Ginger Berry

Ingredients:

- shot of dark rum

- ginger ale

- a couple strawberries

- water

Directions:

A few hours or days in advance clean and cut the strawberries into small pieces.  Then place chunks in a clean ice cube tray, fill the tray with water, and stick in the freezer.  

When the ice cubes are ready pour the rum into a glass, add the ice, then pour the ginger ale over the top.  Stir and enjoy.

This drink has me dreaming of spring.  I think it might taste even better with 7up, but I'm not a giant fan of Ginger ale.  But hey, this recipe helped me finish off the liter I bought of ginger ale a few months ago when I was feeling sicky!  Happy Thirsty Thursday, chris!

Valentine's Day Drink

Happy Valentine's Day and Thirsty Thursday!  

Ingredients:

- 2 frozen strawberries and 2 fresh

- half a frozen banana

- 1/4 cup orange juice

- 2 tablespoons of vanilla flavored syrup

- 1 tablespoon of whipped cream

- 1 shot of dark rum

Directions:

Blend the strawberries, banana, and orange juice together.  Add the vanilla, whipped cream, and rum, blend, and serve.  

I don't know about you ladies, but if my husband woke me up with this (minus the rum) in a glass I would be mightily impressed.  I'm not even sure my husband knows we have a blender, little less where we keep it.  So it would be additionally astonishing.  

Though Aaron might not know where I keep the blender, he's a fantastic hubby.  He tries really hard, and that's what counts.  As long as we both are trying our hardest, then I couldn't ask for more.  

Oh, and by the way this drink is Yummy!  The banana helps cut the tartness of the orange juice and strawberries, yet without overpowering it.  This drink is the prefect blend of all the flavors.  It mostly tastes of strawberry, but you can taste the orange juice, banana, and whipped cream.  They all make up an important supporting cast of flavors.  

Again Happy Valentine's Day and Happy Thirsty Thursday, chris!!!

Strawberry Daiquiri

Happy Thirsty Thursday! Today I have a Strawberry Daiquiri for ya'll.  

Ingredients:

- 6 frozen strawberries

- 3 tablespoons of orange juice

- 3 tablespoons of ginger ale

- 1 shot of Crown Royal Whiskey

- 1 tablespoon of vanilla flavored syrup

Directions:

Blend the frozen strawberries, orange juice and ginger ale together.  Test the flavor, if satisfied add the whiskey and syrup.  Blend for a few more seconds, and serve.  

I garnished with a fresh strawberry.  

The Crown Royal flavor works really well with the strawberry flavor.  The ginger ale and orange juice are definitely bottom notes, and almost barely detectable.  Well I want to enjoy more of this yumminess, so I will be on my way.  Again Happy Thirsty Thursday, chris!

Adult Coffee Soda

Happy Thirsty Thursday!  Last week's Homemade Cream Soda was so yummy, I had to concoct an adult version.  

Ingredients:

- 2 tablespoons of a dark rum

- 2 tablespoons of coffee

- a handful of ice

- 1/2 cup club soda

- 2 tablespoons of hazelnut syrup 

- 1 tablespoon of vanilla

- 1 tablespoon of half and half

- whipped cream and cherry for garnish

Directions:

Pour the rum and coffee into a glass.  Then the ice and club soda.  Stir, then add the syrups, and stir. Pour the half and half over the top, add the whipped cream and cherry.  Admire.

Fully stir everything together, and enjoy.  

This drink is yummy!  The alcohol flavor is very subtle, and the coffee with the hazelnut complements the rum flavor nicely.  Again Happy Thirsty Thursday, chris!

Hot Milk Punch

Happy Thirsty Thursday!!  Today's recipe is Hot Milk Punch!  

Ingredients:

- a small shot of dark rum

- a tablespoon of honey

- a half tablespoon of powdered sugar

- milk

- ground nutmeg

Directions:

Begin by heating the milk in a small saucepan, add the honey to the warm milk.  Be sure to stir occasionally, and keep the milk from boiling or burning.  In a mug pour in the dark rum, powdered sugar, and ground nutmeg. When the milk is warm pour it into the mug, stir, and enjoy!  

This is a great night cap.  So yummy!!!  The only way this could get better would be if I had some peanut butter pillows leftover to dunk in.  

Hope ya'll are having a great night, and happy thirsty thursday, chris!!!!

Hot Apple Cider Toddy

For today's Thirsty Thursday I will be sharing my recipe for a Hot Apple Cider Toddy.  Traditionally this is made with warm milk instead of Apple Cider, and in the past people would drink this before bed, or to help remedy a cold.  Nowadays we know that alcohol doesn't do much for helping ward off an infection, because it dehydrates our bodies too much.  So I thought making this with Apple Cider instead would make this a great drink for the cold winter months ahead.  

Ingredients:

- a shot of whiskey

- Apple Cider

- a Cinnamon stick 

- 2 -3 whole cloves

- a dash of ground nutmeg

- a tablespoon of honey

Directions:

Heat enough apple cider for one drink in a small sauce pan, and add the cinnamon stick, whole cloves, and ground nutmeg.  

In a glass (an irish coffee glass would be nice, but I don't own any) coat the bottom with the honey, and then pour the shot of whiskey over it.  Once the apple cider has warmed to the desired temperature, about 3 -5 minutes, pour into the glass.  You can keep the cloves, and cinnamon stick for in for garnish.  Stir and enjoy.  

Happy Thirsty Thursday, chris!  

The Battle Brigade Cocktail

At the onset of the day I thought I'd skip making an alcoholic drink today.  Mostly because my tummy hasn't been feeling up to par since Thanksgiving.  However, after the day I had today a drink is definitely in my cards.  So YAY for Thirsty Thursday!  In lieu of the raging battle going on in my tummy and immune system, I'll call this The Battle Brigade.  

Ingredients:

- a shot of bourbon

- 1/4 cup of orange juice

- ginger ale

Directions:

Pour the shot of bourbon in a glass, then the orange juice.  Add ice, and fill the glass with ginger ale.  Stir and enjoy.  

There you have a great drink that will get you through a tough day, and help stave off a cold, The Battle Brigade.  

Happy Thirsty Thursday, hope you enjoy, chris!

Pineapple Whiskey Bottom

Happy Turkey Day and Thirsty Thursday!  Today I have an unusually tasty cocktail for ya'll, a Pineapple Whiskey Bottom.  

Ingredients:

- a shot of Whiskey or Bourbon

- a splash of Simple Syrup

- 1/4 cup Pineapple Juice

- 2 maraschino cherries, plus a little juice

- Club Soda

Directions:

Using a tall glass pour in the whiskey, syrup, and pineapple juice.  Add the desired amount of ice, and add the maraschino cherries with a teensy bit of juice from the jar.  Fill the glass with club soda, stir and enjoy.  

I know this might sound like a strange combination to some, but it's absolutely delicious.  I made my hubby taste it, and he has a much lower tolerance for weird drinks than me, and he even said it was yummy.  The pineapple complements the whiskey perfectly.  I do suggest using a high quality alcohol though.  I'm not so sure this would taste so great with say Old Granddad.  

Hope ya'll are enjoying your holiday, and happy Thirsty Thursday!

Irish Coffee

We bought a new coffee maker this week so I had to enjoy an Irish Coffee for today's Thirsty Thursday.  

Ingredients:

- a splash of whiskey

- a tablespoon of sugar

- a tablespoon of milk

- coffee

Directions: 

Brew some coffee.  However much you'd like, and at the same strength you normally drink.  While it's brewin' grab a mug and pour in the whiskey, sugar, and milk.  When the coffee is done pour it in, stir and enjoy.  

The better the whiskey the better this drink will taste.  Flavored creamer can be fun to experiment with too.  Hope you enjoy, and happy Thirsty Thursday, chris! 

Tequila Juice

Ingredients:

- a shot of high quality blanco Tequila

- a splash of grenadine

- a bit of lemon juice, and a lemon wedge for garnish

- 1/2 cup pineapple juice

- club soda

- maraschino cherry for garnish

Directions:

Pour the Tequila, grenadine, lemon and pineapple juice into a glass.  Add ice then fill the cup with club soda.  

Stir, and add the lemon wedge and maraschino cherry.  

Enjoy.  Happy Thirsty Thirsday, chris!

Cherry Apple

Today I made a cocktail I named the Cherry Apple.  

Ingredients:

- a shot of blanco tequila

- a splash of grenadine

- apple juice

Directions:

Pour a shot of good blanco tequila into a glass.  i used Herradura, which is super smooth, and has a great flavor.  Then a splash of grenadine.  A little goes a long way.  At this point you could add ice, but since we don't have any ice trays yet I had to skip this step.  So I filled the glass with apple juice, and enjoyed.  

As simple and maybe wrong as this might sound, it's really good.  I totally love the flavor of this drink.  It definitely tastes just like it sounds, Cherry Apple.  Yumm!  Hope you enjoy, and happy DIYing, chris!  

Lazy Thirsty Thursday

This week has me counting down the hours until the weekend.  I'm sorry this week's posts have not been all that great.  I have a serious lack of tools available to do things with right now, because of the move.  So for today's Thirsty Thursday I went for an old classic whisky and coke.  

I don't even have ice or a lime.  I'm not even going to bother to write the ingredients or amounts.  I used what you see in the photo, and I use the whole can of coke, with a shot of maker's mark.  

I have to wake up at four am for work tomorrow, I'm pretty sure it's bed time.  At least tomorrow is friday!  Happy Thirsty Thursday, have a great night, and happy DIYing,chris!  

Old Fashioned Cocktail

I've been wanting to try an old fashioned for some time, but for some reason whenever I go to a bar I forget to order one.  This past weekend Aaron received some Maker's Mark 46 as a groom's men gift.  So what better time to try it out for myself?  I had all the ingredients but the bitters.  I more or less followed this recipe on Snackish. 

Ingredients:

- 1 teaspoon sugar

- 1 teaspoon water

- a couple dashes of bitters

- ice cubes

- 2 shots of whisky

- lemon rind

- maraschino cherries

Directions:

Measure out the sugar, water, and bitters into a tumbler.  Stir together until there is no tomorrow.  Make sure the sugar is completely dissolved.  Add ice.  Pour in the whisky. 

Arrange the cherries and lemon rind on a toothpick, and stir the drink.  Enjoy.  

Now to be honest I went a little crazy with the bitters, and I also added some lemon juice, so it was rather sour.  Next time I would barely add any bitters, it's a weird flavor.  A bit strong for my taste.  Definitely glad I tried this out, since it's one of the oldest cocktails out there.  This cocktail is pretty much what all others were spawned out of.  Or so I heard on the internet somewhere.  :)  

Have a great night, and happy DIYing, chris!

Lemon Watermelon Tequila

Happy Thirsty Thursday!  Today I have a recipe for a Lemon Watermelon Tequila.

Ingredients:

- a shot of tequila

- juice of half a lemon & a slice for garnish

- watermelon soda

Directions:

Pour the tequila into the glass.  Squeeze the lemon juice into the tequila.  Drop some ice cubes into the glass, and fill with watermelon soda.  Garnish with a lemon wedge or two.  

Stir and enjoy.  Simple drink, that doesn't overwhelm the tequila flavor, but is a nice spin off of the classic lemon and club soda with tequila cocktail.  

Have a lovely night, and happy DIYing, chris!

End of Summer Drink

Ingredients:

- 1 shot of white rum

- 1/4 cup pineapple juice

- 5 fresh mint leaves

- apple juice

Directions:

Pour the rum and pineapple juice into a glass.  Smash the mint leaves into the bottom of the glass.  Fill the glass with ice, and pour apple juice over the ice.  Stir and enjoy.  

This drink is a great summery drink, and the rum is barely noticeable, so I bet this would be terrific without the rum too.  I love a good drink mix that can double for people who drink, and those who don't.  Though I suppose it could be dangerous with kids around.  They might think mommy's drink is the same, and get a bit loopy.  Anyway great drink, and I love how it looks like a summer ale.  The mint adds a nice subtle hint of freshness.  

Today was our kick-off luncheon for the fall season at work.  Which means from here on until the holidays I'll be busy busy busy.  Aaron and I are going on a little date night out to a local brewery restaurant.  It's over in Downington, Pennsylvania, called Victory Brewery.  We've never been, but Aaron enjoys their beers, and I've heard good things from a couple I work with.  We are excited to check it out!  Hope ya'll have some fun weekend plans, and happy DIYing, chris!

Kiwi Nectarine Cocktail

Happy Thirsty Thursday!  Today I have another white rum cocktail.  I have a habit of wanting to use up whatever I have before I buy new stuff.  I've wanted to branch out of just making white rum cocktails, but that's what I have, so that's what I'm using.  I'm not really one to have a stocked bar.  Maybe now that we are homeowners, we might change that.  :)  Anyway, today I made a Kiwi and Nectarine Cocktail.  

Ingredients:

- half a kiwi

- half a nectarine

- a shot of white rum

- a half shot of simple syrup

- 7Up

Directions:

Cut the fruit up.  Pour the white rum and simple syrup into the glass.  Then smash the fruit into the bottom of the cup.  Add ice, and fill up with 7up.  Stir, and drink!  

Yum!  Like Aaron said you can barely taste the rum, but yet it's not super sugary either.  Another perfect summer cocktail.  Fruit and white rum always equal a win in my book!  Now I need to go relax, and enjoy my cocktail! :)  Happy DIYing, chris.