Happy Monday, sweet friends! I hope you all had a relaxing and cool weekend ๐ Here in North Carolina, we continue to be on this super hot, 90-100 degree heat wave for the 3rd or 4th week in a row – I hate it. If you know me at all, you’ll know that I thrive in the Fall. I am 10 out of 10 in the winter, but since there’s more light in the Fall and more to do outside, Fall has always been my top season. And just FYI, Fall in North Carolina is just a cover up name for Summer Part 2 because the heat and humidity don’t trulyย calm until after Thanksgiving.
Knowing that true Fall weather is many, many moons away, I’m choosing to embrace one fun thing I love about Summer: new cocktails. With happy hour starting a little earlier than before, I am trying to switch up my normal evening wine routine by trying a new cocktail recipe every other week. Over on Instagram, I partnered with a mixer brand to share recipes and over 125 of you told me that you tried one, if not both, that same weekend. So, I figured I would share the recipes again on the blog so that whenever you need it, everything is listed in one place. The two drinks I made were: Spiked Blueberry Lemonade & Fruity Mint Spritz.
Spiked Blueberry Lemonade:
Add your ice, lemonade vodka & blueberries to a shaker
After a few shakes, pour into a glass top with ginger beer
Garnish with a lemon slice
This recipe is perfect if you love fresh squeezed lemonade in the Summer. I picked up Deep Eddy’s lemonade vodka from my local beverage store for under $10 or so. It tastes just like homemade lemonade and gives the drink a perfect sweet contrast to the ginger beer. I discovered about 2 years ago that I actually love ginger beer and since then, I’ve been trying to add it to every cocktail recipe I can find. It’s super refreshing and amplifies all the other drink flavors.
Fruity Mint Spritz:
Add your watermelon mint vodka, ice, muddled strawberries & cucumber mint sparkling water to a shaker
After a few shakes, strain into a glass with fresh ice
Top with tonic
Add a generous amount of fresh lime juice
Garnish with a lime
This spritz can pretty much be made with any fresh fruit you have. With the low cal infused vodka and sparkling water, this drink is perfectly light for hot days and sipping by the pool. When I made it here, I was low on mint leaves. Once I made it a few more times, I realized that fresh mint was the perfect addition. Our local grocery store sells a small container of fresh mint for just $2.
Well friends, that’s all for today! I hope that you find a way to step outside of your comfort zone this week whether that be with your happy hour beverage, workout choices or your morning routine. As always, thank you so much for reading and continuing to support my blog. I am so appreciative for each and every one of you!
Have a lovely week -xo, Azanique <3
