I’ve seen lots of people sharing their New Year’s Resolutions on social media, and one resolution that keeps popping up is the commitment to drink more water. Eight glasses a day is the goal, and I’ve been trying my hardest to keep to that over the last few months of my pregnancy to stay hydrated. It can be really hard to keep it up (especially with a few fun side affects of this baby bump!), but I’ve been getting much better at it. One thing that’s really helped is having a new Swell water bottle that keeps my H20 icy cold. Another is mixing up flat water with something that has a little bubble, and adding a few fresh elements like citrus and herbs for a tasty infusion. I thought I’d share a few ideas for your own citrus, herb, or berry infused concotions to inspire more healthy hydration in the New Year!
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I have been living on IZZE drinks as the base for fun cocktail concoctions since I found out I was pregnant. Gosh I miss wine and fancy cocktails, but these sparkling drinks have done the trick while I’m riding out my last two months of mocktail-life! I mixed up an autumn inspired drink that can easily made with or without alcohol, and is a perfect pairing for friendsgiving fetes and fall dinner parties. I started with one of my favorite IZZE flavors, sparkling clementine, and mixed in a homemade simple syrup packed with seasonal spices like cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and anise. Top it off with soda water (and pop in some vodka if you’re drinking!) for a crowd-pleasing drink. Recipe below!
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We are officially in that stretch of summer where you have to escape to the porch to keep cool! A few steamy days in a row and our house has warmed up enough that we were lying in front of fans while watching TV last night. In this day of Netflix and Tivo apps, I realized that it’s pretty easy for me to grab my laptop and enjoy a relaxing night on the porch watching an old flick while enjoying the cool evening breezes. Of course I like to take any good idea and turn it into a great one with a little bit of creativity and some themed snacks for a DIY outdoor movie night! 
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When I was visiting my family recently I told my mom I’d be in charge of the signature cocktail for a get-together she was hosting. The proximity to Cinco de Mayo left me no choice, I had to go with a margarita. My mom agreed, but noted that her friends may not be as adept at holding their tequila as I am (I’ll take that as a compliment!) so I decided to experiment with a sangrita recipe — margarita inspired with a sangria flair. I made this in a big batch so it was easy for guests to self-serve. Start with a clear pitcher and 4 limes quartered and squeezed in the bottom. Next I poured in about 2 cups of ice, 2-3 tbsp of sugar, 1 cup of tequila (or more, depending on taste!), and 2 bottles of Izze Sparkling Clementine. Stir it all up and let it sit in the fridge for about 20 minutes to chill and combine the flavors. When you’re ready to serve, pour a glass halfway full of the margarita mixture and top with a light, crisp rosé (try a sparkling rosé too!). A few festive straws are all you need to finish off the drink (PS: how cute is my mom’s Target bar cart?), and luckily between the two of us we have a life-time supply of those!
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One of my finer skills in life is coming up with great excuses for mixing up a fancy cocktail, and with the Oscars coming up next Sunday, an awards show libation was just too easy of an excuse to pass up. I have been craving a drink that’s got a bit of a summer-y flavor to it, a Salty Dog, which combines some of my favorite flavors: sea salt and tangy grapefruit. With some IZZE sparkling grapefruit and a sprig of rosemary I think this is a cocktail I can easily enjoy all year round. Full recipe below, and cheers to great excuses for tasty cocktails! 
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I’ve been on a major Moscow Mule kick lately, and have been trying different spins on the classic recipe (like an apple and vanilla vodka version that is amazing!), testing new ginger beers (obsessed with Picketts Ginger Beer Syrup), and all around getting lots of use out of my favorite copper mugs. When I saw that IZZE had a sparkling cherry-lime flavor, inspiration struck for another variation. I mixed this one up with ginger syrup, fresh lime juice, and vodka. Full recipe below. 
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Christmas gets egg nog, New Year’s Eve gets a champagne cocktail — but what’s our go-to Thanksgiving drink? I’m all for mixing up cocktails at family Thanksgiving celebrations, and my friends-giving parties tend to have a few drinks flowing too. A holiday as delicious as Thanksgiving (my second favorite holiday, actually! carbs!) deserves one, don’t you think? I started thinking this week about some of my favorite autumnal flavors that could make up a festive cocktail for friends-giving gatherings and a marrying of pomegranate (fresh seeds + IZZE Sparkling Pomegranate), sage leaves, and the herby flavor of gin felt like the perfect combination when served in festive flutes. Check out the full recipe below!
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I owe a lot of people a lot of thank you‘s this month. We’ve been preparing to move, and I feel like all of our friends and family have jumped in to help, from packing up boxes (full of my ridiculous amount of craft supplies and kitchen tools), picking up our mail when we’re in between our apartment and new place, and probably most helpful, have been there to listen to me when I’m complaining about being overbooked and a little frazzled!
With all of those thank you’s in order, I’ve had “little hello gifts” (as my mom calls them) on my mind lately. “Hello gifts” are a little treat to thank a friend for having us over for dinner or helping out with a small errand. This simple DIY combines two of my favorite things into one colorful little hello-gift: washi tape and cocktail fixins’!I grabbed a pack of sparkling IZZEs and used some really fun, bright washi tape to wrap it around the edges of the cardboard container to ‘wrap’ the box. This pattern worked really well because of the variation in the stripes — no need to be exact. Each stripe was slightly layered over the next, until you covered the whole box. For the corners around the handle, I simply folded the edges under the box and tucked them in with the dull side of a table knife to get a clean edge. Then I added in some matching drink stirrers and paper straws, and tied up the whole thing with a bow — and it’s ready to gift! 
Please Note: This post was sponsored by Izze; all images, ideas and content are my own.
Feel that crisp, cool air? Feels like fall is here! I know everyone gets all pouty that summer is coming to an end, but not me. Bring on the boots and jeans and cozy sweaters, and most of all: bring on the apple picking and the baking! I got the baking bug this weekend and was inspired to test out a recipe inspired by IZZE’s sparkling apple flavor — a flavor full of that perfect green-apple tartness. The result? A mini apple-toffee “pie-let” — the name my husband dubbed this sweet treats when he saw them cooling on the counter. Full recipe below: 
This hot, steamy, humid weekend called for a serious cool-down concoction. I’ve seen this idea of adding popsicles to cocktails on Pinterest before, and this felt like the perfect time to try it out. In a wine glass I muddled a few mint leaves and sliced peaches, poured in some chilled vodka, and topped off the glass with half an IZZE sparkling peach. Then for the finishing touch, a peach popsicle dunked in to keep things cool! And the best part is that you get to snack on the popsicle while you enjoy your drink! Cheers! 
