March 2023

Delicious Halloween Cocktails


Bloody Geisha

1.5 oz TY KU Sake

Pinch of Wasabi

Dash of Soy Sauce

Squeeze of Lime

A perfect combination of heat and zest, this cocktail is sure to tantalize your taste buds. And with its all-natural ingredients, low-calorie count and refined flavor profile, the Bloody Geisha is the perfect cocktail to spice up your night of tricks and treats.

 

 

Pumpkin Martini

TY KU Sake

Vanilla Rum

Sugar Free Pumpkin Syrup

Whipped Cream

We all know fall is in full swing when you can get a Pumpkin Spice Latte or slice of pumpkin pie, so why not celebrate Halloween with a pumpkin-infused cocktail?

 

Caramel Appletini

TY KU Liqueur

Butterschott Schnapps

Caramel Candy Garnish

Garnish Green Apple Slice

Caramel apples are the ultimate autumn treat.  Try this spiked, liquid interpretation at your Halloween party!

 

 

Vampire Bite

1 1/2 oz. Vuqo Vodka

3/4 oz. Amaretto

3/4 oz. Malibu

2 oz. Pina Colada

1 cup crushed ice

Vampires are the coolest Halloween creatures so whether you’re dressing up as a character from Twilight, True Blood or the Vampire Diaries, this cocktail will be sure to satisfy your thirst.

 

 

http://www.pagedaily.com/halloween-cocktails/

Summer Sips: Low Calorie Cocktails

With the summer heat at an all-time high, why not cool off with some of these fruity cocktails? Margaritas and daiquiris are often loaded with sugar and unnecessary calories that leave you hungover or bloated, so we’ve searched for the best of the best low calorie, low sugar and low-carb drinks. Whether your poison is a mojito or sangria,  one of these is sure to tantalize your taste buds!

White Sangria
adapted from NYTimes.com

Combine fresh fruit and chilled wine to create a lighter version of traditional sangria, perfect for a hot summer afternoon.

1 small green pear or green apple
1 small navel orange
1 bottle cava, moscato d’Asti or other sparkling wine
1 3/4 cups apple juice
1 1/3 cups Cointreau
1 cup club soda

 

Slice fruit into thin bite-size pieces. Place in large pitcher. Pour in sparkling wine, apple juice and Cointreau. If possible, refrigerate an hour or two to draw out sweetness and floral aromas of fruit. Add club soda, and stir. Spoon some fruit pieces into glasses filled with ice, and pour.

Berry Dream
Created by The Cocktail Guru, Jonathan Pogash

Enjoy creamy drinks like pina coladas but are watching your calories? This drink perfectly blends coconut, berries and milk together with a fitting Acai-Blueberry vodka.

2 oz. Van Gogh Açai-Blueberry Vodka
1 scoop sugar-free raspberry sorbet
1 tsp. coconut cream
3 oz. skim milk

 

 

 

Add to blender and blend.  Pour into hurricane or tall glass.  Garnish with coconut flakes and fresh seasonal berries.

Low-Carb Cosmopolitan Cocktail
By Laura Dolson, About.com Guide: Low Carb Diets

Take a spin on the classic cosmo by making it with diet cranberry juice and fresh lime juice instead of that sugary bottled stuff!

1 jigger (1.5 oz or 3 tablespoons) Citron vodka or regular vodka
1 oz (2 tablespoons) diet cranberry juice (NOT “light” — it must say diet)
OR 2 teaspoons unsweetened cranberry juice and 2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon lime juice (fresh preferred)
2 to 3 drops orange extract
2 to 4 teaspoons sugar equivalent in artificial sweetener (to taste), liquid preferred

 

Put the ingredients in a cocktail shaker half-full of ice. Shake well. Taste for sweetness if using unsweetened cranberry juice, which is highly variable. You may need to add sweetener. Strain into a Martini glass. Garnish with a small lime wedge or curl of lime peel.

BLUE Skinny Lemonade

Lemonade has always been a summer staple, and Crystal Light has a portion of the sugar and calories as other mixes, so stir some up and add a splash of vodka to make this childhood drink more adult-friendly.

2 oz of Van Gogh BLUE Vodka
4 oz of Crystal Light Lemonade or Pink Lemonade (dissolve packet into water bottle before mixing)

 

 

 

Combine ingredients and shake vigorously in shaker with ice.  Strain into glass and enjoy!

Blueberry-Lime Margarita
From Eating Well, as seen in Fitness Magazine

Instead of making a margarita out of syrupy mix, take a cool approach by blending frozen blueberries and limeade for a unique refreshing drink.

 2 cups ice
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup blueberry nectar
1/4 cup seltzer
2 tablespoons frozen limeade
1 tablespoon lime juice
3 ounces tequila, optional
1 lime wedge, coarse salt

Combine ice, blueberries, blueberry nectar, seltzer, limeade, lime juice and tequila, if using, in a blender and blend until smooth. Rub rim of 2 glasses with lime wedge and dip in salt. Divide the margarita between the prepared glasses and serve.

Watermelon Gin Fizz
From Eating Well, as seen in Fitness Magazine

When you think of the summer, watermelon usually comes to mind. This delicious drink combines fresh watermelon with gin, lime juice and ginger ale for a sweet and sour cocktail.

5 cups diced watermelon, divided
6 ounces gin, divided
8 tablespoons lime juice, divided
1 1/3 cups ginger ale, divided
Lime wedges, for garnish

 

 

Freeze 1 cup watermelon for garnish. Puree the remaining 4 cups watermelon. Strain; divide the juice among 4 ice-filled glasses. Top each with 1 1/2 ounces gin, 2 tablespoons lime juice and 1/3 cup ginger ale. Garnish with the frozen watermelon and lime wedges.

Strawberry-Citrus Vodka Cocktail
as seen in Fitness Magazine

Made just like a mojito, this cocktail branches out from the original combination of rum, mint, lime juice and simple syrup to take on a fruitier approach. Made with strawberries, citrus vodka, lemon juice and mint, you still have some of the same flavors but with a sweet twist.

2 strawberries
1 sprig of mint
3/4 ounce light agave nectar, such as Wholesome Sweeteners
1 3/4 ounces citrus vodka
3/4 ounce lemon juice

 

 

In a shaker, muddle together mint and strawberries, then add the remaining ingredients. Shake vigorously with ice for 20 seconds. Pour entire contents of shaker into a tall glass. (Include all of the mint and strawberry pulp.)

Bombshell X
Created by Kevin Baker at the Isla Cantina in West Hollywood, California

This unique liquor is flavored with blood orange to be both sweet and tangy. By blending it with cucumber and grapes, you’re sure to have a fun drink that’s healthy at the same time.

2oz X-Rated Fusion Liqueur
2 slices of Peeled Cucumber
12 Red Seedless Grapes

 

 

 

Blend all ingredients with ice in a blender. Garnish with slices of cucumber.

Skinnygirl Margarita: A Toast to Summer

skinnygirl-margarita-bottle

From barbecues to lazy beach days, there are so many things that remind me of summer. As for cocktails, nothing says beach season quite like a frozen margarita. Enter Skinnygirl Margarita, Real Housewives star Bethenny Frankel’s latest commercial venture. I was offered a free taste at my local liquor store. Their marketing tactics worked—only 100 calories for this all-natural, preservative-free 4-oz. cocktail lightly sweetened with agave nectar. I also love that it saves me from breaking out the blender . . . more time at the beach!—Ariel Gononsky

Buy Skinnygirl Margarita at skinnygirlcocktails.com

How’s Your Drink?: Cocktails, Culture, and the Art of Drinking Well, $11.20

Hows-Your-Drink-Book-250  

How’s Your Drink?: Cocktails, Culture, and the Art of Drinking Well

Wall Street Journal columnist Eric Felton’s engaging exploration of cocktail culture and history.

Buy How’s Your Drink?: Cocktails, Culture, and the Art of Drinking Well, $11.20, at Amazon.com

The Modern Mixologist: Contemporary Classic Cocktails, $23.10

Modern-Mixology-Book-250  

The Modern Mixologist: Contemporary Classic Cocktails

As visually tasty as the cocktails themselves.

Buy The Modern Mixologist: Contemporary Classic Cocktails, $23.10, at Amazon.com

The Hour: A Cocktail Manifesto, $11.53

The-Hour-Book-250  

The Hour: A Cocktail Manifesto

This witty manifesto lays open how and why we drink.

Buy The Hour: A Cocktail Manifesto, $11.53, at Amazon.com