Herbed Mint Grapefruit Cocktail

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I recently posted an update on what the heck I do all day as a blogger, writer, and freelance marketing consultant (try fitting that on a business card). At the end of my day, despite having just gone out with my husband to buy a case of beer, I decided to treat myself to a hand crafted cocktail.

I tend to make recipes up on the fly in life, but especially in cocktails. I never have the exact ingredients for a recipe I've found online, and I much prefer peeking in the fridge/pantry to see what I've got to work with. It's a creative challenge! 

It must have looked good, because a few of you asked me for the recipe. Here it is:

Herbed Mint Grapefruit Cocktail

Prep Time: <5 Minutes
Calories: 80
Ingredients:

• 1/4 grapefruit, cut into pieces (size does not matter, as you will be muddling them)
• 3-4 mint leaves, ripped or cut in halves or quarters
• 1 tsp chopped basil (I actually used dried basil this time, but of course fresh is best!)
• 1 tsp stevia, sugar, sugar substitute (or 3 drops Nunaturals Liquid Stevia)
• 1.5 oz gin (or vodka)
• 3 oz soda water

Directions:

1. Muddle grapefruit, mint, and sweetener in the bottom of a glass.
2. Add gin and soda water. Stir.
3. Serve!

What about you?

What is your favorite cocktail recipe?

Do you ever create your own cocktail recipes?

Orange Whiskey BOKO Cocktail (Low-Cal and Sugar-Free)

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Happy Friday! It's official; we made it to the weekend. Breathe a sigh of relief in 3...2...1...

Friday might actually be one of my favorite days of the week, even though Saturday involves the most free time. There's so much potential for Fridays.

Especially on a day like today, when I have no plans. After a long and busy week, I'm pretty thrilled to be able to relax, work out, clean my apartment, and... well, whatever the heck my spirit leads me to do.

Thumbs up for Rock and Roll!

I made this cocktail recently. My fiance had poured himself some Maker's Mark on the rocks and sat down to sip it, and I wanted to play, too... but only kind of. So I made this. It's perfect for someone who appreciates the taste of whiskey... but only kind of (BOKO). I do like whiskey, but sometimes I just need to take the edge off of it - yes, even with a good batch like Marker's Mark (or our favorite Woodford Reserve).

Of all the flavors, one of my favorites to pair with whiskey is orange. Ever since trying a drink called the Barbed Wire Daisy at The Violet Hour, it's been my favorite combination. After experimenting with Orange Flavored NuNaturals in the 1920's Champagne Punch we served at our Speakeasy Party, I was dying to try it again.

This cocktail is very simple. Because, to be honest, I kind of think a drink with great whiskey in it should be simple.

Low Cal Orange Whiskey

Ingredients:

• Ice, half-way filling a short cocktail glass (Or a tall one, I guess, if you're brave)
• 10 drops Orange NuNaturals Flavored Liquid Stevia*
• 2-4 ounces Whiskey (I used Maker's Mark)
• Optional: A straw (My fiance would probably consider it a sin to drink whiskey from a straw. I, on the other hand, have no qualms about it)

Directions:

1. Fill a short cocktail glass half-way with ice.
2. Add Orange NuNaturals (or Orange/sugar combination - see below)
3. Add Whiskey
4. Stir or swirl! And drink!

Notes:

• Don't have Orange NuNaturals Flavored Liquid Stevia? Never fear! You can combine 1/2 tsp Orange Extract with 1 tsp sugar or stevia powder... or combine with orange zest!

1920s Champagne Punch (Speakeasy Party Part 3)

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Despite having a pretty full array of cocktail options at our Speakeasy party, we noticed that our guests were pounding the Champunch (Champagne + Punch = Champunch). 

At first, I thought this was the result of my frequent bragging that the punch was low sugar (I used NuNaturals and naturally sweet tea, see below). But, when I realized it was men and women alike who were pounding the punch, and I actually had to scramble to re-make a second batch to avoid a mutiny (ha), I figured something out:

This sh*t is actually just down right delicious.

On Saturday morning, I started googling around for 1920s Champagne Punch recipes. I didn't plan on legitimately following a recipe (what do you think I am, a grown up or something?), but I wanted to get an idea for what might be unique about punches during that era. The answer? Tea.

Every single 1920s recipe I found incorporated some sort of tea. So, with that in mind, I hit up my pantry in search of the most delicious tea. I have on hand four kinds: Green Tea, Mint Green Tea, Chamomile/Sleepy Time, and a Red Tea that is "Good for your skin." After about 30 seconds of contemplation with my cousin ("Do you want to be feeding people caffeinated tea at 12am?" or, really, "Do you want people staying alert and awake and thus staying at your apartment until breakfast?" I love my friends, but... no thanks), we opted for the non-caf Red Tea. It ended up being perfect because red tea is significantly sweeter than its bitter cousin, Green Tea, so it sweetened up the punch naturally.

We also added a few bottles of champagne, some white wine, rum, and some Orange-flavored NuNaturals, then topped it off with slices of oranges that we peeled to make the orange twists. In the end, we ended up with this delicious recipe:

1920s Speakeasy Champagne Punch

Ingredients:

• 3 peeled Oranges
• 3 cups Brewed Red Tea
• 1 bottle White Wine
• 1 cup Dark Rum
• 1/2 Tablespoon NuNaturals Orange (Can substitute with 1 tablespoon sugar/stevia and 1 tsp Orange extract, if absolutely necessary!)
• 1/2 Cup Rum
• 5 NuStevia Quick Dissolve Tabs (Can substitute with another tablespoon of sugar/stevia)
• 3 bottles Champagne

Directions:

1. Slice oranges horizontally (hold the orange so would naturally separate into vertical slices, then slice it the other way). Place in a bowl and put in the freezer as you prepare the rest.
2. In a large bowl, combine red tea, white wine, rum, and sweeteners (NuNaturals Orange and NuStevia, or sugars) and mix well.
3. Add Champagne and Orange slices just before serving (or before guests arrive).
4. We dumped about 5 cups of ice into the bowl, just to keep it nice and chilly!

Speakeasy Party Part 2: Decor

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Speakeasy Party Part 1

Speakeasy Party Part 2: The Decor (You're Reading it!)

This weekend, my fiance and I had a Speakeasy Party at our apartment. Here are the fancies:

Hand-stamped labels on alcohol and food

A full Do-It-Yourself Speakeasy Bar

The tools to make yourself a Prohibition-era cocktail

Hand-cut Orange Twists

Meats, cheeses cut with alcohol, and macaroons

And now that I've (hopefully) intrigued you, here's a play-by-play:

On Saturday morning, we had a delicious breakfast at Meli Cafe and then got some errands done to prepare for the party. Perhaps most importantly, we blew our life savings (okay, not really, but it always feels that way) at Cost Co. Remember when I mentioned that my fiance loves Cost Co? 

We stocked up on flowers, because a party isn't a party without flowers everywhere. We got home and I immediately started breaking apart the white roses and blue hydrangeas to place in small jars and vases all over our apartment.

My cousin, Clara, showed up around 1pm, and we got to work on the details. I busted out my chalk board and stamp sets and we started transforming my apartment into a 1920s, Prohibition-Era Speakeasy.

We served our guests an assortment of prohibition-era-inspired foods. Slices of various cheddars cut with alcohol (wine, whiskey, porter - see above) were a hit, as was the goat cheese, chorizo, and coconut macaroons.

Clara taught me how to cut orange twists. Basically, you start at the top and spiral down toward the bottom. I used a short cut and went ahead and cut them really thick, then used kitchen scissors to cut down the center of each of the thick twists to make them thinner (this also meant there were more strands, which is good for a party). I felt totally classy doing this. Like, I'm a bona fide bartender now. Except that my cousin is the one with the true bar-related talent. 

We set up a Do-It-Yourself Cocktail bar that included Gin, Whiskey, Scotch, Rum, Sparkling Water, Grenadine, Maraschino Cherries, Lemon Ginger Syrup, Lime Wedges, Lemon Wedges, Orange Twists, Angastora Bitters, and a few flavors of NuNaturals Stevia Syrup (the orange flavor was a big hit). We also used stamps to label the alcohol and cocktail items.

It was quite a spread and people seemed to adore the small details we added to the set up. Everything from hand stamped labels to striped paper straws.

As the arrival of our guests neared, we also whipped together a delicious 1920s Champagne Punch. I found multiple recipes online that claim to be Prohibition-era recipes, and they all seemed to include tea. Not sure why that's the case, but my cousin mentioned that a lot of the drink recipes during that time had to mask the intense flavor of home-brewed alcohol, so perhaps that's why there was so much tea presence in those recipes.

1920s Champagne Punch Recipe coming tomorrow!



To set the mood, we had old 1920s black and white films playing on the television (pictured is the movie Metropolis), and played music from the Pandora station for Big Band Jazz.

Not bad, eh? :)

Speakeasy Party Part 1

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Speakeasy Party Part 1 (You're reading it!)

Speakeasy Party Part 2: The Decor

This weekend, my fiance and I had a Speakeasy Party at our apartment. Early February seemed like the perfect time for it: Christmas and holiday festivities have ended, Chicago is chilly and frequently dreary, and people are looking for something fun to do to break up the season.

Your wish is our command :)

Just before our slew of guests arrived, I snapped this pic of my cousin and me.

And then this little gem with my handsome fiance.

We thought we looked pretty damn good, but then Clara's friends Ryan and Matthew showed up. Let's just say they're both makeup wizards, and they brought this huge box of tools:

Gasp. Perfect timing. Before the rest of our guests arrived, we were pampered and beautified.

And by the end of the night, we had gotten everyone sufficiently sloshed. Mission accomplished, I guess. It's a Speakeasy party, after all.

P.S. I love this man...

I have a bunch of amazing images from the set up and decor, and a delicious 1920s recipe for Champagne punch, all coming at you this week! :)

P.S. I just got nominated for a "Best Healthy Cooking Blog" award! If you like my recipes and want to show me some thanks, head on over to this link to vote for me! You just have to sign in with Facebook or Twitter, and then click Vote next to "Createlive." :)