{friday cocktail: green bloody mary}

For a long time I was strictly a mimosa drinker for brunch situations, but in the past couple years I have become a full blown bloody mary convert.  In partnership with Pinnacle Vodka, I'm bringing you a fabulous way to enjoy your bloody mary at brunch this weekend in the form of a green bloody mary.  Using lots of fresh green veggies like tomatillos, peppers  and cucumber, I mixed up a green bloody mary base that is almost healthy enough that you might forget it's actually a cocktail.   In fact you could probably add some kale to this recipe and consider it your green juice for the day!

Despite how much healthy veggie ingredients are here, this mix is delightfully flavorful and a nice change from the normal red tomato bloody- sometimes you just gotta switch it up.  You can see my classic bloody mary recipe right here and a unique korean inspired version here.   Scroll down for both the green bloody mary base recipe and the cocktail recipe- as always make sure to get your garnish on!

Green Bloody Mary Base:

what you need:

• 1 cucumber 
• 6 tomatillos
• 1/2 cup parsley
• 4 stalks of celery
• juice of 2 limes
• 1 Roasted and skinned pasilla pepper*
• 1 roasted and skinned green bell pepper*
• salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste

*the roasted part of these peppers makes them taste super yummy, but roasting them is a totally optional step. we just got excited about getting out in the sunshine and grilling stuff. ya know? 

1. Peel skin off roasted peppers and chop.  Peel, de-seed and chop cucumber.  Roughly chop parsley and tomatillos (leave skin on).  Juice limes.
2. Puree all chopped ingredients in a food processor or blender until well combined.  
3. Strain entire mixture into serving container.
4. Add salt, pepper and cayenne to taste.
5. Mixture should keep in the fridge for a few days, but I wouldn't push it too far!

Cheers!

Pinnacle Vodka shakes things up with unexpected experiences and delightful discoveries. Explore with other fun flavors at http://www.pinnaclevodka.com.  Also, check us out at www.facebook.com/pinnaclevodkas and https://twitter.com/PinnacleVodka or find more fun entertaining and drink ideas on our Pinterest page at http://www.pinterest.com/pinnaclevodka/.

Pinnacle® is a registered trademark of Jim Beam Brands Co. and is used with permission.  This is a sponsored partnership, with Pinnacle® Vodka, via Mode Media.  The information, comments, and ideas expressed on this website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of Jim Beam Brands Co., its affiliated companies, or any of their directors or employees.

{summer smash with pinnacle vodka}

Since our moving truck got delayed yet. another. day. I'll be drinking about 12 of these refreshing cocktails today!   I whipped up this cocktail back when we were still in Chicago for a day of laying around on a picnic blanket in the summer sun right before we packed up our place.  I love using blackberries in cocktails because they are equally appropriate for winter cocktails like a Big Mac cocktail as they are for more refreshing summer recipes.   The other great thing about this recipe is that it lends itself perfectly for a batch recipe to take to the beach or your next summer bbq.  Because I love you I have conveniently given you proportions for both recipe sizes:  one for the party size (serving 12) and one for drinking solo (like when you are trying to forget that you have been without all of worldly possessions for over 2 weeks while they sit on a semi truck.)

Cheers!

Pinnacle Vodka shakes things up with unexpected experiences and delightful discoveries.  Explore with other fun flavors at http://www.pinnaclevodka.com”. Also, check us out at www.facebook.com/pinnaclevodkas and https://twitter.com/PinnacleVodka or find more fun entertaining and drink ideas on our Pinterest page at http://www.pinterest.com/pinnaclevodka/

Pinnacle® is a registered trademark of Jim Beam Brands Co. and is used with permission.  This is a sponsored partnership, with Pinnacle® Vodka, via Mode Media.  The information, comments, and ideas expressed on this website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of Jim Beam Brands Co., its affiliated companies, or any of their directors or employees.

{video: 4 holiday cocktail recipes}

Along with the holiday DIY projects I showed you in this video, I also came up with four different cocktail recipes for Glam's Haute Hostess series that are perfect for the holidays!  Check out the fun video and all recipes are below....

Cheers!

{friday cocktail: the prism}

This past summer I got the chance to dream up a fun cocktail to be served as the signature drink for one of our clients at Bliss Weddings & Events.  Ashley & Johnny worked with Cheree Berry Paper to create a beautiful coral colored prism pattern that adorned their invites, welcome bags and day of paper goods which is what prompted the name for their signature cocktail.  They also wanted something colorful, refreshing and vodka-based.  The recipe we ended up with isn't the quickest cocktail to make, but it is well worth the effort!

{photos via Avery House}

Cheers and congrats to the newlyweds Johnny & Ashley!

{friday cocktail: kimchi bloody mary}

My husband loves Korean food (really any Asian cuisine to be exact) so when I saw this recipe for a Kimchi bloody mary in the latest issue of Food & Wine, I knew it would be perfect for him! I modified the recipe to use pre-made bloody mary mix since we always have a bottle in the fridge, but you can see the original recipe here.  The resulting drink is surprisingly good with a more vegetal taste from the pickled cabbage than a typical bloody mary.  If you like yours spicy make sure to add in extra Sriracha which we make sure to always add to our original bloody mary recipes anyways.

Cheers!

{friday cocktail: the terra}

I am currently out in Las Vegas celebrating one of my best friends of over 14 years at her fabulous Bachelorette party!  I firmly believe no bachelorette party is complete without a signature cocktail.  This one is based off of one my favorites, but trading in vodka for gin and losing the absinthe.  It is a bonafide crowd pleaser- plus its a great shade of pink perfect for your next girly gathering! You can follow along with all our fun this weekend right here.

{friday cocktail: pumpkin fizz}

Even though the month of October ended yesterday, pumpkin is still very much a viable ingredient all the way through November so I figured...let's make some cocktails with a little pumpkin!  I discovered this recipe, along with a ton of other great cocktail recipes, on the Kitchen Konfidence blog.   This is one of the few vodka recipes I have made on this blog and you could easily switch out the spirit on this recipe for a spiced rum or even a bourbon.  I love the seasonal taste of the pumpkin in literally everything and while i enjoyed this cocktail, it definitely lends itself to more of a carbonated smoothie taste than a stiff drink!  I added a few dashes of cardamom bitters to give this drink a little interesting spice.  I would also recommend a tiny punch of pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon to garnish!

The two lucky winners from last Friday's Julibox giveaway are:

**Rachel Jass**

**Leigh Kozak**

Congrats you guys! You will be contacted via email shortly!


Cheers!

{friday cocktail: raspberry mint fizz}

Since moving to Chicago, I have heard a few people talk about "seasonal" drinking which happens to be different people's preferences for drinking based on what season it is and I am not just referring to Hot Toddy's in the winter and margaritas in the summer.  People here have told me they drink red wine or Manhattans only in the winter.  Being from California, the concept of real seasons is pretty foreign to me let alone the idea of modifying my drink choices based on the season.  I have been wanting to whip up this simple summer inspired cocktail recipe for some time and I figured with the official first day of Fall fast approaching, I better get on it!

I was first inspired to make this recipe when I saw a similar version on Camille Styles using blueberries and I loved that the recipe could easily be altered using different fruits for garnish and a wide variety of flavors for the soda.  No matter what combination you choose, the result is light and refreshing with a touch of sparkle. All of the ingredients conjure up ideas of sitting on roof decks on a hot afternoon or outdoor summer evening  dinner parties.   The best part of this recipe is that it is extremely easy to make in large batches perfect for parties- plus it looks super girl which makes it perfect for a bridal or baby shower.

Cheers!

{friday cocktail: doctored up bloody marys}

 
This past 4th of July, we decided to start the day off with a round of festive bloody marys before heading out to enjoy the local parade.   Although you can make your own bloody mary mix from scratch, Chris always prefers to buy the pre-made mix from Trader Joe's and then "doctor" it up with hot sauce and spices.  You can substitute any pre-made bloody mary mix in this recipe just make sure that the one you are buying doesnt have water as the first ingredient listed (if water is the first ingredient there is no saving that mix).  This recipe utilizes a quart sized container of mix:

Cheers!

{friday cocktail: gingered pear}

While I am not a big vodka drinker, I do love the spot on pear taste of Grey Goose La Poire.  We picked some up a few weeks ago and it has been great as an ingredient for champagne cocktails, but I was looking for somewhere to use it.  I came across this recipe and thought I could modify it perfectly to suit my tastes.  If you are curious about that huge ice cube in that glass pictured, it is made using this mold which I highly recommend, especially for all you Old Fashioned drinkers.

Cheers!