I was going to save this post for later in the week, assuming people were more likely to get excited about making cocktails over the weekend. It’s Monday though, and man, Mondays can be rough — a good cocktail just might be the perfect solution to send this darn Monday off into the sunset. (Side note: I think summer Mondays are the hardest because summer weekends are SO fun and awesome that they just magnify how Mondayish Mondays can be). Okay, onto cocktails! I have made this simple summer sangria on several occasions this summer and it has been a hit. It’s really tasty, like, the pitcher is magically empty in 15 minutes kind of tasty. The best part is it’s super easy to make — just chop up some fruit, add tiny bit of sugar and lemon juice, and top with white wine before chilling and serving. You can mix it up and add in whatever fruit strikes your fancy — I made one batch with some juicy pieces of watermelon, and another where I muddled in a few raspberries. Get the full recipe below, and cheers! read more

When we were on vacation we visited a fun restaurant in Provincetown, and I swore that every other guest that came back from the bar and a big giant frosé cocktail. I didn’t get to order one and I have been thinking about it ever since! When I got home I decided to try my hand at making my own version of frosé mixed with some sweetened berry flavors. I got a little bit impatient as the wine was freezing, and before I got to blending it in our blender into a true frosé, I decided to dig in sooner while it was still in it’s slushy frozen state. It came out like a sweet granita dessert, but with rosé flavors coming through. It’s one part cocktail, one part frozen snack, and 100% delicious — find out how to make this easy treat below!  read more

I was at an event the other night where some delicious artisanal cocktails were being passed around. A few of the guests I was with weren’t drinking, so the bartenders made them a mocktail version of the same caliber. It got a conversation started among us that we were so appreciative to find more restaurants offering delicious mocktails as part of their menus. Now that I have a kid, I understand how nice it is to have a special drink for everyone to enjoy at parties; I always try to come up with a fun recipe that can taste just as delicious in mocktail form as it does in cocktail form. With the 4th of July holiday coming up, I thought I’d test a batch of a new mocktail recipe for festive patriotic entertaining. read more

I have been craving a fresh, fruity summer drink and mixed up a batch of this easy raspberry mint lemonade to quench my thirst! It’s such an easy recipe — just a few muddled fresh raspberries and mint leaves in the bottom of a glass, topped with ice and filled to the top with some good lemonade (sometimes I look for a sparkling version at Trader Joe’s!). If you’re serving it as a cocktail — which you totally should — add about an ounce of vodka to the glass before you top it with the lemonade. It makes a refreshing beverage to batch prep in a big pitcher for summer parties, and it looks so very festive with the bright green mint and red raspberries muddled in the glass. Leave the vodka on the side so guests can decide to spike it (or not!) to their desired drink strength. And set out some festive straws and long sprigs of more fresh mint to let everyone garnish their cocktails! read more

Can we all agree on one thing? The absolute best reason to watch the Kentucky Derby is so that you can have an solid reason to mix up an ice cold mint julep! I realized this week that the derby is coming up in a few weeks, and decided to try my hand at mixing up a berry-muddled version of this classic cocktail. The most delicious mint julep I’ve ever tasted was made at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia — the drink was brimming with crushed ice, fresh mint leaves, and a pretty dusting of powdered sugar — YUM! I gave the derby staple a slight spin with some muddled mixed berries in the bottom of vintage cut crystal glasses that my mother-in-law just passed down to me, and gave them some Kate-flair with horseshoe drink stirrers too! Scroll down for the full recipe.  read more

More snow today, ugh. I think it’s safe to say that we all need a drink! In fact, maybe Mother Nature could use a cocktail to chill out too? I’m happy to mix this one up for her. One of my favorite way to shake up cocktails at home is with homemade simple syrups, usually made out of fresh ingredients I have leftover in my fridge. This week my leftovers included a brimming bowl of satsuma oranges — which are tiny and sweet and the prettiest orange tone. I juiced them all by hand and simmered them with a piece of fresh peeled ginger, some water and sugar. read more

I haven’t thrown an awards show viewing party in a few years, but on a recent trip to Target I saw some cocktail napkins that were begging me to come up with some fresh ideas for this year’s Oscar night. Whether you’re throwing a big party for your girlfriends to come over and watch the awards, or you’re tweeting a play-by-play of red carpet dresses in your pajamas  (cough::cough, me),  the most important viewing accompaniment (besides a fully charged phone) is a signature cocktail. Champagne is always a nice touch, but recently I have been mixing up this quick cocktail on weekends and thought it would be perfect to serve for Sunday’s big event. I’m calling it my ruby red carpet cocktail, because it combines fresh ruby red grapefruit juice with vodka and some elderflower soda.  read more

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because of the food – of course! The past few years though the holiday that been inching up my favorites list has been friendsgiving. It seems like everyone has adopted this fun tradition, and I’m delighted that it’s become so popular. It’s another chance to indulge in tasty Thanksgiving side dishes (I love to use it as an excuse to test a new recipe that I might not normally try for actual Thanksgiving day). I also have noticed that friendsgiving tends to come with a bit more of a casual vibe than the traditional family gathering, where friends just kick back with cocktails and bites and catch up – which I am certainly on board for. read more