drink! Problem solved. 

This is what you need to make the frozen gin and tonic:

• 1 liter of tonic water. This may not be popular, but I don’t use fancy tonic for this. I love a good Fever Tree tonic but I hate to use it to freeze and blend. I prefer to drink it as is for the most delicious effect. So when I make the ice cubes, I just get a very basil liter of tonic! I like to freeze them overnight. They have to be totally frozen because this is what makes the drink frosty. We’re not adding any other ice.
• Your favorite gin. I have some notes in the recipe down below about varieties I’ve made with this recipe. Depending on the kind of gin you use, the recipe may take a little tweaking. It all depends on the botanicals in the gin and which way the flavor leans. I prefer a gin that goes best with lime or cucumber. 
• Fresh lime zest! I don’t add the juice – just the zest. This gives the most wonderful lime punch to the drink. You can always squeeze in a bit of juice if you wish, but I love it without. It tastes very authentic, cooling and refreshing. It’s super good. Use the lime for garnish!

That is it – see? So darn simple, as long as you remember to freeze that tonic. Oh and here’s a little trick: freeze the tonic cubes, then pop them out and stick in a ziplock bag in the freezer. You can have them on hand at all times.  (more…)

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It’s Thursday and I hope you’re thirsty!

For the most perfect aperol spritz, of course!

Gosh, I just love the spritz.

It’s so beautiful and bright. So bubbly! And photogenic. So delicious. 

An aperol spritz is one of the only drinks I really missed and craved when I was pregnant. I love how bubbly and refreshing they are, especially on a hot summer day.

In fact, last week while on vacation I had the most *perfect* spritz. Which meant it was high time to share this one with you today.

When it comes to a classic aperol spritz, I tend to like a splash more of the bubbly than the aperol. Most recipes call for equal parts of aperol and prosecco, but I usually add just a hint more of the prosecco – and in this case, sparkling dry rosé! The effervescence gets me every time. 

And when I make these for guests, they also love the extra splash of bubbly.

I love prosecco so much but also love to switch things up with a sparkling rosé. Make sure to grab one that isn’t very sweet. Combine the aperol and sparkling rosé in the glass, top with some soda and garnish with a few peach slices, because SUMMER!

Hello, I’d like one of these every single day please. 

(P.S. I do have a wonderful winter aperol spritz for when we’re all floating in holiday lights and snow. Bookmark it!)

A few other ways I like to fancy things up?

As mentioned above, I love to use a fresh peach slice in the summer instead of the orange slice. OR use it in addition to the orange slice. There’s room for everyone!

I also like to use frozen peach slices for ice cubes.  (more…)

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Your weekend treat is right here!

A looong time, like ages ago, I shared this frozen coconut mojitos. They continue to be a really popular recipe here on the blog each summer, and I can attest to how delicious they are. They are light and fresh and cold and icy and perfect for hot summer days. 

Even the last few years when it’s been all about frosé, I’ve often thought about my frozen coconut mojitos and wanted to make them for parties! Since they are frozen and made in the blender, it’s easy to make a big batch at once. We all love ‘em. 

So enter… frozen watermelon mojitos!

This recipe came about by accident. I had a huge bowl of watermelon cubes on my counter. Every week in the summer I cut up a ton of fruit for us. Melons, berries, cherries – the list goes on. My kids adore fruit and it’s an easy snack to always have on hand.

This time, the watermelon I ended up with was HUGE. I barely had room in the fridge for it so I stuck the extra watermelon cubes in the freezer. And then it hit me! 

USE THESE FOR A COCKTAIL!

I’ve made wine ice cubes before and of course we all know about coffee ice cubes. I loved the idea here of using actual frozen watermelon to blend into a drink without watering it down – whether it’s alcoholic or not. 

And I’ve done this with frozen coconut that I’ve found at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods before too. It’s great!

There is an abundance of fresh mint in my herb garden – or should I say, taking over the herb garden. As usual. So I made a mint simple syrup. I threw the fresh mint leaves right into the blender too, which is why you can see little specks in the frozen drink. 

Fresh lime juice is also key! Squeeze it in and blend.

When it comes to rum, I suggest a white rum here, or you can use coconut rum too. I made this both ways and even though we love coconut rum, I still didn’t find the coconut to be too overpowering here. Depends on what you like! But definitely use one of those – nothing dark or spiced, of course.

Finally, I still added some seltzer right into the blender to finish this off! Yes, adding bubbly soda to the blender may be playing with fire but it was perfect and needed.  (more…)

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These margarita floats are going to be your new favorite summer cocktail!

Get ready for happy hour because these are THE BEST.

Frosty, icy margaritas with a chili lime rim! Then a floating sherbet or sorbet scoop that melts and creates a slightly creamy, summery flavor bomb that you will just love. These are SOOOO good and can I just say that I’m pretty thrilled that I can drink them now?!

YES.

So it’s funny because sherbet is not something I would normally choose for dessert. Max really enjoys orange sherbet, but I always tend to gravitate towards creamier ice creams, chocolates, peanut butters, all those rich and decadent flavors.

(Side bar: I made an exception for the Jeni’s frosé sorbet – it is absolutely UNREAL and got me through the first trimester.) 

But when I thought about making a margarita float, and keeping the drink icy, the rainbow sherbet was the only logical solution! I knew it would complement the margarita flavor so well. Especially this orange/lemon/lime version that I find at ALDI. You can really choose any sherbet flavor that’s available to you, but if you happen to find this swirl version, it’s fantastic! 

It’s no secret that margaritas are probably my all-time favorite cocktail. I first shared my at-home classic marg over a decade ago. It’s mostly lime, of course, but has a slight splash of grand mariner, based off of my favorite margarita at a local restaurant that no longer exists. I find the extra hint of citrus, combined with the ice and the salt, makes for the perfect flavor explosion.

Not too sweet, not too tart, it’s just wonderful.

So it makes sense that the orange/lemon/lime sherbet would be ideal with those flavors! If I could only choose one, I’d probably choose lime or lemon first. If you can find a sorbet, go with one of those and drop it right down into your cocktail!  (more…)

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This icy, refreshing, bubbly drink is going to be my cocktail of the summer. (more…)

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