white sangria...mmmmm

Like so many good things, this recipe was adapted from Everyday Food. This delicious beverage was once again enjoyed on the back deck, in the night time, Achy + me, Jenny + Kemi, alongside some bleu-cheeseburgers. Shutup.

For the pitcher-full:

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brandy

Let these sit for 5 minutes for sugar to dissolve, then add:

2 bottles of white wine (we used pinot grigio)

2 peaches (or similar stone fruit)

2-3 sprigs of fresh mint

Note: this was a little heavy on the wine, light on the brandy for the tastebuds of Achy and I. As Aunt Becky always says: don't be chintzy with the liquor!

so much citrus! martini night with mom + dad

My parents have instituted 'martini night' on Fridays, which sometimes does and sometimes does not include actual martinis.  It boils down to 'cocktail night,' frequently but not always utilizing martini barware.  I went home to Iowa for the weekend without Achy, and took advantage of the citrus-positive atmosphere. 

My mom had a hankering for 'lemon drops,' so we whipped up these lil babies with the bottle of Ciroc I'd given them for Christmas.

sugar or powdered sugar rim (we did both)

1-2 shots of vodka (depending on whether you take after my mom or my dad) shaken up with ice

top off with lemonade

spicy pear mojitos

These cocktails weren't consumed on the back deck -- they were sucked down in bed, watching TV, exhausted. Forgive the photography.

The exciting thing: we got a soda maker from SkyMall (don't hate). Once the water is carbonated, you can add whatever you want. We got crazy and poured in some of the chipotle infused simple syrup I'd made, and voila! Chipotle soda.

Surprisingly, we were kind of stumped from there about what to DO with chipotle soda. Enter Spicy Pear Mojitos.

Muddle 1 shot pear puree/syrup with one sprig fresh mint. Add 1.5 shots light rum (I used 10 Cane), and top off with chipotle soda.

using up leftovers...

Jenny came over to watch cable, and I crushed up some strawberries, shook some leftover coconut cream with some gold rum, and poured it in a glass. No name, no frills, but Diego the kitten thought it was tops.

tarragon buck BUCK!

It seems fitting to have cocktails with fresh tarragon with Kathie B. and Nikki, as it was housesitting for them a couple of years ago where I first fell in love with the herb. I admit that I sliced a lemon for this one, on the side, and that those of us who are not allergic to it indulged for the first round. Due to the fact that we couldn't taste much liquor in these, we were too buzzed by the second round to remember about lemons.

This cocktail also gave us the opportunity to debut the pony set in its entirety -- our first use of the pitcher. Achy & I stumbled upon this little gem last winter driving back from Iowa (we had to make a purchase to use the bathroom).

The recipe was loosely as follows, but in reality I was a little more cavalier with the measurements to fill the pitcher...

Tarragon Bucks (adapted from marieclaire.com)
1 sprig of fresh tarragon, clapped between your hands to bruise, then rubbed on the inside of the glass (I also just jammed a little bouquet in the pitcher to steep; the longer the pitcher sat, the more delicious the cocktails got.)
1 shot vodka (I used the rest of the bottle of Effen in the pitcher)
1/2 shot dry vermouth
topped off with organic ginger beer

mmmmmmmm.....