I love what cucumbers do to cocktails. They are so refreshing and offer a delightful flavor that works well with most liquors. This concoction is super easy and could pretty much be substituted with any spirit. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

   ~1 1/2 shots of top-shelf vodka (or your favorite type of liquor)

   ~Heavy splash of homemade cucumber sweet n’ sour (directions below)

   ~Juice from 1/2 lime

   ~Splash of soda

*Add all ingredients in martini shaker with ice, give a good shake and strain. Also can be served on the rocks.

Homemade Cucumber Sweet n’ Sour

Ingredients:

~1 cup simple syrup (plain)

~1 cup of bottled lemon juice

~2-4 cucumbers peeled and pureed

*Add ingredients together and refrigerate

-XOXO Melissa

Photo by Tim Halberg

I love what citrus fruit does to a cocktail…it makes it fresh and has just the right acidity to take away some of the alcohol kick. I decided to use tangelos which were in season at the time, but the most exciting and delicious part is the homemade candied tangelo rind for garnish.

Ingredients:

   ~1 1/2 shots of top shelf gin (or vodka)

~1/2 of a tangelo rind

~Juice from half  of a tangelo

~Juice from half of a lime

~Tonic

~Candied Tangelo rind for garnish (directions below)

*Tear tangelo rind into semi-small pieces and muddle in glass to extract the natural oils in the rind, add gin/vodka, tangelo juice, lime juice, and fill with tonic. Served on the rocks.

Candied Tangelo Rind Garnish

Ingredients:

~1 cup of simple syrup

~1/2-1 inch strips of peeled tangelo rind

~Around a cup of cane sugar on plate

*Bring simple syrup to a boil, drop tangelo rind in pot, cover, and take off heat. Let sit covered for an hour or so. Remove rinds and roll around in sugar while still wet. Let them sit out to dry over night. After they are dried, roll around in sugar a second time. Vwala!

-XOXO Melissa

Photo By: Tim Halberg

Moscow Mules have become the new “it drink” and ironically, many people have no idea what’s in them. With a punch of fresh ginger and citrus, these libations are refreshing and super easy to make…plus they’ll make you feel uber trendy Cheers!

Ingredients:

   ~1 1/2 shots of top shelf vodka or gin

   ~Juice from half of a lime

   ~2 thin, peeled ginger slices

   ~Splash of Soda

   ~Ginger Beer

*Crush and muddle ginger slices with lime juice, add ice, vodka, soda, and fill with ginger beer. Serve in a traditional copper tin mug or opt for a footed copper goblet as shown above.

-XOXO Melissa

Photo By: Tim Halberg

This cocktail is for all of you tequila drinkers who feel left out when all of your girlfriends are sipping on their fancy vodka martinis. Kelly was my inspiration for this drink because she does not like vodka or gin and I wanted to make her a yummy martini. I’ve never understood why no martini recipes out there ever contain tequila, when it tastes so delicious! This concoction is definitely one of my absolute favorites because it’s so different. Try it and tell us what you think….

Ingredients:

   ~ 2 shots of top-shelf silver tequila

   ~Small splash of triple sec

~Heavy splash of watermelon sweet n’ sour (directions below)

~Lime wedge squeeze

~Splash of sprite

*Add all ingredients over ice and give a good shake, strain, and serve! I like a salted rim but you could always do a sugar rim if you like it sweet.

Homemade watermelon sweet n’ sour

Ingredients:

~1 cup simple syrup (plain)

~1 cup of bottled lemon juice

~1/2 of a regular sized seedless watermelon pureed

*Add ingredients together and refrigerate

-XOXO Melissa

Photo by Tim Halberg

This concoction is by far the easiest and cheapest drink in my reportour…and it is so delicious! If you’re in a hurry and want to make something pretty and tasty but don’t have much time, counter space, or money, this recipe will be a recurring phenomenon. My friends and I make it all the time when we want to impress others with a seemingly fancy shmancy drink. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

   ~1 1/2 shots of blueberry flavored vodka

   ~Fresh lemonade

   ~Fresh blueberries

*Add all ingredients together and serve over ice. Note: When in a pinch, I’ve used store-bought lemonade and it is still absolutely delicious!

-XOXO Melissa

Photo by: Tim Halberg

Mmm…I love a good Daiquiri. They’re so tasty and they scream summer time. Personally, I’m not a fan of blended cocktails (I think it makes them taste watered down) so this daiquiri is untraditional as it in not blended (it could be if you wanted to). Go out there and get yourself a fun, tropical-looking glass and make this yummy treat at home.

Ingredients:

~1 1/2 shots of rosemary-infused Bacardi Superior Rum(let sit overnight in air-tight container and strain)

~Handful of sliced fresh strawberries

~Lime wedge

~Small splash of soda

~Homemade sweet n’ sour (directions below)

*Muddle in glass lime wedge (to extract oils from rind) and strawberries–another option is to puree them in the blender before hand. Add infused rum, soda, and sweet n’ sour. Give a good shake and serve on the rocks (or blended if preferred)

Homemade sweet n’ sour

Ingredients:

~Equal parts simple syrup and lemon juice

*Add ingredients together and refrigerate

-XOXO Melissa

Photo by the talented Tim Halberg

Who doesn’t love a good ol’ shirley temple?! This adult version is absolutely delicious and is sure to be a crowd pleaser. I decided to use fresh cherries because I didn’t want it to be too sweet and the vanilla gives it a wonderful, subtle flavor.

Ingredients:

~1 1/2 shots of vanilla flavored vodka

~Fresh, pitted cherries

~1/2 vanilla bean scraped

~Drop of grenadine (depending on sweetness preference)

~Sprite

*Muddle cherries in glass until fully smashed, add vodka, vanilla bean, sprite, and grenadine. Served shaken on the rocks. If you want a more traditional shirley temple, you can use maraschino cherries.

-XOXO Melissa

Photo by Tim Halberg

This spin off a basic gin and tonic is truly delightful with the subtle addition of thyme. While this cocktail doesn’t discriminate, men particularly love it in my own personal experience. You can pretty much substitute any herb and it’s still scrumptious. Cheers!

Ingredients:

» 1 1/2 shots of top shelf gin (could substitute with vodka)

» Splash of thyme-infused simple syrup (directions below)

» Small splash of triple sec

» Juice from 1/2 lime

» Fill with with soda

*Add all ingredients and serve on the rocks. Note: you can use tonic instead of soda but with the added simple syrup, it will be much sweeter

Ingredients:

» Equal parts boiling water and sugar

» Fresh thyme

*Add sugar to boiling water. After dissolved, place fresh thyme (stems and all) in simple syrup and let sit overnight. Strain before using.

-XOXO Melissa

Photo by Tim Halberg

Since I’m assisting Kelly with the decor for this weekend’s peach-inspired wedding, I thought it was fitting for this delicious cocktail. While it can be some-what dangerous how unbelievably tasty it is, it’s a sneaky little sucker so be aware that there is alcohol in it (even though you can hardly taste it). This is one of my go-to cocktails while lounging around the pool.

Ingredients:

~1 1/2 shots of Sweat Tea Vodka

~1 lemon wedge

~Small splash of homemade sweet n’ sour (directions below)

~Heavy splash of peach juice (canned is fine)

~Soda

*Muddle lemon wedge in glass to extract oils from the rind, add ice, vodka, sweet n’ sour, peach juice, and fill with soda. Stir and garnish with a lemon wedge.

*Note: you could always substitute lemonade for the sweet n’ sour and soda

Homemade sweet n’ sour

Ingredients:

~Equal parts simple syrup and lemon juice

*Add ingredients together and refrigerate

-XOXO Melissa

Photo by the talented Tim Halberg

With the beautiful weather lately, an ice-cold margarita truly hits the spot. But we don’t make your average, boring margarita-No No No. This refreshing libation with a kick is beautiful and sure to impress your guests on a hot summer day.

Ingredients:

» 1 1/2 shot of clear tequila

» Small splash of Triple Sec

» 1  lime wedge

» Juice from half a lime

» Small splash of soda

» Cucumber sweet n’ sour (directions below)

» Cayenne Pepper (to taste)

*Muddle lime wedge (extract oils from lime rind) and add tequila, triple sec, lime juice, splash of soda, and fill with cucumber sweet n’ sour. Depending on how spicy you want your margarita, add a few sprinkles of cayenne pepper and shake with ice. Serve on the rocks and garnish with a few slices of red habanero and cucumber sphere.

Homemade cucumber sweet n’ sour

Ingredients:

• 1 cup simple syrup (plain)
• 1 cup of bottled lemon juice
• 2-4 cucumbers peeled and pureed

*Add ingredients together and refrigerate

-XOXO Melissa

Photo by Tim Halberg

I’m looking forward to a relaxing holiday weekend and hitting up the beach.

We’ll be grilling on the fourth and I’m thinking sliders and lemon basil margaritas… What are you holiday plans?

Photos by Beaux Arts Photographie. Food by Duo Events.

Ginger has become the new trend in cocktails. FRESH ginger sets this mojito off and is simply divine. Wait until you try it.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 shot of Bacardi Superior Rum (or any other clear rum)
• Splash of simple syrup
• Small handful of fresh mint leaves
• 2 thin ginger slices (rinsed and peeled)
• 1 Lime wedge
• Splash of sprite
• Soda

*Muddle together ginger, mint, and lime wedge (extract oils from rind) with the simple syrup. Add rum, sprite, and fill the rest with soda. Shake and serve on the rocks with a ginger sphere for garnish.

-XOXO Melissa

Photo by Tim Halberg

Easy. Yummy. Simple. This cocktail is the perfect Father’s Day treat.

Ingredients:

»      Top shelf vodka or gin

»      Small handful of blackberries

»      Lime wedge

»      Juice from 1 lime

»      1 tsp of powdered sugar (or more to taste)

*Muddle blackberries with lime wedge (extract oils from the rind) and add the rest of the ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake well until powdered sugar is dissolved. Strain and serve.

Note: This cocktail is also delicious on the rocks and can be substituted with any other type of berry.

-XOXO Melissa

Photo by Tim Halberg

This spin on a classic margarita will knock your socks off and was Kelly’s absolute favorite. It’s so easy to make at home and seems so fancy. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

»      1 shot of tequila (preferably silver, but gold works as well)

»      ½ shot of Amaretto almond liquor

»      Fresh basil

»      Lemon wedge

»      Heavy splash of homemade sweet n’ sour (directions below)

»      Small splash of soda

*Muddle basil in glass with chopped lemon wedge (extract oils from the rind). Add ice and the rest of the ingredients and voila!

Homemade Sweet n’ Sour Ingredients:

»      Equal parts simple syrup and lemon juice

*Add ingredients together and refrigerate

Photo by Tim Halberg

Today I’m super excited to introduce Melissa’s new column, On the Rocks. As she mentioned yesterday, she loves fabulous cocktails and she’s darn good at making them too. We had a little party a few weeks ago with some vendor friends to make sure these drinks are just as tasty as the are pretty. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ shots of citrus vodka
• Splash of lavender-infused simple syrup (directions below)
• Heavy splash of home-made sweet n’ sour (directions below)
• Splash of Lemoncello (optional)
• Squeeze of fresh lemon wedge
• Lavender tinted sugar rim

*Served shaken and up in a martini glass (can also be served on the rocks)

Lavender-infused simple syrup

Ingredients:

• Equal parts boiling water and sugar
• Fresh lavender

*Add sugar to boiling water. After dissolved, place fresh lavender in simple syrup and let sit overnight. Strain before using.

Homemade sweet n’ sour

Ingredients:

• Equal parts simple syrup (plain) and lemon juice

*Add ingredients together and refrigerate

Photo by uber lovely Tim Halberg