lime Archives - Cupcakes and Cutlery

Cucumber Basil and Lime Vodka Cocktail

June 11, 2014 by Sharon Garofalow 2 Comments

*I was sent a bottle of American Harvest Organic Vodka for this post.

Um, yeah. Cucumber. Lime. Basil. Each of those things screams refreshing to me. Then put them altogether in a cocktail and of course you aren’t going to hate it. This cucumber basil and lime vodka cocktail might just be my summer drink for 2014. But let me tell you a little bit of a funny story…

Sometimes brands send me alcohol to use in posts. Just like American Harvest did. But most of the time I already have an idea for something I want to make with it. The bottle arrived with a little recipe booklet and I flipped through. Each cocktail sounded more delicious than the last. And then I came across this cucumber number.

I sliced up the cucs, quartered the limes and got almost through the entire recipe before I realized…

that the drink is pretty much straight vodka. Like, there is a little bit of lime juice from the muddling but it’s pretty much a big old cup of icy cold vodka. You would have thought I would have figured that out when I read the recipe the first time. Or made my grocery list of things I needed for making the cocktail. But no. I’m a total lightweight so I was super concerned that I would not like it and be drunk just from one sip. I am happy to report that while the cocktail was on the stronger side (again, the whole thing is pretty much vodka) the taste was fantastic! The basil, cucumber and lime took a little of the edge off but the real star is the American Harvest Vodka. For real. I wouldn’t just say that since they sent me a bottle of vodka. I could totally see drinking these this summer. Like, really slowly. Over several hours. With lots of food in my stomach. And a baby sitter for the kids. And some Drinkwel. But I have heard that organic vodka’s are not as likely to induce a hang over…

What I loved most about this cocktail is that the flavors were so crisp and clean. The ice made this super easy to sip and the fragrance from the basil and cucumber made it a really enjoyable from start to finish. It goes to show that with the right brand of spirit, you might like something you were never a huge fan of before. This has also happened with me and whiskey. But still not probably going to drink that straight.

You can find the full recipe right here (I didn’t use the agave because I don’t generally add sweeteners to my drinks)

*Thank you for supporting the brands, like American Harvest, that let me do what I do. All opinions are mine.

Filed Under: Party Planning, Recipes, Sip it Tagged With: basil, cocktails, cucumber, lime, summer entertaining, vodka

Muddled Ginger Limeade Recipe

May 12, 2014 by Sharon Garofalow 2 Comments

Welcome to water week. Huh, you say… I really don’t know what else to call it. So water week it is. But it isn’t just like, boring old water. These waters are fruit infused and super refreshing. I drink this kind of stuff all summer long so I thought I would share them with you. I was browsing through a super old cocktail book of my grandmother’s the other day and one of the recipes called for muddled lemon. And I thought to myself, now if that isn’t the easiest way ever to make lemonade, I don’t know what is. So this week I’ll be sharing 3 recipes for easy muddled fruit ades. Today I kick it off with a Muddled Ginger Limeade Recipe.

Ginger and lime are my go to flavors. All of my favorite cocktails have one or both of these included. You may remember I shared a similar recipe last year. But that one had fizzy water and was more about the flavors being really subtle. This muddled ginger limeade is about really tasting the flavors. But as always I love that these recipes can be made for your personal flavor preferences.

First things first. I’m not all the concerned about buying organic fruits. To be honest, I can’t afford it. And usually I’m not too concerned about the toxicity of my limes, since I’m just using the juice. But since the rind and all will be in the beverage, I wanted to make sure to do what I could to remove anything grody from the skin. I used my Honest Fruit and Veg wash (I LOVE this stuff!!) and then I was good to go. Totally not sponsored, I just really love it. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Food, Lifestyle, Recipes, Sip it, Things I Love Tagged With: cocktails, drinks, ginger, lime, Recipes, summer

Coke-jito, Like a Mojito but with Coke

November 5, 2013 by Sharon Garofalow Leave a Comment

I love a good mojito. And I love Coke. I don’t drink it very often, but it is my soda of choice. So while in Mexico this summer, I was trying to find a drink that would be super yummy that no one could screw up (seriously, we were at an all-inclusive resort that I thought would excel at margaritas and they just butchered them). Mojitos can be made different ways by different bartenders but I thought to my self, “self – if you have them make it with Coke instead of a combination of simple syrup and soda water or some other way bartenders make them, it will be less likely to taste bad.” So basically I invented the Coke-jito. Which I realize is basically rum and coke…And then I found out that other people have posted about Coke-jitos. Long story short, I think I’m a genius but turns out I’m just average. But I still like this drink and I think you will too. You need all the basics for a mojito, lime, mint, and rum. Maybe even a little agave syrup if you need it to be sweeter. And swap the club soda for some Coke.

And you make it the same way. Muddle your lime and mint. And take a deep breath because this is quite possibly the best smell ever! Unless you add in some newborn baby. But I do not suggest muddling your infant.

Then you add some rum. I chose to do a dark rum, although a traditional mojito is a light rum. I don’t know all the nuances of the two types, but I feel like dark rum adds a nice sweetness to drinks it is mixed with.

The Coke-jito is that easy. And so yummy. I like to think of this as my winter mojito. Or a way dirtier version of the Dirty Diet Coke craze that was happening over the summer because of the addition of alcohol.

Coke-jito Recipe

1.5 – 2 oz rum (light or dark – to your liking)

1 lime (quartered and quarters cut in half – you will use 3/4 of the lime but I can’t really tell you to buy 3/4 of a lime now can I?)

8 ish mint leaves

1 can of Coke

Agave Syrup (optional)

To a tall glass, add lime and mint. Muddle. Add ice. Top with a can of Coke. Give it a light stir. If you need it a little sweeter, add agave syrup to taste.

Boom.

*Botran Rum sent me samples to taste. I used on in this post.

Filed Under: Recipes, Sip it Tagged With: cocktails, lime, mojito, recipe

Mexican Mule Cocktail

September 25, 2013 by Sharon Garofalow 9 Comments

I’m a huge fan of the Moscow Mule which is made with Vodka. But lately I’ve been on a total margarita kick and I’m finding that I really enjoy tequila. Not like I’m out doing shots or anything (Tammy, Kristin, Lauren – please hide those photos). So I decided to try out a Mexican Mule. I quite like it and I think you will too.

You will need a lime, Tequila (now I know there are different types of tequila but I don’t know enough about them to pin point a specific one to use. This is what we had in our cupboard) and ginger beer (Reed’s is my fave brand and is available at Sprouts and Trader Joe’s).

The ginger beer adds such a nice “bite” to the drink. If you would like it sweeter you can certainly add in a little simple syrup or agave or something. But I like it like this, nice and refreshing.

Drink up!

Mexican Mule

Juice from 1 lime (approximately 1 – 2 ounces depending on your flavor preferences)

1 1/2 – 2 ounces of Tequila

Reed’s Ginger Beer

In a glass, squeeze the lime juice. Add ice. Add tequila and top with ginger beer. Mix. Add a lime garnish of your liking. If you have fresh mint, you can also give a leaf a quick clap in your hand to release the oils and garnish with it as well.

These drinks were made to go along with my menu for my Chicks and Salsa post. Don’t forget to check out my recipe for Chicken Enchilada casserole and Churro Cream Cheese Fruit Dip.

Enjoy!!

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: cocktails, ginger beer, lime, Mexican Mule, moscow mule, recipe, Tequila

Muddled Ginger Strawberry Sparkling Water

September 4, 2013 by Sharon Garofalow 5 Comments

*This post is sponsored by Arrowhead® Brand Sparkling Mountain Spring Water.
Whelp, its hump day again. Arrowhead® Brand Sparkling Mountain Spring Water wants you to make a “Feel Good Moment” for yourself today and every Wednesday. Last week I talked about how much I love sparkling water. Today I thought I would share one of my favorite ways to drink it. This muddled ginger and strawberry drink recipe is SO tasty! My friend Danae mentioned she was drinking this one day on her instagram and I immediately had to try it. I LOVE fresh ginger but had never thought to add to a drink.

I very rarely use fresh ginger. But for some reason I always have some in my freezer. Ever since I made a syrup with it for homemade ginger ale for my son’s birthday party I have kept it on hand. The smell always gives me a quick pick me up. I’m very picky about the freshness of my fruit, but I hate to waste it. This is a great recipe for strawberries that are looking a little sad.

Do you know the trick of using a spoon to peel the ginger? So easy and quick.

Make this recipe to your taste. Slice up some fresh ginger and add to your glass.

Add as much lime as you like. I add 3 of these cut up pieces.

Roughly cut your strawberries and add them to the limes and ginger.

Then muddle your little heart out. I’m sure there are rules for not being too rough with your fruit but I just wanted to make sure that I was able to get the limes to release their oils and juice and make a dent in the ginger to release its flavor. The strawberries get pretty squashed.

Add ice to your glass and top with Arrowhead® Brand Sparkling Mountain Spring Water. Place a sprig of mint in the palm of your hand. Clap your hands together a time or two to get the mint to release its fragrance. Add the mint and a straw to your glass and enjoy.

This is super refreshing and delicious. The fresh ginger gives it a little kick and the fresh lime and strawberry just work so well with it. You will get pieces of fruit stuck in your straw. If you give it a little mix with the straw you can see from the shot above that the larger pieces can get stuck up on top of the ice and make it less likely to stop up your straw.

Or skip the straw altogether and guzzle the crap out of the this. It’s that good. The fresh ginger really makes this special. Are you a fan of fresh ginger?

Thank you for sponsoring this conversation, Arrowhead® Brand Sparkling Mountain Spring Water. What are you going to do for yourself today? Need tips? Head to their Facebook page to see what others are doing to get through hump day. Share your moments there too!