As we continue with a little summer break here at With Two Spoons, we’re highlighting recipes from our archives. This week we are talking Cocktail Time! Read on for Simple Summer Drinks perfect for lazy weekends at the lake, evenings on the porch, or a socially distanced driveway gathering. Cheers!
I love a good summer cocktail. Something refreshing, not to sweet, and full of ice on a hot summer day. Last year, while on a trip through the Mediterranean, I was introduced to my current summer favorite, The Hugo Spritz (find our recipe here). I’m still searching for my Summer 2019 favorite. Read on for 10 Summer Cocktail Recipes. 
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This post is sponsored in conjunction with ChristmasSweetsWeek. We received product samples from sponsor companies to aid in the creation of the ChristmasSweetsWeek recipes. Of course all opinions are ours alone because we wouldn’t have it any other way!. (As this recipe contains alcohol, this recipe is meant for persons over 21!)
In the past, an after dinner drink was only something I would enjoy at a restaurant. It was the thing I savored at the end of a long, decadent meal at some place I’d been dying to go to for months. An after dinner drink always felt like a total indulgence and something to be savored. With two young kids, my opportunities for long, lazy dinners out have become less frequent and I’ve been enjoying more entertaining at home. So, I figured, why not bring the after dinner drink home, too? Our Bourbon Salted Caramel Coffee with Whipped Cream will be a total hit at your next dinner party. Using Torani syrup for that fabulous salted caramel flavor and serving in JoyJolt glasses for a beautiful presentation, this drink will be your new go to!
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If you follow With Two Spoons on Instagram and watched our stories last week, you might have seen a little oops moment that occurred when I was trying to photograph a new drink recipe. For those who missed it, I accidentally knocked over a full drink (ugh!) onto a marble pastry slab and shattered the wine glass, spilled the drink, and tipped over a nearly full bottle of prosecco onto my carpet. It was most definitely not one of my finer moments, but in the end, the drink was well worth it. Friends, meet your new summer drink: The Hugo Spritz.
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It seems like everyone has their go-to cocktail. The one that they can order anywhere, without a menu or a second thought. Mine is the gin and tonic. I love the crisp, refreshing, almost bitter flavor and the bubbles of the tonic water.
I first started drinking gin and tonics years ago while on my honeymoon. My husband and I were at a small resort south of Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Though I had spent plenty of time in Mexico prior to that trip, I had never been to the Riviera Maya in early June. Let’s just say, it’s a whole different world in the summer! It was HOT. Sweltering, stifling, tropical heat from sun up to well past sun down. To help beat the heat, we frequently would grab a good cocktail and head straight to the pool, only our heads and drinks staying above the water’s surface!…
Spring is here and it’s time to throw a Cinco de Mayo fiesta! And every great fiesta needs a fabulous Cinco de Mayo cocktail! Below is a round up of our favorite Cinco de Mayo cocktails from our favorite bloggers, complete with their beautiful photos. Don’t want alcohol at your fiesta? No worries, we have you covered-we’ve even included some delicious mocktails! Keep on reading for your guide to the most fun Cinco de Mayo Cocktails & Mocktails. Stay tuned to up your cocktail game.
Disclaimer: all photos in this episode of Good Food Reads: Cinco de Mayo Cocktails & Mocktails are courtesy of the blogger whose recipe we are featuring. They have given their permission for us to share their beautiful work and we thank them from the bottom of our hearts!
(If you choose to drink alcohol, please drink responsibly!)
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Do you live in Minneapolis? Are you interested in visiting Minneapolis? I bet you will be after reading about this do-it-yourself Minneapolis Brewery Tour! And by “tour”, I really mean collection of breweries that make a brewery crawl all but inevitable. Plus a few distilleries thrown in for fun. And don’t forget the food trucks! YES PLEASE!
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I’m so excited to bring you this special Academy Awards inspired post! We got together with a bunch of talented cooks and bloggers and developed movie inspired treats to help you plan your Oscars Party. Like this Orange Vanilla Martini inspired by the movie, The Post.
And be sure to check out the other Academy Awards inspired treats below.
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A simple syrup is both simple and extremely versatile. Easy to make, simple syrups typically consist of a base of equal parts sugar and water and then you can get creative! They can be used to flavor cocktails, coffee drinks, or even add a little something extra to a basic fruit salad. I love getting creative with syrups and with such easy and accessible ingredients, the sky really is the limit. A few weeks ago, I had a bunch of strawberries and my basil plants were exploding! I decided to combine the two and make a simple syrup to flavor some basic iced tea and quickly, my easy Strawberry Basil Simple Syrup was born….
As some of you may know, Lane and I have the wonderful privilege of being part of an amazing group of friends and colleagues that also love food and cooking. Almost two years ago, two of those dear ladies started a rotating dinner party that we take turns hosting and cooking and it has been just so much fun. Each quarter the ten of us gather for a multi-course, home cooked feast. The evenings are always filled with the best food and cocktails and hours of great conversation and laughter. Lane and I hosted our first dinner last March (check out the menu and list of recipes here!) and last week, it was our turn again. This time we decided to tackle an eight course Southern themed menu and boy was it a good time.
Over the next few weeks, we will be posting the recipes and full menu here on With Two Spoons. We are so excited to share it all with you! Some of the recipes we developed or adapted ourselves and few others we left to the recipes of foodie icons like Ina Garten, Deb Perleman, and J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. At the end of the series you’ll have a full menu ready and waiting if you are looking to host your own Southern inspired party.
As many good parties do, we started with cocktails. In the interest of keeping things simple, we chose to serve a signature drink for everyone as they arrived and then switch to wine and prosecco (one red, one white, one sparkling!) for the rest of the evening. Our cocktail of choice for this party was the amazing Bourbon Tea from Garden and Gun Magazine and the Apiary event center in Kentucky.
The base of the drink is a simple syrup made with lemon, orange, ginger, cinnamon and mint. A small amount of this flavor filled syrup is poured over ice and then bourbon and an ounce of elderflower liquor (like St. Germain) is added. Top the whole thing with a splash of ginger ale and you have a simple southern drink that everyone will love. A word of caution: these cocktails are meant to be savored so go slow!
Find the recipe (and lots more Southern goodness!) at Garden and Gun magazine, here.
We’ll be back on Friday with this week’s Good Food Reads and next week our moveable feast continues with one of our main courses.