The Hemingway Daiquiri

There was no dry January around here.  Mainly because we are foodies and empty nesters and I'm in the era where I love to hang out with Mr. Devilish Dish.  He's really into cooking lately, and I'm still recovering from the busy holidays so I'm happy he is enjoying the meal preparation.  I do wash the dishes, but most of the time while he cooks, I sit on a bar stool at our counter and keep him company.  He does this thing where he throws a dish towel over his shoulder and says, "What can I get you to drink Ma'am?"  He's just too cute and funny to resist.  In addition to honing his cooking skills, he has really honed his bartending skills too.  My two favorite cocktails he makes for me are the Hillstone Crisp Martini and this daiquiri.  I love anything fruity or floral so it makes sense that I love this flavor profile.  This daiquiri isn't your typical poolside frozen drink.  This classy cocktail is a tempting combination of rum, maraschino liqueur, lime juice and grapefruit juice.  Shaken and served in a coupe glass, it's a sophisticated cocktail, originally created in the 1930s for Ernest Hemingway, who desired a more spirit-forward version of the classic daiquiri.  This is crisp, slightly tart, and a beautiful pink hue.  It's an ideal drink for spring and summer, or a special occasion.  Or in my case, to forget the dreary cold days of winter, and looking forward to sipping this on the patio during warmer weather.  The gorgeous pink hue makes it ideal for a Valentine's or Galentine's party too, so enjoy now, and bookmark this recipe so you can make again when warmer weather arrives.

My new favorite cocktail:
The Hemingway Daiquiri

The ingredients:  Simple and fresh.

A beautiful presentation in 
a coupe glass.  This would be so 
cute to serve at Valentine's Day,
not to mention how much this will be served 
during the summer!

A cute "pretend" bartender helps lol.

THE HEMINGWAY DAIQUIRI

2 ounces white rum
1/2 ounce maraschino liqueur
3/4 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
1/2 ounce grapefruit juice, freshly squeezed
Garnish: lime wheel

Add the rum, maraschino liqueur, lime juice and grapefruit juice into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled.  Strain into a couple glass.  Garnish with a lime wheel.

Enjoy Safely,

"VALENTINE: Every Hour is Happy With You" Cocktail Gift

Last Valentine's Day was pretty lame because I was on week 6 of a 16 week recovery of hand surgery.  I've mentioned in posts past that Mr. Devilish Dish and I passed the recuperation time by watching reruns of "Bar Rescue" and creating cocktails.  Aside from the excruciating pain, and frustration of only having one hand to blow dry my hair, I have to say those few weeks were time well spent with my husband.  He took great care of me and went to great effort to keep me comfortable, sane and entertained.  In addition, we learned a lot about the art of cocktail making and when Valentine's Day rolled around I knew I wanted to get him the handful of tools I realized we were missing in our bar set-up.  We needed a cocktail mixing glass, a cocktail strainer and he asked for sugar cubes.  I also found a company that sells the most unique cocktail mixers, bitters and more.  El Guapo is located in New Orleans, which is dear to our hearts because my brother-in-law is a chef there.  I had already ordered gifts for him from this company in years past, and I knew their LOVE POTION BITTERS would be the perfect addition to a cocktail themed Valentine basket.  I also added a bottle of their Cajun Grenadine which features the famous Ponchatoula strawberries.  And of course no Valentine is complete without some chocolates so I added some of his favorites in there too.  Considering I put the entire thing together with one hand, I was pretty impressed with this little gift.  Even if I wasn't able to tie a bow on it.  And the best part, is I do love a Valentine Pun, so I was able to add a little homemade card that said, "Valentine: Every Hour is Happy With You." Which turned out to be very true, because My Valentine is the one that helped me get through that mess of a surgery recovery. 

Valentine: Every Hour is Happy with You!

These bitters are so unique,
and fit with my theme perfectly.

I filled the cocktail mixing glass
with a variety of his favorite candy.
(And mine too.  I ate that Reese's.)

Did you know that traditional grenadine
is made from pomegranate? THIS certified
Cajun version features Louisiana strawberries. 

Here's the whole basket.  Good thing
it didn't need a bow, because I couldn't 
tie one with one hand.

Hope this gives you some Valentine inspo!

Frozen Sangria in the Ninja Slushi Professional Drink Maker

My hometown is famous for a couple of things.  Sooner Football and the Sooner Swirl.  The Oklahoma Sooners football team - 7 time National Champions need no introduction.  But I should introduce you to the Sooner Swirl.  Similar to my Miami Vice Cocktail, the Sooner Swirl is a red and white concoction of frozen margarita and frozen sangria swirled together.  Just about every restaurant around town serves one, and it is tasty.  Especially on a hot game day!  I saw a post a while back from the Ninja Kitchen folks that said if they choose one of your recipes, you could win a free Slushi Machine.  I've tried desperately all summer to win one, because dang it, we want to make swirls.  Of course we could substitute our blender, but we are dying to have two Ninja Slushi machines next to each other on our bar like our local restaurants.  That way we could make Sooner Swirls at tailgate.  Yes, Ninja makes a carrying case for the Slushi Machine, and I'm just crazy enough to haul those things to campus every Saturday this fall.  The world needs to know about the Ninja Slushi machine, and they definitely need to know about the Sooner Swirl!  One of the first things we made with our Slushi machine was a Frozen Sangria.  Mr. Devilish Dish is a red wine lover and frozen sangria was the first thing he wanted to make.  We cheated and bought a big jug of ready to drink sangria at the store.  (By the way, those glass jugs are really cute and I hate to admit I have several in my garage just waiting for a crafty idea to pop into my head.) Mr. Devilish Dish just "doctored up" said sangria by adding some freshly squeezed fruit juice and a little club soda.  The result was a refreshing concoction that has made numerous appearances on my patio all year.  Now I just need the good folks at Ninja to bless me with a second machine so I can do frozen margaritas at the same time. 

This is the easiest, tastiest drink.
The color is gorgeous and the flavor
is so refreshing.

 

Simply combine store-bough sangria,
fresh fruit juice and club soda.

Delicious! Now...Imagine this swirled with a frozen
margarita?  Sooner Perfection in a glass!

FROZEN SANGRIA in the NINJA SLUSHI PROFESSIONAL DRINK MAKER

32 ounces Ready to Drink Sangria Wine
2 ounces Fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 ounces Fresh squeezed orange juice
2 ounces Fresh squeezed lime juice
4 ounces Club Soda

Combine all ingredients in the Ninja Slushi and freeze.

Frozen Hillstone Crisp Martini in the Ninja Slushi Professional Drink Maker

A while back I shared a recipe for the Viral Hillstone Restaurant's Crisp Martini, also known as the "Sauvy B Martini."  I shared the recipe with my BFF Jenny (of Aunt Jenny's Watermelon Salad) She loves to cook and entertain like I do.  She also has a Ninja Slushi Professional Drink Maker.  All summer we have been sharing our concoctions with each other.  Last weekend we were having a chat and she said,

"Have you figured out a frozen version of the Hillstone Martini yet?" 

I said, "No, not yet.  Just do the Frozen Hugo Spritz, it's similar." 

Her response was, "We have and it's good, but WE WANT a Frozen Hillstone!"

So on Sunday, I was tired from a previous late-night concert, but started dragging out bottles from the bar.  Mr. Devilish Dish asked, "Surely you are not making a cocktail are you?"

And I said, "I HAVE TO.  Jenny NEEDS me!"

I feel like we've created enough cocktails in our Ninja Slushi this summer, that we are learning to get the right balance of ingredients for the maximum frozen experience, because I NAILED THIS on the first try.  The perfect blend of floral flavor from the St. Germain Liqueur and the Gin, plus the tang of lemon juice and Sauvignon Blanc wine and just a little sweetness from some simple syrup.  This might be my favorite concoction of the summer.  The Martini is delicious as is, but a spin through the Ninja Slushi takes it to the next level.  The were so refreshing as we sat in our little pool Sunday in the unforgiving Oklahoma heat and thoroughly enjoyed them. 

I didn't think anything could possibly taste
better than the Hillstone Crisp Martini, 
but then I FROZE it.  
Amazing.

This might be the best thing to ever dispense
from our Ninja Slushi!

We love this thing.  Definitely got our money's worth 

this summer.

Even better in our pool.  We call it the 
grown-up pool because it has two seats
and two cup holders.  Perfect  for holding
a Frozen Hillstone Crisp Martini if 
you put it in the right glass.

It was so hot even Ghirardelli got in the 
pool to cool off!

FROZEN HILLSTONE CRISP MARTINI in the NINJA SLUSHI PROFESSIONAL DRINK MAKER

1 1/2 Cups Sauvignon Blanc Wine
2 Cups Water
1/2 Cup Gin
1/2 Cup St. Germaine Liqueur
2.5 ounces Simple Syrup

Lime peel for garnish

Combine all ingredients (except Lime Peel) and pour into the Ninja Slushi Professional Drink Maker.  Select the Spiked Slush Setting, and the Highest Setting (10 Bars) Freeze.  Garnish with a lime peel and enjoy.  

National Coffee Milkshake Day: Frozen Caffeine Dream in the Ninja Slushi Professional Drink Maker

I'm obsessed with our Ninja Slushi Professional Frozen Drink Maker.  Most of the cocktails we've made have involved a lot of trial and error on our part to create the perfect frozen cocktail.  Rarely have we used any shortcuts or drink mixers, simply because we love to experiment and try new things and if it is something from scratch - typically that makes the experience even better for us.  We are both coffee drinkers in the morning, cold brew usually.  (Haven't tried running that through the Slushi, although the wheels are spinning now!) Occasionally we will have an afternoon coffee for a pick me up and once in a while we've been known to imbibe in some sort of after dinner coffee cocktail.  The other day I was reading a book on the patio and thought how good an afternoon coffee sounded, and since it was Saturday, what would a shot or two of something from our home bar hurt?  I typically keep a few Starbucks Bottled Frappuccinos on hand, and I've been known to stick them in the freezer for a little while.  What is way better than a trip to the freezer is a spin in the Ninja Slushi Professional Drink Maker.  I had to add two bottles of the Frappuccino to reach the minimum fill line.  Which was fine. I'm willing to share with Mr. Devilish Dish.  I also added some coffee liqueur and Bailey's Irish Cream Liqueur.  The result was the most decadent, luscious frozen coffee drink.  Almost a milkshake.  Coincidentally it happens to be National Coffee Milkshake Day, and this is even better: an afternoon pick me up for sure but would make a great dessert too!  And so simple.  Literally three ingredients and a Slushi cycle for pure indulgence.

The "Caffeine Dream" Perfect for an
afternoon pick-me-up, or an indulgent
after dinner drink.

Add the Starbucks Bottled Frappuccino
to the Ninja Slushi Professional Frozen
Drink Maker.

 

Add a shot of your favorite coffee liqueur

Add a shot of Irish Cream Liqueur

Freeze and enjoy

Garnish with coffee beans if desired.

Imbibe and Indulge!

FROZEN CAFFEINE DREAM IN THE NINJA SLUSHI PROFESSIONAL DRINK MAKER

2 (13.7oz) Bottles Starbucks Frappuccino Coffee Drink

1 Shot Coffee Liqueur (like Arrosta, Kahlua or Mr. Black)
1 Shot Bailey's Irish Cream Liqueur

Pour all ingredients into the Ninja Slushi Professional Frozen Drink Maker.  Select the Spiked Slush mode.  You will not need all 10 bars of "slushiness" :) 7-8 bars will do.  This freezes fast and almost to a milkshake consistency.  Very delicious.  Serve in a coffee mug and garnish with a few coffee beans if desired.  Makes 2 large or 4 small servings.  Double the recipe if you want more.  

Frozen Hugo Spritz Cocktail in the Ninja Slushi Professional Drink Maker

 Our summer obsession has been creating cocktails in our Ninja Slushi Professional Drink Maker.  We're like Mad Scientists over here creating frozen drinks with varying levels of success.  (Nothing is a true failure because they're still drinkable even if they are not perfection.) We've had great triumph with our Frozen Oklahoma Club Specials and Frozen Chi Chis (for National Pina Colada Day.) Sometimes we need a break from our libation laboratory and we just check out the Ninja Test Kitchen for interesting recipes they post.  That way we know the recipe has been previously tested for frozen perfection.  I'm a huge fan of St. Germain - it's a tasty elderflower flavored liqueur that pairs really well with citrus flavors like grapefruit and also compliments white wines like Prosecco and Sauvignon Blanc (Check out my Hilltop Crisp Martinis for the great combination of St. Germain & Sauv Blanc!) Similar to the Hilltop Crisp Martini, the Hugo Spritz is a refreshing floral Italian aperitif cocktail made with Prosecco, elderflower liqueur, soda water and mint.  If you think that sounds refreshing on a hot summer day, then imagine that mixture in Slushi Form!  It's not only a sophisticated-sounding cocktail, but the traditional lime wheel and mint leaf garnish are stunning on the eyes.  This is one we will be making again for an afternoon on the patio!

The Hugo Spritz Cocktail - made even
more delicious in the Ninja Slushi 
Professional Frozen Drink Machine.

FROZEN HUGO SPRITZ COCKTAIL (adapted for the Ninja Slushi Professional Frozen Drink Maker)

(makes 6-8 servings)

3 Cups Prosecco
2 Cups Water
2 Cups St.Germain Elderflower Liqueur
1/4 Cup Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice

Fresh Mint Leaves for Garnish
Lime Wheels for Garnish

Add the Prosecco, water, St. Germain Liqueur and lime juice to the Ninja Slushi Professional Frozen Drink Maker.  Follow the manufacturer's instructions to freeze.  Garnish with fresh mint leaves and a lime wheel and enjoy.

By the way, I have enough fresh
mint leaves to garnish these cocktails
for an eternity. 

National Pina Colada Day - The Chi Chi in the Ninja Slushi Professional Frozen Drink Maker

It's National Pina Colada Day!  If you haven't tried a Chi Chi, then you are in for a treat.  It is Pina Colada's little sister.  Where a Pina Colada is made with rum, a Chi Chi features vodka.  We were in Palm Beach, Florida a couple of weeks ago and it is safe to say we enjoyed our fair share of Pina Coladas and Miami Vices.  Now that we're back to the Oklahoma heat (minus the beach view) I wanted to re-create the flavors of our vacation using our Ninja Slushi Professional Frozen Drink Maker.  Last week I shared a Frozen version of one of our favorite cocktails: The Oklahoma Club Special. We have had so much fun with our Slushi Maker, I have been determined to adapt some of our most revered cocktail recipes for the Ninja.  After several trial runs over the July 4th weekend, we finally achieved success with the Chi Chi!  And I think I might even like it better than a traditional Pina Colada because I may or may not have had too many Rum & Cokes back in my college days.  Run, don't walk and get yourself a Ninja Slushi Professional Frozen Drink Maker so you can cool off with a Chi Chi.

The Chi Chi - Pina Colada's delicious
little sister.

Garnish with whipped cream and a cherry
if desired.  Delicious but not necessary.

Apparently in Florida the correct garnish
is a fresh flower!

A beach, a book and a Miami Vice...

THE CHI CHI (Adapted for the Ninja Slushi Professional Frozen Drink Maker)

9 ounces Pineapple Juice
6 ounces Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut

2 ounces Vodka (Rum if you want a traditional Pina Colada)
6 ounces water

In a measuring cup whisk together pineapple juice, cream of coconut and vodka.  Pour into your Ninja Slushi Professional Frozen Drink Maker.  Add 6 ounces of water to the measuring cup and kind of rinse it out, adding to the drink maker.  Select the Spiked Slush setting and the highest setting (10 bars)

Enjoy once it is frozen! (Garnish with whipped cream and a cherry if desired - or if you're in Florida, apparently a fresh flower!)

Frozen Club Specials in the Ninja Slushi Professional Frozen Drink Maker

 Mr. Devilish Dish and I have been working quite a bit in our backyard this year.  We added some really cool cafe lights around our deck and a couple of fun flower beds (even one that is fishing themed!) Since we both enjoy fishing so much, we try to stay acclimated to the heat.  We spend a lot of time sitting on our patio.  We've created quite the little oasis, and sit out there in the evenings and watch TV or listen to music.  All of this made more enjoyable with a cold beverage.  For my birthday this year, I treated myself to the Ninja Slushi Professional Frozen Drink Maker.  It features 5 unique presets that use a RapidChill Technology to determine the perfect temperature for the ideal frozen drink.  Translation: It is not a blender, no ice is involved.  The results are the perfect textured frozen drinks that are not watered down.  They don't have to be adult beverages either, with settings for milkshakes and non-alcoholic slushes.  I've shared with you before that Oklahoma has a famous drink called the Club Special  It was invented at a golf course, and has grown in popularity, so much that you can pretty much order one anywhere around the state.  A few places even feature a Frozen Club Special, which is the more attractive older brother of a Club Special on the rocks.  The day we took our Ninja Slushi out of the box, we were determined to create our favorite cocktail in frozen form.  Success!  The Frozen Club Special is our favorite summer beverage on our patio. It is sweet and tart, from Sprite and citrus juices and so refreshing on a hot day.  

The Famous Oklahoma Club Special-
made even better in frozen form with the 
Ninja Slushi Professional Frozen Drink Maker.

The ideal patio beverage on a hot summer day!

FROZEN CLUB SPECIAL IN THE NINJA SLUSHI (MODEL FS301)

40oz Limeade (made from frozen concentrate)
7.5-8oz Sprite

4 oz vodka

4 oz club soda

1 oz fresh lime juice

1 oz fresh lemon juice

Combine ingredients and pour into the Ninja Slushi vessel.  We like to choose Setting 8 as anything higher tends to come out like a dry snow.  We also like to make the concentrate ahead of time and store in the refrigerator so we can have a frozen club special at a moments notice.  

Everything is so easy to assemble, operate and clean.  The folks at Ninja Slushi have so many videos and additional recipes at the Ninja Test Kitchen.

Copycat Hillstone Crisp Martini: AKA The Sauvy B Martini

As I mentioned in my Lemon Bars post, I had major hand surgery on New Year's Eve.  It was 12 weeks of down time and since it was also winter, there wasn't much to do.  Mr. Devilish and I spent a lot of time watching TV, specifically Bar Rescue re-runs, and trying new cocktail recipes.  We got some new cute cow print barstools, and I sat on them and imbibed while Mr. Devilish played pretend bartender.  I'd seen the video for this martini making the rounds on social media and it looked to delicious not to try.  I love the flavor of St. Germain, which is an elderflower liqueur, with a sweet, floral and herb flavor.  And I do like Sauvignon Blanc.  I've never been much of a gin drinker, but I saw this beautiful blue bottle of gin and couldn't resist.  Our weekly outings during the recouperation period were usually to the liquor store to stock our bar with new and interesting libations.  The resulting martini was delicious.  The flavors of the St. Germain and the gin really complement each other, and it all pairs perfectly with the citrus juice and rind.  And I'll never complain about topping anything off with a splash of Sauvignon Blanc.  Just like the name, this cocktail is cool and crisp and will definitely be made often this summer.

Here it is.  In all the crisp, refreshing 
deliciousness.  Will definitely be enjoyed
on the patio this summer.

I totally chose this because of the beautiful
bottle, but now I feel like a little bit of a 
gin drinker.  

Here is our very full bar.  Fun fact, this old 
"buffet" was a shoe display in Mr. DD's parents'
clothing store when he a little boy.  They let us 
have it when we got married.  It's never been used
like a buffet, it has always been our "bar" even when 
we didn't have much to put on it.  The storage below is 
ideal for our cocktail glasses and the drawers hold our 
bar tools.  We had it painted a few years ago.  It is a great
conversation piece for sure.

Copycat Hillstone Crisp Martini:  AKA The Sauvy B Martini

1.5 ounces Gin
1 ounce St. Germain liqueur
1/2 fresh lemon, juiced
1 ounce Sauvignon Blanc wine
Lime peel/twist for garnish

In a cocktail shaker with ice:  combine gin, St. Germain and lemon juice.  Shake and strain into a martini glass.  Top with Sauvignon Blanc and garnish with a lime peel.  

Miami Vice Cocktail

 Our town is famous for a couple of things.  Sooner Football and Swirls.  A swirl is a cocktail that consists of frozen sangria and frozen margarita "swirled" together.  Not only is it reminiscent of the Sooners team colors, it's also tasty and refreshing on a hot Oklahoma day.  A little less locally famous, but equally delicious is the Miami Vice.  It's a tropical concoction of frozen daiquiri and frozen pina colada swirled together for a fun presentation.  When I've enjoyed them out at local restaurants they are always served with a dollop of whipped cream.  Last weekend we had beautiful weather and spent the afternoon fishing.  We decided to enjoy the gorgeous Saturday evening on our patio and I was inspired to make the Miami Vice at home.  Authentic right down to the generous dollop of homemade whipped cream.  The only thing not authentic about it was my presentation.  I think I made my daiquiri and pina colada mixtures a little too thin as they didn't stay very separated in the glass.  They did taste amazing though.  Fast forward to this afternoon, another beautiful, very warm day.  Mr. Devilish Dish is busy with golf, and I had the afternoon off and decided to busy myself with plenty of backyard chores.  Lots of shrubs to trim and weeds to pull and herbs and vegetables to look after.  A big task to tackle by myself and when I finished I sat down on the patio to enjoy the weather and bask in the glow of the sun and my hard work.  The only thing missing was a chilly cocktail and then I remembered I had leftover daiquiri and pina colada in my freezer.  The concoctions never froze solid in the freezer, but they were scoopable with my ice cream scoop and it made the perfect consistency for Miami Vice presentation!  It's a super easy drink, using ready made cocktail mixers.  The extra effort of homemade whipped cream is totally worth it.  And trust me, you'll need that little garnish of creaminess on the top to cut through the tartness of the drink.  You don't need a beach to enjoy this drink.  Enjoy on your patio since summer is right around the corner.

Beat the heat and say a big HELLO to
Summer with a cool, refreshing
Miami Vice Cocktail.

Garnish your frozen concoction with
freshly whipped cream.  You'll want the
creaminess to cut the tart flavors a little bit.
It makes your cocktail look extra fancy too.
I even added some fresh mint from my
garden and a vintage swizzle stick.

Enjoy.  Whether you're in the tropics
or you just want to pretend from your patio...

MIAMI VICE COCKTAIL

1 recipe frozen strawberry daiquiri (I used the can of frozen concentrate and followed directions)
1 recipe frozen pina colada (I used the can of frozen concentrate and followed directions)
Rum - optional (follow mix directions for cocktail OR virgin version)
whipped cream for garnish

Prepare frozen strawberry daiquiri according to mix directions.  I used a can of frozen concentrate that included the can of frozen mix, a half can of rum and ice.  (I also used a very nice bottle of 15 year old Dominican Rum that may have been a little too nice for the concentrate, as my daiquiris and coladas were really strong.  Adjust the amount of rum as necessary or use water for a virgin cocktail.)  Separately, prepare frozen pina colada according to mix directions.  You want both of these mixtures to be pretty thick so they can stand up side by side in the cocktail glass.  If your mixtures are too thin, place in freezer safe containers and freeze for several hours or overnight.  When ready to serve, begin by scooping frozen pina colada into your glass that has been turned sideways.  Add frozen strawberry daiquiri beside the pina colada so that when your glass sits upright the frozen cocktails are side by side.  Garnish generously with freshly whipped cream. 

Grown-Up Cherry Limeades

Sonic-Drive In was founded in Shawnee, Oklahoma in 1953.  So cherry limeades were quintessential to my childhood.  Lots of high school nights were spend "cruising" around aimlessly with my friends only to wind up at the drive in for a cherry limeade drink.  I don't drink them that often as an adult, mainly because I survive on Diet Coke or water only, but they sure are tasty every once in a while.  Since we've been stuck at home with nothing to do, Mr. Devilish Dish and I have been working diligently in our backyard.  It's not a huge back yard, but it does have plenty of space for Ghirardelli "Elli" to run laps like shes a racing dog.  And there is a lovely deck where we like to sit in the evenings and enjoy an adult beverage while we watch said dog racing.  Along with yard work, our adult beverage consumption as increased and it has been kind of fun to come up with a different cocktail each weekend.  Last time we enjoyed the Birthday Weekend Cocktail invented by my friend Jenny featuring moscato wine, vanilla vodka and strawberry soda pop.  Also during the quarantine here in Oklahoma small towns, "cruising" has become a thing again.  Huge Facebook groups have formed and folks of all ages are social-distancing by driving around in their cars listening to music and visiting the drive-ins just like the old high school days.  We haven't done that yet, but I want to soon, so I can see all of the classic cars and motorcycles and basically feel like I'm in high school again.  As we were reminiscing about our high school days the topic of Cherry Limeades came up and I decided a Grown-Up Cherry Limeade would be the ideal patio beverage.  With Memorial Day weekend and cook outs coming up,  here's a blast from the past with an updated adult twist.  So take a spin in your classic car, come home and put on some 80's music and get on the patio with a Grown-Up Cherry Limeade drink.  

A childhood favorite gets an adult makeover!

Refreshing, nostalgic and patio ready 

You MUST get the Tillen FarmsMerry Maraschino Cherries.
They are so worth it and totally make the drink!

Have a safe and happy Memorial Day Weekend
and drink responsibly!

GROWN-UP CHERRY LIMEADES

4 ounces prepared limeade (I made a pitcher from concentrate)
4 ounces lemon-lime soda (I used Diet 7Up)
1 ounce vodka
1/2 ounce grenadine (I used the juice from the cherry jar instead and it's so good)
*Maraschino Cherries - You HAVE to get the Tillen Farms Merry Maraschino Cherries!
Lime wedges for garnish

In a glass, combine limeade, lemon-lime soda, vodka and grenadine.  Stir and add ice.  Garnish with cherries and lime wedges.

*NOTE: These are the absolute best Maraschino Cherries I've ever tasted and  I don't even like maraschino cherries :) you can use regular grenadine, but trust me, splurge on these cherries and use their juice in your cocktail instead.  It's so good.

Dr Pepper Cake

If you know me at all you know I'm addicted to Diet Coke.  If you know my friend and co-worker Sandy, then you know she is addicted to Diet Dr Pepper.  In fact the recycling bin at work consists of a mound of empty Diet Coke and Diet Dr Pepper cans because that's what we run on.  Last summer when she had surgery on her knee, I knew she would need a supply of Diet Dr Pepper to keep her running.  Now Sandy is a great cook and baker, so I'll admit I was a little embarrassed to take her a cake that consisted of 3-ingredients, but I was set on giving her a treat with a Dr Pepper theme.  As it turns out I was worried for nothing because the resulting cake was flavorful, moist and super delicious.  Especially served with ice cream or whipped cream.  Of course I couldn't stop there since I know from experience that knee surgery SUCKS, I had to add some suckers, powdered sugar garnish and a Diet Dr Pepper for decoration.  I'm happy to report that not only did this cake cheer Sandy up, but she is healthy and running on Diet Dr Pepper again! 

The perfect cake when you RUN on Dr Pepper!

Only 3 ingredients

Bake in a Bundt Pan and allow to cool.

Decorate with powdered sugar.

If you love a good pun like me and know from
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE how much knee surgery
sucks, garnish with some suckers!

A cake to brighten anyone's day!

If you love Dr Pepper, you might also enjoy my:
Dr Pepper Ice Cream
or
Dr Pepper Stew