cocktails Archives - Cupcakes and Cutlery

Grapefruit Hibiscus Vodka Soda Cocktail

February 13, 2015 by Sharon Garofalow Leave a Comment

I usually don’t like using odd ingredients. I won’t even make a recipe if it requires some off the wall thing that I’ve never seen at the store. But there is one exception to this rule. Cocktails. I LOVE using unique ingredients in cocktail recipes. So when I saw this Hibiscus Liqueur I knew I had to try it. I also knew that it wouldn’t be overly sweet and would have a bit of an herbal note, which are two of my favorite qualities in cocktails. And grapefruit juice. I’ve grown to love it. So I knew it would be the right pairing to create a Grapefruit Hibiscus Vodka Soda Cocktail.

Plus I really like the branding on the liqueur bottle. And even though using the label has never lead me to a good wine, which I always hope it will, I decided to give this a shot anyway. This time, I was not disappointed. All the other ingredients are straightforward and fresh. It’s almost ridiculous how simple this cocktail is to make.

Squeeze your fresh juices (grapefruit and lime – if you don’t have fresh grapefruits use Trader Joe’s grapefruit juice. It’s my fave) in to a shaker. Add your vodka, hibiscus liqueur and agave syrup. Shake, shake, shake it up. With ice.

And here is where my crazy comes out. Usually I would strain this into a glass with ice. But on this day, I didn’t like how my ice looked…The drink is chilled from shaking it with ice so it really doesn’t need more, but if you’d like to drink this over ice, please be my guest. Top with soda.

This just opened up a whole new world for me. I think I’m just going to add this to all my favorite cocktails. The deep color adds a nice tone to the cocktail. And it adds flavor without being BAM, in your face.

I know it’s still winter. Although today was 75 degrees (California, I don’t hate you). But fresh citrus makes it taste like summer in your glass no matter what time of year you use it.

So simple. Pretty. Delicious. Make these.

Grapefruit Hibiscus Vodka Soda Cocktail

This super simple cocktail recipe has a fun twist of an unusual liqueur.

Recipe type: Cocktail

Ingredients

1 oz. grapefruit juice (fresh squeezed or Trader Joe's)
½ oz. lime juice (fresh squeezed)
1 oz. vodka (or more if you like it on the strong side)
½ oz. Hibiscus Liqueur
½ oz. agave syrup
2 oz. club soda

Instructions

To a cocktail shaker add grapefruit juice, lime juice, vodka, hibiscus liqueur, and agave syrup.
Add ice to cocktail shaker and shake you heart out.
Strain in to a low ball glass (with or without ice).
Top with soda water.
Drink up.

Filed Under: Drinks, Recipes Tagged With: cocktail recipes, cocktails, Grapefruit Cocktail, Grapefruit Hibiscus Vodka Soda Cocktail

Best Champagne Punch Recipe

January 19, 2015 by Sharon Garofalow 2 Comments

This is the best champagne punch recipe. The only one you’ll ever need. It is my family’s go-to celebratory recipe and we’ve been serving it for years. But if you get the chance you really should serve it to your friends out in the middle of the desert. All images via Tammy Mendoza.

Since we were headed out to Palm Springs to shoot some new head shots, we thought it would be fun if we shot a recipe post while we were out there. This is the type of stuff that is so fun for a creative person. So often I have these big ideas in my head but the logistics to pull them off are a little bit too much for one person, or on account of family time constraints. I was SO excited to be able to sneak away with Tammy and Lauren and get to do something totally different.

We found this gorgeous little spot to set up in and got the bottles popping.

And then started assembling the ingredients. This punch is pretty citrus-y so its refreshing and flavorful.

What I love about champagne punch is that it works well for a crowd and because of all the other ingredients, you don’t need to splurge on the good bubbly. A super cheap bottle is perfect. And since this is SO yummy, you will need to make several batches. Know that going in and have several batches prepped ahead of time.

Usually the garnish is some citrus slices. If you want to get crazy, you can add fresh raspberries. The pop of pink is a really fun touch. And edible flowers would be even more lovely.

Although this is a punch and your natural instinct might be to run towards your standard punch bowl, you should change things up a bit. I like to serve this Here I decided to use a vase to serve the punch in.

I love to use things for something other than their intended purpose.

But if that’s not your jam, simply make several batches and serve them in mismatched glass jars. Empty wine bottles are perfect for this. And this is a great way to make sure that all your guests can get their beverage quickly without having to wait for the ladle.

How gorgeous is this?! It really makes me want to throw a whole desert party.

Best Champagne Punch Recipe

Best champagne punch recipe. Citrusy and refreshing, this punch is perfect for all your festive gatherings.

Serves: 3 quarts

Ingredients

1 can (46 oz.) Pineapple Juice (cold)
1 bottle (28 oz.0 Club Soda (cold)
1 can (6 oz.) Frozen OJ Concentrate (thawed)
1 bottle Champagne or Sparkling Wine (chilled)
1 lemon or lime, finely sliced for garnish
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Combine all ingredients, stir and serve.
Garnish with a slice of fresh lemon or lime.
Can be made the night before but wait to add the club soda and champagne until ready to serve.
Should at least plan to double or triple the recipe. It is a crowd pleaser.

All images by Tammy Mendoza of Dez and Tam Photography

*I did not create this recipe. Years ago, before blogs and Pinterest, when you found a recipe you liked, you wrote it down and emailed it to all your friends and family. The source for this recipe is long gone. If you know the source, please share! I like to credit when credit is due!

Filed Under: Drinks, Recipes Tagged With: champagne, Champagne Punch, cocktails, entertaining, Palm Springs

Weekend in Palm Springs : 2 #campmixalot

September 9, 2014 by Sharon Garofalow 2 Comments

Day 2 of #campmixalot is here!! Now I know what you are thinking, Sharon – day 1 had a lot of cocktails…And you are correct. I was pretty slow the morning of day 2. But there was too much planned for the day so I grabbed another RESQ WATER and got moving. And coffee. Lots of coffee.

If you missed yesterdays post, I am recapping the creative retreat weekend in Palm Springs that Lauren and I plan every year. This year’s took place in the beginning of August and was cocktail themed. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business of Blogging, Travel Tagged With: cocktails, Creative Retreat, Girls Weekend in Palm Springs, Palm Springs, Private Chef

Cocktail Recipes with Sauvignon Blanc

August 5, 2014 by Sharon Garofalow 2 Comments

*One Hope Wine sent me wine to use in this post. Which is super awesome so I could spend money on taking my kids somewhere fun instead of buying the wine I needed to produce this series. That’s rad.

If you missed yesterday, then you don’t know that I am in day 2 of Wine Cocktails Week. Yesterday was red wine based cocktail recipes. It had to be done. I couldn’t cram all these delicious cocktail recipes, featuring wine, in to one post. And so we have a full week of them! Sauvignon Blanc is my favorite wine. So I couldn’t wait to add it to a few drinks and see how they tasted. I used this recipe as a guideline but swapped the watermelon juice (too much work, I’m lazy, and I’m not a huge fan of watermelon) for muddled strawberries. YUM!

This drink could be considered a martini due to the vodka. (I know that doesn’t MAKE a martini but in my head it does and I don’t know enough about James Bond to know how he drinks them…) The vodka, wine and club soda are tasty. Then add the lemon juice and strawberries…WOW!

I absolutely loved that there was an inspiring quote on the side of the One Hope Wine cork. A pretty cool touch if you ask me.

So I muddled the lemon juice and some fresh berries then topped it with some wine and the vodka. Shake it up with some ice and you are done. Super easy and totally different. Make these for your friends. You will totally impress them. And that is what friendship is all about, right? One-upping them? No? Oops.

Strain in to a martini glass and you’ve got yourself a delicious Strawberry Sauvignon Blanc Martini.

This cocktail was super tasty. The strawberries added a nice sweetness and the lemon juice really brightened it up. I’ll admit to being a total nerd about these cocktails. I had a blast trying them all out! (A note: my neighbor got super lucky because I would make a drink, taste it, shoot the photos and then take it to her house and keep working on the other ones. I’ll let you know if anyone ever moves out of my neighborhood so you can move in…)

Strawberry Sauvignon Blanc Martini

Ingredients

1 oz Sauvignon Blanc (I used One Hope Wine)
1 oz vodka
3 fresh strawberries, stems removed
1 oz simple syrup
1/2 oz lemon juice (I used Meyer lemons. That's my jam.)
1 1/2 oz soda water

Instructions

In a cocktail shaker, add lemon juice and fresh strawberries.
With a muddler, muddle the berries.
Add vodka and Sauvignon Blanc.
Add ice and shake well.
Strain in to a chilled martini glass.
Recipe adapted from here: http://www.cosmopolitan.com/food-cocktails/g2121/cocktails-made-with-wine/?slide=13

http://www.cupcakesandcutlery.com/cocktail-recipes-sauvignon-blanc/

Thank you for supporting the brands that allow me to create projects, series, etc. by providing product, compensation, etc. One Hope Wine is good people.

Day 1: Red Splash cocktail with Pinot Noir and Tequila

Filed Under: Drinks, Recipes Tagged With: cocktails, martini, vodka cocktails, wine cocktails

Red Wine Cocktail Recipes

August 4, 2014 by Sharon Garofalow Leave a Comment

Wine cocktail week!! Yeah!! This whole week I’ll be sharing a different cocktail recipe that also features wine. Be sure to come back each day to see what I’m sharing. *BIG thank you to One Hope Wine for sending me wine to use in this wine cocktail recipe!

It was bound to happen. I like wine. I like cocktails. And I wondered how they would work together. Today’s cocktail is a red wine based cocktail. And while I am not a big red wine fan, I was certainly not going to ignore an entire color of wine and exclude it from this series. Besides, this recipe also features tequila. And I’m finding that I really like tequila.

I’ve been wanting to do this series for a while but one thing a blogger has to think about when doing a series is the cost. Imagine how many bottles of wine I would have had to buy if One Hope Wine hadn’t graciously sent some to me when I reached out to them. I know lately there has been a big to-do about sponsored posts and how bloggers should only share things that they love with no brand tie in. But my blog is also a business and I need to try to find ways to off set my costs. I hope you know by now that I only share brands that I feel a connection to (for real Hot Shot bug spray is a savior to me and my extreme hatred of ants – none of that post was a put on just to get a paycheck). If you aren’t familiar with One Hope Wine they are a fantastic company that raises money for a multitude of causes. I absolutely back that with all my heart. So while this isn’t a sponsored post, per se, they are making it possible for me to share what is on my heart, you know, like really important wine cocktails…So please show them some love.

Whoa. Where’d that come from.

Pinot Noir and tequila. Why not! And grapefruit soda. Ok. I had NO idea how this cocktail would taste. Which is part of why it was so fun to do this series. It was a really fun way to explore cocktails a little bit more and figure out what flavors go with what wine.

Because I have never worked with wine in cocktails before (aside from sparkling wine) I decided that I would do a little internet research and see what I could find. The cocktail I made was found on Cosmopolitan site in a round-up of other wine cocktail recipes. They called it the Red Splash.

The recipe couldn’t have been easier. You literally add everything to a cocktail shaker with ice, shake it up and then strain in to a glass with ice.

This first wine cocktail was ok. I could certainly taste the red wine but it was really nice with the tequila and the grapefruit soda. This was not my favorite of the ones that I’ll be sharing the rest of the week but it was fun to try something new.

I also thought I would try the Pinot Noir as a red wine spritzer. All you need is a little lemon lime soda and wine. Again, not my favorite but it was worth a try.

I also got to use a cute little cocktail stick in it. So that was fun.

Red Splash via Cosmo

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz Tequila
1 1/2 oz Pinot Noir (I used One Hope Wine)
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
1/2 oz agave
2 oz grapefruit soda

Instructions

Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
Strain in to a cocktail glass filled with ice.
Garnish with lime.
Enjoy!
Recipe from: http://www.cosmopolitan.com/food-cocktails/g2121/cocktails-made-with-wine/?slide=7

http://www.cupcakesandcutlery.com/red-wine-cocktail-recipes/

Excited to share the other cocktail recipes with you all week-long! Thank you One Hope Wine for allowing me to create some fun posts this week without putting me in to debt.