Beet Infused Vodka Cocktail

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Guys. Beets are the most beautiful ingredient. Ever. Don't believe me? Here...

No artificial coloring in that delicious drink. Just sweet, earthy, beet goodness. 

We got the beet, we got the beet, we got the beet. Yeah, we got it.

When Prairie Organic Spirits contacted me to have me develop some vodka infusions, I quickly started brainstorming. What I wanted to create was something that was both unique in its infusion ingredient choice, and colorful and beautiful to photograph, look at, and drink. It didn't take me long to decide on roasted beets as a top contender. 

A lot of people are on the fence about beets, but if you try them roasted, when they are sweet and earthy, you will not be disappointed. In a cocktail, they are wonderful. It's so much more than your typical fruit flavored vodka, because beets - especially roasted beets - have so much more to their flavor profile. 

Sweet? Check. 

Smoky? Check. 

Earthy? Check. 

Fresh? Check.

Now, find me a fruit that can check those boxes!

Beet Infused Vodka

Ingredients for Vodka:

• 8 oz Prairie Organic Spirits Vodka
• 1 large beet
• Glass jar

Directions for Vodka:

1. Trim and scrub the beet, removing the outer layer of skin. Wrap in aluminum foil and roast in an oven for 50 minutes.
2. Let it cool, then cut into 4 pieces and combine with vodka in a glass jar.
3. Cover and keep in a cool, dark place for 3 days, shaking 3-4 times per day (or as many times as you remember - it can't hurt!).
4. Strain with cheesecloth or a regular strainer and make yourself a cocktail!

Beet Infused Vodka Cocktail

Ingredients for Cocktail:

• Ice
• 1.5-2 oz beet infused vodka
• Juice from 1/2 lime
• 3-6 oz soda water 
• 3 drops liquid stevia (or 1/2 tsp agave nectar)
• 1 dash angostura bitters

Directions for Cocktail:

1. Fill a shaker with ice, then top with remaining ingredients. Put the top on and slowly turn upside down a few times to mix (do not shake it if you have used soda water, you will end up with a mess!) 
2. Pour into a glass and garnish with a lime wedge

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?

DIY Candy Cane Vodka - Christmas Gift

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The Christmas season is upon us! I am very into giving gifts and I put a lot of thought and time into getting the right gift for each person.

Recently, one of my girlfriends and her husband had a Christmas-themed housewarming party. I had already been over there for a wine night and gave her a one of a kind Japanese tea set, but I knew I wanted to bring a little something over to her house for her Christmas party. She and her husband are sort of wine aficionados, so I considered gifting her some nice wine, but ultimately decided to go a completely different - yet still boozy - route: homemade candy cane vodka.

To be honest, this started out as kind of a science experiment. I had no idea if the candy canes would fully dissolve, or if anything would even happen. I was truly surprised and loved the result. It is delicious, perfectly minty and sweet, and very bright red in color, which is fun!

This is a great treat to add to hot chocolate or coffee! As always, drink responsibly ;-)!

DIY Candy Cane Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

• 1 mason jar
• 4 candy canes
• Vodka

Directions:

1. Break candy canes in half (you don't need tiny pieces, they just have to be small enough to fit in the mason jar). Place in mason jar.
2. Pour vodka into mason jar until it reaches the top. Put the cap on and give it a good shake.
3. Check on it the next day! It should be bright red and the candy cane should be entirely dissolved. 

Effen Cucumber Mint Martini

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Let's start today's post with a game. Humor me for a minute as you read a few sentences and try to determine what they've all got in common...

-On a hot summer day, you sit on the edge of the water and let cool water flow over your legs.

-A dream vacation involves dancing and swimming under a waterfall, or hiding behind the water's spray with your significant other.

-You're sitting in a lounge chair, sipping a Corona with lime.

-You return from a long run and down a bottle of Smart Water.

Did you guess it yet? They're all refreshing!

There's something magical about the light, happy, refreshing feeling you get from all of those things. Whether it's something as large scale as a dream vacation, or something as simple as downing a bottle of water, it seems to breathe new life into us. There's nothing wrong with a little rejuvenation, my friends.

Just as I believe that life is better when you embrace spontaneity and random events and urges that come up, I also believe life is better when you continually find ways to revitalize yourself. Put cucumbers over your eyes and take a nap, or make cucumber and mint infused water to treat yourself as you re-hydrate.

Or, of course, make yourself a deliciously refreshing cocktail. Not the kind of cocktail that makes you pucker and cringe as you slowly sip it. Not the kind that's filled with sugar, just to create something that tastes good. Nope, this is a different kind of cocktail. Let's just say the cocktail has... evolved.

Enter the delicious and refreshing taste that we all want at the end of a tough day, or the beginning of an eventful evening.

Effen Cucumber Mint Martini

Ingredients:

• Ice Cubes
• 3 Mint leaves
• 1 slice of Cucumber (1/4 inch thick), cut in half
• 1 lime wedge
• 1.5 oz Effen Cucumber Vodka
• 6-8 oz Seltzer Water (Sparkling Water, Club Soda, or Diet Tonic will also work)

Directions:

1. Add ice cubes to cup
2. Add mint leaves and cucumber wedge. Squeeze lime juice from lime wedge and add.
3. Add Effen Cucumber Vodka and Seltzer Water
4. Stir!

Notes:

• You may notice this is a martini recipe, yet it's not in a martini glass. What's up with that? Unfortunately, I'm far too clumsy to deserve to drink from a real martini glass (seriously, I even have to use stemless wine glasses, I'm just a huge spaz and I get all excited and knock stuff over). That said, feel free to act like a real grown up and use a real martini glass. :)

Blueberry Rhubarb Martini (or Blueberry Cranberry Martini, if it's cold out!)

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Guess what I learned this morning? This will be a cool August. Cool as in cold. As in... we're lucky in Chicago if it hits 70 today. I'm going to cry. Somebody bring me a tissue. This is sad news to me.

If you're wondering, I'm one of those people who hates winter. I hate, hate, hate it, and living in Memphis, Tennessee for four years of college didn't help. They don't get much snow there. In fact, one February morning, I was awakened at 5 something A.M. because it was snowing and my freaking-out-roomates wanted to drive to the grocery store to stock up. It was like we were being invaded. By snow. So no, I'm not happy about it getting chilly. Thus, I will allow myself the month of August to grieve the warmth... and then I will suck it up, move on, and warmly slip into my fall clothes. 

Why am I telling you all of this in a post about blueberry rhubarb cocktails? Because, people, it means the rhubarb will be going away! For good (or at least until next summer). So get to the store or into your garden and grab it all. Then make these cocktails.

P.S. If you stumble on this post during the winter, I dare you to try boiling cranberries instead of rhubarb for the syrup. Methinks it will be delicious.

P.S.S. In my opinion, if you serve it in a martini glass, it's a freaking martini. Put a margarita in there? It's a Margtini. Pour in some Guinness? Well, I'll let you name that one...

Blueberry Rhubarb Martini

Ingredients:

for blueberry infused vodka mixture...

• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1 cup Vodka

for rhubarb syrup...

• 2 Stalks Rhubarb
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 2 tbsp Truvia or Sugar

remaining ingredients...

• Malibu Rum (optional)
• Seltzer water (optional)

Directions:

1. Make blueberry infused vodka: Combine blueberries and vodka in a container. Muddle blueberries, breaking them all apart and mashing them together with the vodka. Let sit overnight.
2. Make rhubarb syrup: Strip rhubarb and cut into small pieces. Heat water on the stove until boiling, then add rhubarb and truvia/sugar and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and puree. Let cool before using in this recipe.
3. Combine ingredients in the following ratio: 1 part blueberry infused vodka, 2 part rhubarb syrup, 1 part Malibu rum (optional, for added sweetness), 1 part seltzer water (optional, to add effervescence and lower alcohol content per ounce). Shake in a mixer and then serve cold.

Red In The Morning Cocktail (Sparkling Vodka Sunrise)

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This was totally spur of the moment. One of those things that you throw together with no intention of it actually looking or tasting particularly great. And then, all of a sudden, the stars align and Voila! You've got yourself a legitimate cocktail.

For those of you who are familiar with a Tequila Sunrise, this is similar... but instead of Tequila, we're working with Vodka... and we're giving it a bit of bubbly sparkling water to keep it light and lower the calories.

Why did I name it Red In The Morning? We were brainstorming cocktail names with our guests and Justin suddenly blurted it out. It's part of a Sailor's phrase... "Red sky at night, Sailor's delight. Red in the morning, Sailor's warning." (Or something like that. I'm sorry if I butchered it!). And when I googled that phrase, here's the image that came up. Looks like the drink, eh?

So that's the story of the birth of Red In The Morning Cocktail. It's a harder version of a Mimosa - but you can drink it during brunch - or treat it like a Tequila Sunrise and guzzle it during cocktail hour!

Red In The Morning (Sparkling Vodka Sunrise)

Ingredients:

• Vodka
• Orange Juice
• Sparkling Water
• Grenadine

Directions:

1. Add 1 shot (or more if you're a daring Sailor, aye!) of Vodka to your cup
2. Fill the cup 1/2 way with Orange Juice
3. Fill close to the top (leaving just a bit of room for the Grenadine to fit!)
4. Pour Grenadine in, which will sink to the bottom

Note:

• If you MUST have ice, start with it in the cup. Your drink *might* not be as pretty, though!

CREDITS:

Red Sky At Morning Image Source

Blueberry & Chambord Patriotic Cocktail

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This cocktail is... complicated. On the front end, a burst of delicious blueberries and black raspberry liqueur speaks of freshness. A moment later, a rich, vanilla flavor creeps in, the remnants of well-infused Chambord.

Summer is, by far, my favorite time of year. I know I'm not alone in this, but I feel it very strongly. I pretty much whine and moan all winter, complaining about how much I despise Chicago winters. I even went down South to Memphis, Tennessee for 4 years of college, and thankfully was able to escape the cold... temporarily. I recall, as a kid, my mom trying to remind us to savor our summer days. And I also remember hearing her once say that, once you reach the 4th of July, summer suddenly speeds up and ends soon.

We only get about 10 weeks of wonderful weather each year in Chicago. And the whole city buzzes and hums and glows with delight.

So this year, on the 4th of July, I plan to take that moment to savor the summer. And to be gosh darn patriotic. Because the safety and comfort of wonderful weather deserves some red, white, and blue. And because, let's face it, what is better than a cocktail that fits the occasion? St. Patty's Bombs on St. Patty's Day. Whiskey Apple Cider in a mug while you sit in front of a fire next fall. And this delicious patriotic cocktail on the 4th of July.

Notice the Chambord? It's a french liqueur made of raspberries, blackberries, various herbs and spices and some vanilla added in. Why's it in this cocktail? Hello, people. The French helped us gain our independence, did they not? ;-) Gotta pay a little... homage. 

Blueberry & Chambord Patriotic Cocktail

Servings: 1 per recipe

Ingredients:

• Ice Cubes
• 1.5 ounces Vodka
• 1 ounce Chambord (if you don't have Chambord, a cranberry juice would only slightly change the flavor)
• 1 handfull Blueberries
• ~4 ounces Club Soda

Directions:

1. Fill a highball glass or tall mason jar with ice cubes. Add Vodka and Chambord.
2. Add half of the blueberries, then top off with club soda.
3. Sprinkle remaining blueberries on top and serve!

Basil Moonlight Mojitos... All for 50 Cal?!

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Floating in an almost glowing glass of delicious mojito, fresh mint and basil leaves combine to leave a light, refreshing, yet somewhat complicated flavor hanging on your palate. This drink will quench your thirst and cool you down, but not without inspiring you by way of fresh, minty goodness with a twist of basil. 

'

I love a good late afternoon cocktail... When I ran into Crystal Light's alcohol-free Mojito mix in Jewel last week, I was inspired. My mother's favorite cocktail at my ever-favorite Memphis martini bar is called the Butterfly, a brilliantly crafted love child of a mojito and a basil martini. It is refreshing, light, and has only the slightest hint of alcohol. The rest just tastes like... well, perhaps a summer breeze.

Picture me sitting on my parents' patio in the early evening. Dusk is settling down over the horse farm across the way and there we sit, sipping on mint and basil mojitos. What better way to spend your aftern-evening (or to spend 50 calories), I ask you?

Basil Mint Mojito

Prep Time: <5 Minutes

Calories: 50-70 (Depends on the alcohol you use. There are 5 calories per glass in the mojito mix and a very negligible amount in the basil and mint leaves, so that leaves you with only as many calories as are in the alcohol you add! A typical shot of rum is about 64 calories, according to Livestrong, but each drink has only 1oz, as compared to a typical 1.5oz shot)

Servings: Recipe makes 8-10

Ingredients: 

• 1 packet Mojito Mix, Crystal Light (See notes below the recipe for an alternate if you can't find the Mojito Mix at your local grocery store)
• 7 cups cold water
• 1 cup White Rum (or Vodka if you're anti-Rum)
• 10-12 leaves Mint
• 8 leaves Basil
• Ice

Directions:

1. Combine Mojito mix, cold water, and alcohol in a large pitcher and mix well.
2. Chop 1/2 of the Mint and Basil leaves into small pieces, then add to the pitcher.
3. Muddle (smash) 1/2 leaf each of mint and basil in each glass, then fill glasses with ice and pour mojito over the ice.
4. Garnish with extra mint and basil leaves if desired.
5. Enjoy!

Notes:

• Can't find the Mojito Mix (or don't have time)? Alter Step 1 the following way: First, in a small cup, muddle 8 mint leaves with the juice from 1 full lime and add this to an empty pitcher. Add 4 tablespoons of sugar or Stevia sugar substitute (for a lighter version). Instead of 7 cups of cold water, add 3 cups of water and 4 cups of sparkling/seltzer water (or soda water if you have no sparkling water around, though sparkling/seltzer water will be lowest in calories).
• If you're looking for a mint-garnished dessert to go with this fabulous cocktail, try this Fresh Lime Chiffon cake with Mint Sprigs on top from Smak!

Purple People Drinker: Blackberry Basil Cocktail (66 Calories)

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Summer breeze. The sun is shining down on you as you sit, sipping on a delicious cocktail. It tastes light and refreshing, with blackberries and raspberries tinting the water purple and casually infusing the flavor. A touch of basil adds just enough complexity to convince you that you didn't make the drink yourself; it came from the bar. You're ready for number two. Where's the waiter?!

I'm not sure if you noticed Summer knocking on your door. She's pretty much here. Get excited! Summer means that drinks have to get tastier, more refreshing, and, obviously, prettier. Sometimes, in life, you get all three of the things you wanted. We call that a triple threat. Here you go... :)

Blackberry Basil Cocktail

Calories: 66

Prep Time: <5 Min

Ingredients:

• 3 raspberries
• 2 blackberries
• 1/4 lemon, juice
• 1/4 lime, juice
• 1 tsp Basil, finely diced
• 1 tsp truvia (or sugar or sugar substitute)
• 1.5 oz Vodka (I used Skinnygirl Tangerine Vodka, but any regular vodka or citrus flavored vodka will suffice)
• .5 - 1 oz water

Directions:

1. Muddle (squish) raspberries and blackberries in a small glass with lemon and lime juices, basil, and truvia/sugar.
2. Add vodka and stir.
3. Add a bit of water (about .5 to 1 oz, or around half of a shot glass) and stir.
4. Serve!

Vodka Hot Chocolate

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[Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!]

[Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!]

The holidays are often a cause for celebration and, with celebration, often alcohol consumption. Next time you've got family over, try this recipe for vodka hot chocolate (and, if you're looking for a cocktail spread, this whiskey apple cider recipe is also fabulous). It will warm you up in more ways than one without making you pucker your lips!

Ingredients:

• 1 packet Hot Chocolate Powder
• 1 shot Whipped Cream Vodka
• Whipped Cream
• 1 Gingersnap

Cooking Directions:

1. Combine hot chocolate powder with about 4 ounces less water than the package directs you to.
2. Add 1 shot of whipped cream vodka.
3. Garnish with whipped cream and crushed gingersnap.

 [Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!]

It's Friday! How 'Bout A Cake Cocktail?

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Ha. How funny does that sound?

Want some cake... in your cocktail?  Why, I don't mind if I do! Hey, it's after twelve... right?

Surprisingly, this baby rings in at under 150 calories a pop. With zero calories in the mixer, your only calorie consumption is the vodka itself and a bit of whipped cream.

What You Need:

• Pinnacle Cake-flavored Vodka
• Diet (or regular) Vernor's Ginger Ale
• Whipped Cream :)

What You Do:
Mix 1 shot cake-flavored vodka with 4 parts diet ginger ale
Add whipped cream, a straw, and serve!