Because sometimes the best part of a date is the food...

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Red Wine Cooler with Carlo Rossi Burgandy

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One of my favorite cocktails that helps me hold on to summer is a Carlo Rossi Red Wine Cooler.

I’m probably opening myself up for judgment by saying this, but Carlo Rossi wine coolers have been dear to my heart since I was about 5 years old.  When I was little, whenever we would go camping, my parents and their friends would bring Carlo Rossi Burgundy, Orange Juice, and 7Up to make red wine coolers in Red Solo Cups.  I used to love the fruity smell of the drink, and because it had 7Up in it (which was a treat for me) I wanted to be old enough to drink one in the worst way.  Occasionally, I’d ask for sips of the cocktail, even as a wee one.  Now, before someone gets too angry at this post, I can tell you, my parents handled this like champs.  They made me my very own “mocktails.”  7Up and Orange Juice was my new “it” treat drink, and it made me feel special and like a grown up. (And on a parental note, it worked in place of wine coolers, mimosas and beer.)

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Grapefruit Martini – The Perfect Pink Valentine’s Drink

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I know I’ve said I’m a seasonal drinker.  But really, I have to say, vodka is my all-seasons alcohol.  And this Grapefruit Martini, while beautifully pink and perfect for today’s uber-sweet holiday, is a year-round libation for me.

We’ve been a vodka drinking family for an awfully long time.  And my “family,” I mean me and my mom.  With the exception of his “first sips” of almost every drink the two of us make or order, my dad an appreciator of all, but a connoisseur of beer.

An advantage of having a mom who enjoys vodka and who has amazing culinary skills, is that I am able to come across the most amazing martinis on any night that I want to go to my parents’ house and convince my mom to make me one of her works of art.  And in the winter, that usually means a citrus-y sweet and tart Grapefruit Martini.

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“Tahoe Snowdrop” Lemon White Chocolate Truffle Martini

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There’s a wonderful artisan chocolate shop here in Reno called”Dorinda’s Chocolates.”  They have seriously spoiled me to the point of not quite enjoying other, less wonderful, chocolate brands (of course, that doesn’t stop me really from still partaking in the other brands.  Lol).

One of my favorite truffles of theirs is a lemon raspberry chocolate truffle that, for some time, I have wanted to copy in a cocktail.  Last year, however, I had a really awful and wonderful lesson in culinary chemistry when trying to create this cocktail.  It turns out, lemon juice curdles the milk solids in white chocolate!  Who knew?!  Hahaha.  Apparently everyone…  But I digress.

This year, I still had not forgotten my goal to make a white chocolate lemon martini for the Christmas season.  And I thought I knew how to do it, but definitely took it on with more caution and experimentation this year than I did last year. I have to say, what has come out of it is nothing short of festive!  Of course, Dorinda, there’s nothing that is ever going to surpass your truffle, but I think with the help of Tahoe Blue Vodka and DoTerra Essential Oils, we came really close. (The recipe below is just for one cocktail so if you’re sharing, multiply as needed.)

"Tahoe Snowdrop" Lemon White Chocolate Truffle Martini
 
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Serves: 1 Cocktail
Ingredients
  • 2 Shots Tahoe Blue Vodka (This is seriously the only vodka I drink anymore... Visit their site at http://www.tahoebluevodka.com/our-story/ to see their story.)
  • 1 Shot Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur
  • 2 Drops Lemon DoTerra Essential Oil (if you don't use DoTerra PLEASE make sure to buy the highest quality oils which are formulated for human consumption--not all of them are safe to ingest.)
  • ½ tsp. Raspberry Jam Simple Syrup (Combine ¼ Cup Seedless Raspberry Jam with ½ Cup Water; Whisk together; Boil down until you get a syrup-y consistency)
Instructions
  1. Combine the first three ingredients in a martini shaker with a few ice cubes and shake.
  2. Pour the raspberry syrup in the glass to settle at the bottom or to decorate the glass (you can also add it to the shaker with everything else if you prefer).
  3. Pour the drink in glasses.
  4. Enjoy!

Tahoe Blue Watermelon Cooler

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Happy Monday!  Admittedly, Mondays are not my favorite days–especially in summer when there are so many fun things to do on the weekends.  But if there’s one thing I’ve learned studying “attractive” living, you don’t want to wish away your life.  So nowadays, rather than wishing away “The Mondays,” I’d way rather do whatever I can to make them bearable and even wonderful.  One of my favorite ways of doing that this summer has been with the Tahoe Blue Watermelon Cooler.

Blossom’s BiFF and his kids have come over on Mondays and Tuesdays lots this summer to swim, BBQ, play, watch movies on my new outdoor projecting screen, and of course, to eat and drink.  This new drink came about when we had a bowl of cut-up watermelon that was clearly going to be on its way out soon.  None of us wanted to continue eating even MORE watermelon than we’d already consumed, and because BB is really good about preventing waste for all of us, the remaining watermelon ended up in the Ninja.  After realizing the flavor was light but still off the charts, we mixed it with some homemade soda water out of the Soda Stream, and some Tahoe Blue Vodka.  After adding a sprig of homegrown mint and a squeeze of lime, I think both of us realized we’d landed on something pretty special.

So soak up as much summer as possible.  Avoid the tendency to live weekend to weekend and make every day of these long, warm weeks count by creating special routines and ceremonies that make life worth soaking up with the sun.

Happy Summer and Happy Sipping!

Tahoe Blue Watermelon Cooler
 
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Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • ⅓ Cup Fresh Watermelon Juice
  • 1½ Shots Tahoe Blue Vodka
  • 1 Shot Organic Lemonade
  • Soda
  • Lime Wedge
  • Mint Sprig
Instructions
  1. Put ice in the glass.
  2. Rim the glass with Lime and squeeze the rest of the juice over the ice.
  3. Pour in the Watermelon Juice and Tahoe Blue Vodka.
  4. Fill the remainder of the glass with soda, to taste.
  5. Float the cocktail with Lemonade.
  6. Twist the mint and garnish.

 

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