Pimm’s Cup

An excellent pitcher cocktail for a party.

Homemade Ginger Beer

I was really excited to make this from scratch for Almost All-Natural August. Recipe courtesy of “Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It.”

Margaritas by the pitcher

This was a recipe born out of necessity. For Amanda’s bridal shower, one of her friends bought a mix of margaritas…which was downed by the guests in about a half hour. So I got to work making homemade ones with the 80 zillion limes that Becky had left over. They actually turned out quite well, even if they aren’t anything too fancy.

Cherry Peach Sangria

I made a quadruple batch of this for my bbq, so I didn’t have the patience to pit the cherries. But I did cut a slit in them to get more of the flavor out.

White Sangria with Fall Fruit

Behold, our Thanksgiving cocktail.

I used Jose’s recipe but with the addition of fall-ish fruit. Warn your guests if you use cranberries that they’re more of a garnish.

Summer Cocktails: Watermelon Smash and Black & Blue Mojitos

I tried out two new drink recipes for the Ladiez Dinner party, both from this WaPo article on muddled drinks: Watermelon Smash and Black & Blue Mojito. But I adapted them to be pitcher cocktails rather than individual drinks, which led to a little cheating – I blended rather than muddled the initial ingredients. Take that for what you will.

For each recipe, I quadrupled the amounts, used the blender, often added a little extra soda water, and chilled in pitchers. Served with ice and specified garnishes.

The Black & Blue was more of a hit than the watermelon one, which had a bit of a harsh taste from the cachaca.

Do I think these drinks would be better if you stuck to the individual prep/muddling technique? Yes. Is this a lazy alternative for a group setting? Indeed.

Spiced Bourbon

It’s that time of year again – homemade gifts! This year I did a double package of infused bourbon and bourbon caramel truffles (recipe to follow). I used this recipe.

Blueberry Sage Cocktail

I’ve made this drink in pitchers on a couple of occasions, based on a drink I had once at the Source, but it’s been at least a year since I’ve done it. I remember the basic ingredients (blueberry vodka, sage, sour mix), and sinch I just made a batch of sage simple syrup, it seemed like a good bet for Sunday Night Cocktails. I’ve adapted the recipe a bit for a one-person drink, and there’s still some room for improvisation here.

Hot Summer Night Gin & Tonic

The name needs a little work. But John just invented this drink for me and I’m loving it, so I need at least a placeholder. Very refreshing on a (you guessed it) hot summer night like tonight.

Cranberry Liqueur

I now reveal — this year’s homemade Christmas gift! I actually made a few people tarragon vinegar as well,  but this was the star gift. Slightly more labor intensive than last year’s limoncello, maybe, but really the same principle. Again, a Cooking Light recipe. The color is so pretty for gifts! I tripled the recipe below – doing so added up to about 10 bottles’ worth (of the size I had).