Ah, yes! Hot summers, sitting on the porch, indulging in the summer-fresh flavor of a Lemon Mint Martini! A little tart, a little sweet – sort of like lemonade, but with a kick! Feel free to adjust the amounts on this recipe – some people like it more sweet, some less! (I’ve been told I tend to go light on the sweet, so you may want to add more simple syrup to the recipe!)
For The Simple Syrup: Go a little crazy and make the simple syrup with fresh mint (be sure to strain the syrup before storing)! Here is my recipe for simple syrup, with several flavor variations: Click Here
For easy invitations, try using the website Evite.com, where you can customize one of their great designs and import email addresses to send out invites electronically! Good for you AND the environment!
A Champagne Bar is easy to do! Offer a variety of add-ins for your champagne, like cranberry, peach, pomegranate juices, strawberries and pomegranate seeds. For Champagne, I served Jaume Serra Cristalino Brut, recommended by the wine expert at World Market. With a price point under $7.00, I was a bit wary. I was extremely surprised by how wonderful the champagne tasted! It was rated by Wine & Spirits Magazine as the Value Brand Of The Year for 2013 (3rd year in a row!).
Desserts are so simple! Use a combination of store-bought and homemade desserts. Items on my dessert table included:
A tasting plate of flavored dark chocolates – Chipotle Chili, Pomegranate and Strawberries & Champagne.
Ginger Crisp cookies and Chocolate Lace cookies from World Market.
Two beautifully decorated mini cakes from Publix Supermarket.
Store-bought Chocolate Truffles
Homemade Coconut Macaroons – Wonderfully easy recipe from JoansFoodWanderings Blog.
Homemade Peppermint Bark – Here is my recipe for peppermint bark.
Store-bought Chocolate Truffles
Homemade Candied Pecans – This recipe was so simple! I made them in the crockpot! You can find the recipe Here!
A Cheese Plate featuring Manchego, Triple Cream Brie, and Boursin Cheese.
Kick off your July 4th Celebrations with a Bang! This holiday-themed martini, created by TheMartiniDiva.com, features flavors reminiscent of those red, white and blue-colored popsicles!
Ingredients:
1 oz. Raspberry Flavored Rum
1 oz. Blue Curacao
1/2 oz Lemonade
1/2 oz. Maraschino Cherry Juice
Maraschino Cherry for garnish
Preparation:
Chill martini glass in freezer. Combine Raspberry Rum, Blue Curacao, Lemonade, and Maraschino Cherry Juice in shaker filled half-way with ice. Shake until well chilled. Pour into chilled martini glass and drop in the Maraschino cherry garnish. Enjoy responsibly!
TheMartiniDiva.com features hundreds of creative martini recipes, foods that pair perfectly with martinis, and recipe cards for purchase.
Everyone loves summer, and with the first official weekend of summer approaching, it is time to break out those blenders and shakers! Simple Solutions Diva has gathered some favorites together for your cocktail menu consideration!
Mojito
Mojito Cocktail (Photo Credit: Liquor.com)
6 Mint leaves
.75 oz Simple syrup (one part water, one part sugar, boiled until thickened. Cool for use)
.75 oz Fresh lime juice
1.5 oz White rum
1.5 oz Club soda
Mint Sprig Garnish
In a shaker, lightly muddle the mint. Add the simple syrup, lime juice and rum, and fill with ice. Shake well and pour (unstrained) into a highball glass. Top with the club soda and garnish with a mint sprig.
Recipe Credit: Liquor.com
Margaritas By The Pitcher
Margaritas By The Pitcher (Photo Credit: Liquor.com)
10 oz Fresh lime juice
14 oz Cointreau (orange flavored liquor)
3.5 oz Agave syrup or simple syrup
22 oz Tequila
Lime Wedge Garnish
For this recipe you need a 52-ounce pitcher. First, add the fresh lime juice and then the Cointreau. Have a taste—it should still be a bit tart. You can add a little more Cointreau but not much.
Adjust the sweetness with a little agave syrup (two parts agave nectar, one part water) or simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)but don’t use more Cointreau, which would change the balance of the drink.
Add the tequila and taste. The mixture should still be intense, because you haven’t added any ice yet.
When a guest wants a drink, pour 3 ounces of the mix into a shaker and fill with ice. Shake, and strain into a stemmed Margarita or cocktail glass with a half-salted rim or a rocks glass filled with fresh ice.
Garnish with a thin wheel of lime. If you have a large shaker or a gallon jar with a screw-top you can shake a whole bunch of drinks at the same time.
Recipe Credit: Liquor.com
Strawberry Sangria
Strawberry Sangria (Adapted from Fraîche restaurant) Photo Credit: Carlos Chavez / Los Angeles Times
Juice of 2 limes
2 teaspoons sugar
16 ripe strawberries, cut in half
1/2 teaspoon aged balsamic vinegar
4 ounces Grand Marnier
4 ounces premium vodka
8 ounces California Pinot Noir
Combine the lime juice and sugar in a small heavy-bottom saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then immediately reduce the heat to very low and simmer about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Divide the strawberries among 4 old-fashioned glasses. Sprinkle equal amounts of balsamic vinegar over them (it’ll be just a few drops in each, about one-eighth teaspoon). Divide the Grand Marnier among them, and muddle the ingredients in each glass.
Fill each glass about two-thirds full with ice, then pour equal amounts vodka over the ice in each. Add one-half ounce of the simmered lime juice to each glass. Pour equal amounts of the wine into each glass, then stir gently and serve.
Recipe Credit: Recipe Adapted by LA Times from bar chef Albert Trummer at Fraîche.
Everyone loves a good cocktail recipe, and this one is a doozie! It is a favorite in our household for parties, and it is large batch version of Roy’s Hawaiian Martini Recipe! I got this recipe from CuisineCapers.com a few years ago, and I LOVE IT!
Here is the recipe!
WARNING: Remind guests that the pineapple is also marinated in the alcohol! You don’t want them giving it to the kids!
Roy’s Hawaiian Martini: Simple Solutions Diva’s birthday drink of choice several years ago!
Roy’s Hawaiian Martini
Yield: approximately 12 (4-ounce) servings
1-1/2 (750 mL) bottles Skyy Vodka (or 4-1/2 cups)
1/2 (750 mL) bottle Malibu Rum (1-1/2 cups)
1/4 bottle Stolichnaya Vanil (3/4 cup)
1 pineapple cut into 1/2-inch thick wedges
1/4 cup sugar
Layer the pineapple wedges into the jar. Pour in the remaining ingredients and allow the pineapples to marinate for at least two days. To serve, ladle approximately 4 ounces of the liquor into a stainless steel shaker half filled with ice. Shake 30 times, and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a wedge of marinated pineapple and enjoy!
Refreshingly light and lovely for a brunch, this sparking white sangria recipe comes from the Columbia Restaurant in St. Augustine, Florida.
Ingredients
1 375ml bottle of Cava (or any sparkling wine)
¼ ounce Torres 5 Brandy (or any Spanish brandy)
¼ ounce Gran Torres Liqueur (or any orange liqueur)Splash of lemon-lime soda
1 Orange
1 Lime
Cherries for garnish
Simple Syrup*
Preparation
Cut orange and lime in half. Fill large pitcher with ice and combine the wine, brandy, liqueur, lemon-lime soda, the juice of half of an orange and the juice of half of a lime. Stir. Add simple syrup to obtain desired sweetness. Slice remaining orange and lime into thin slices. Garnish glasses with orange, lime and cherry.
* To make simple syrup, combine one part water to one part sugar in small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Chill before use.
