{Thirsty Thursday} Bloody Mary Cocktails

Happy Thirsty Thursday , my friends! 

Although it's Spring Break for many...in Northwest Arkansas it's still 30 degrees & gloomy with the occasional flurry of snowflakes. But today I'm ignoring the cold & dreary forecast & dreaming of sunshine on my face, a soft breeze in my hair & the relaxing sounds of live music on a patio. And what's a beautiful Spring day without an ice cold adult beverage in your hand?!?

 

This is by far one of my favorite cocktails to whip up on a warm sunny day. It's refreshing, delicious & basically a savory meal in a glass. And with the addition of my favorite yummy twist...sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Without further ado...join me in DREAMland, pull up a chair, kick off your flip flops, turn up the tunes & enjoy my all-time favorite version of a classic...

The Cucumber Bloody Mary  

Ingredients:

4 cups Spicy V8 Tomato Juice (or a pre-made Bloody Mary Mix, such as Zing-Zang)

1/3- 1/2 cup Olive Juice (to taste) 

1/2 Tbs horseradish

1 Tbs Tabasco (if you like it Hot Hot Hot)

1 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 Tsp Celery Salt

Course Sea Salt

Cajun Seasoning

Cucumber Infused Vodka

Veggies for garnish (Olives, Celery, Pickled Okra, Dill Pickle Spear, Pickled Green Bean, Lime)

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Directions:

In a large glass serving pitcher, combine all ingredients, except vodka and veggies

Mix well

Refrigerate, at least 1 hour

Before serving, cut limes in wedges

Rim each glass with juice of a lime wedge

Dip rim of each glass in a mixture of sea salt & Cajun seasoning

Fill cocktail glasses with ice & add 2 ounces of Cucumber Infused Vodka

Top off each glass with the Bloody Mary mixture

Stir well

Garnish with your fav Bloody Mary veggies

*I like my Bloody Marys a little on the SPICY side...but you can easily tame down your Mary by eliminating the Tabasco or going with a traditional V8 or Bloody Mary Mix*

Trust me when I say, if you have never tasted a Cucumber Bloody, you are in for a taste bud awakening treat! Try it...you'll thank me later ,) 

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Party Food/Drinks Contributor: Cineca Newburn

 



Cineca is a mommy, wife, lover of music and traveling, and a self-proclaimed food junkie. When not experimenting with new recipes, watching cooking shows, and building tent forts, she’s a busy wedding and event planner. 

You can follow Cineca
 website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest  

SIPS :: St. Patty's Day Shamrock-a-Tini

     

Hello everyone . . .. it's time for COCKTAILS WITH CINECA!

St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner & I couldn't be more excited! I pull out my 'Kiss Me I'm Irish' t-shirt, watch Boondock Saints (for the 777th time) and get my annual 4 leaf clover tattoo in memory of my little brother. It may not be the way everyone celebrates St. Patty's Day, but it's my tradition...and I love it!

I'll admit, I also attempt to catch that silly leprechaun. I've never found his pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but I may have found something better. A deliciously green St. Patty's Cocktail...  

The Shamrock-a-Tini
Ingredients:
4 ounces good Vodka (Skyy, Ketel One or Grey Goose)
2 ounces Apple Pucker
2 ounces Midori Liqueur
Maraschino cherries, for garnish

Directions:
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice
Add Vodka, Pucker & Midori
Shake, Shake, Shake Your Money Maker
Pour into two chilled martini glasses
Garnish with a maraschino cherry 

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day, my friends! Cheers to a year full of Luck O' The Irish! 

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Guest Contributor: Cineca Keck

 

Cineca is a mommy, lover of music and traveling, and a self-proclaimed food junkie. When not experimenting with new recipes, watching cooking shows, and building tent forts, she’s a busy wedding and event planner. 

You can follow Cineca
 website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

{Thirsty Thursday} Martinis: Chocolate Covered Cherry

Cineca here & Valentine's Day is one of my FAVORITE holidays!

My sweetie & I are total cheese-balls & we LOVE to celebrate the day of LOVE!

We have a 4 year old, so Valentine's Day is usually spent at home. This year, I plan to put the munchkin to bed early and enjoy a romantic night in front of the fire with my hubs. I'll stock up on our favorite snacks & whip up a few of these decadent & delicious desserts in a glass!

{Chocolate Covered Cherry Martinis}

Trust me when I tell you...they are AMAZING... and will definitely get you in the mood for LOVE ,) HeeHee

Ingredients:
3 ounces cherry vodka
3 ounces chocolate vodka
2 ounces crème de cacao
3 ounces half & half
Chocolate syrup to drizzle
Maraschino cherries in the juice

Directions:
Drizzle chocolate syrup around the inside of two chilled martini glasses 
 Add a splash of maraschino cherry juice to the bottom of each glass
Add cherry vodka, chocolate vodka, crème de cacao and
half & half into a martini shaker filled with ice
Shake, Shake, Shake
Strain into martini glasses

Garnish with maraschino cherries & enjoy

Happy day of LOVE xoxo

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Party Food/Drinks Contributor: Cineca Newburn

 

Cineca is a mommy, wife, lover of music and traveling, and a self-proclaimed food junkie. When not experimenting with new recipes, watching cooking shows, and building tent forts, she’s a busy wedding and event planner. 

You can follow Cineca
 website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

{Thirsty Thursday} Cocktail Shots with the B-day Girl

  

During the hustle & bustle of the holidays, we tend to overextend ourselves,

volunteer too much, overdo & never say no. However, every now and then, it's important

to take off our 'Mommy' hats and just relax.

Relax...haha! I know that's a foreign concept for some of us. 

Between kiddos, husbands, work, school, dinner, etsy shops, clients, holiday parties 

& life...many of us forget to stop and take a little time for ourselves.

But trust me...we ALL need to relax a little! And what better way to recharge the

batteries, rejuvenate our minds & revive our spirits than with some quality time

with our girlfriends or husbands...without the munchkins?!?

When I begin to feel overwhelmed, I love to get together with friends,

have a fun girl's night out or just a quiet night at home with my hubby. And a

good cocktail never hurts!

Today's Thirsty Thursday cocktail is a shot. One of my favorite local

bartenders introduced me to this shot a few weeks ago...and two was all

I could handle LOL

It actually has another name...but it's not very appropriate ,) So I renamed it & used
it as a Signature Cocktail at a Black & White Christmas Party last weekend.

It's very yummy...very strong...and tastes just like Dr. Pepper.

So BEWARE!!

{The Black Dahlia}

Ingredients:

Amaretto

Razzmatazz

Vodka (a good quality vodka)

Sweet & Sour

Coca-Cola

Sugar to rim the shot glasses (optional)



Directions:

Fill a shaker with ice

Add equal parts of each alcohol

(2 ounces of each, for example)

Top with equal splashes of Sweet & Sour and Coca-Cola

Shake...Shake...Shake...

Pour into sugar rimmed shot glasses...and ENJOY!

{Photos by Echoing Pixels}

Pour...Enjoy...Repeat

   
{p.s.} this is Laura, interrupting this post to make sure you KNEW it was Cineca's Birthday TODAY! Go wish her a Happy Birthday! =)

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Party Food/Drinks Contributor: Cineca Newburn

 


Cineca is a mommy, wife, lover of music and traveling, and a self-proclaimed food junkie. When not experimenting with new recipes, watching cooking shows, and building tent forts, she’s a busy wedding and event planner. 

You can follow Cineca
 website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

SIPS :: Raspberry Champagne Cocktail

Happy Happy 2nd Birthday to my friend, Laura, and her amazing design

business, Eye Candy Creative Studio.

I have had the pleasure of working with Laura many times. She has designed

countless printable collections for my personal & client parties, recently redesigned my blog, and was one of the co-hosts at the Party Girls Rock Memphis event with me last November. {That was one seriously awesome party girl meet-up!}

Laura's creativity and talent never cease to amaze me! She has more drive and determination than anyone else that I know.

And I'm proud to call her my friend! 

To celebrate her 2nd year in business...I'm enjoying a cocktail in her honor.

And lucky for you...I'm sharing the recipe! Woop Woop! 

~ Raspberry Champagne Cocktail ~

Ingredients:

1 Bottle Champagne

1 2-Liter Ginger Ale, chilled

2 Cups Raspberry Liqueur

1 Bag Frozen Raspberries

Directions:

In a large pitcher or punch bowl, combine all ingredients

Stir gently

Serve in champagne flutes

Pour...Enjoy...Repeat



Party Food/Drinks Contributor: Cineca Keck

 

Cineca is a mommy, lover of music and traveling, and a self-proclaimed food junkie. When not experimenting with new recipes, watching cooking shows, and building tent forts, she’s a busy wedding and event planner. 

You can follow Cineca
 Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest



SIPS :: THE Perfect Shower Punch Recipe

Happy day, friends!

Today I'm throwing you all for a loop...

this week's recipe is delicious...and contains NO Alcohol {GASP}

I know, I know...but have no fear. You could easily give this Punch a kick

by adding your favorite alcohol. I think it would be yummy with a little

champagne or rum ,)

I used this particular punch recipe at a recent PINK & GREEN Lil Ladybug Baby Shower.

It was the perfect shade of lime green & it was so delicious & easy!

Ingredients:

1 Package Lemon-Lime Kool-Aid

4 Cups Cold Water

2 1/2 Cups Pineapple Juice (chilled)

1- 2 Liter Bottle of Ginger Ale (chilled)

3/4 Cup Sugar

1 Can Pineapple Rings

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a large serving pitcher/ punch bowl

Mix well

Float pineapple rings for garnish

*Add Coconut Rum for an adult kick*

Pour...Enjoy...Repeat!! 



   

Guest Contributor: Cineca Keck

 

Cineca is a mommy,lover of music and traveling, and a self-proclaimed food junkie. When not experimenting with new recipes, watching cooking shows, and building tent forts, she’s a busy wedding and event planner. 

You can follow Cineca
 Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

 

SIPS :: Peach-Mango Island Punch

Helloooooo it's Cineca and I decided to ask my Facebook

friends what kind of cocktail they wanted. Their answers were overwhelming... RUM!

I love rum and I love fruit...so I wanted to make a simply, yet refreshing fruity cocktail that would work perfectly at an afternoon brunch, an adult shower, or simply sitting on the patio watching the sun go down.

Luckily, I had the ingredients on hand, already in the fridge, I whipped up a light & delicious rum punch...which I enjoyed on the patio :)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 ounces Light Rum

1 1/2 ounces Mango Rum

1 1/2  ounces Peach Schnapps

Orange Juice

Pineapple Juice

Grenadine

1 Peach, for garnish

Directions:

Fill a shaker with ice

Add rum, schnapps, equal parts orange juice & pineapple juice, and 1 tablespoon of grenadine 

Shake Shake Shake

Pour into a cocktail glass

Add diced peaches and garnish with a peach slice  

P.S...the diced peaches are delicious after soaking in your cocktail ,)

Pour...Enjoy...Repeat



   

Guest Contributor: Cineca Keck

 

Cineca is a mommy, lover of music and traveling, and a self-proclaimed food junkie. When not experimenting with new recipes, watching cooking shows, and building tent forts, she’s a busy wedding and event planner. 

You can follow Cineca
Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

SIPS :: Lemon Drop Martinis

      Hey . . .it's Cineca! 

I LOVE Darcy Miller from Martha Stewart Weddings, and I couldn't have been more excited when Laura had the chance to chat with her last week.

{Don't miss Laura's interview with Darcy...}

Darcy debuted her new party line, Summer Daisy Party, this week on OpenSky.

As I browsed through the bright & fun Daisy themed goodies...I found myself thinking,

"Self, a refreshing, lemony cocktail would pair perfectly with this party!"

This delicious Lemon Drop Martini adds the perfect adult kick to such an adorable

Summer party! Pour...Enjoy...Repeat!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz vodka (I prefer Grey Goose or Skyy)
1/2 oz Triple Sec
1 tsp sugar 
3/4 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice (reserve lemon for garnish)

Ice cubes
Sugar to rim glass

Directions:

Fill a shaker with ice

Add vodka, triple sec, sugar and lemon juice

Shake well to make sure sugar is blended.

Pour strained liquor into a sugar-rimmed martini glass

Garnish with a twisted peel of lemon.

*To create a sugar-rimmed glass, take a lemon wedge and rub the drinking surface of the glass so it is barely moist. Dip the edge of the glass into sugar

 Guest Contributor: Cineca Keck

 

Cineca is a mommy, lover of music and traveling, and a self-proclaimed food junkie. When not experimenting with new recipes, watching cooking shows, and building tent forts, she’s a busy wedding and event planner. 

You can follow Cineca

 Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest