Category: Drinks

A few months ago, my parents came to visit with a gift – a bottle of liqueur in a lovely shade of pink. It was a grapefruit liqueur that they had (on the rocks) at a friend’s house and instantly fell in love with it. They promptly convinced the owner of their local liqueur store to order a case, one bottle of which made it down to my house. My parents raved about how light and sweet the liqueur was, my mom asking me to see if I could find a fun cocktail recipe to try it in. However, their visit passed before we were able to open the bottle.

Fast forward a few months, I decided to crack open the bottle and try it for myself. It was as deliciously light and sweet as my parents said, but I knew immediately that I would enjoy it more as a compliment to something else. Adding just a little bit to Prosecco created a slightly sweet cocktail that was perfect to enjoy with brunch. (Add 1 oz. for just a touch of sweetness, 2 oz. for a sweeter cocktail.)

Easy to make and something so very different than most cocktails that appear on brunch menus, I know that I’ll be serving this cocktail this week, as I entertain a gaggle of out of town relatives for Christmas.

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Sparkling Pamplemousse

Course Drinks

Cuisine European

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 1

Author Liz

Ingredients

• 1-2 oz. Pamplemousse grapefruit liquor
• 3-4 oz. Prosecco
• Grapefruit wedge or peel for garnish

Instructions

1. Add 1-2 oz. Pamplemousse to a champagne flute. Top with Prosecco. Garnish with a slice of grapefruit or a grapefruit peel and serve immediately.

A Books n’ Cooks original, based on stories from my mom.

More easy recipes to make your holiday entertaining a bit easier. Thanks to Caroline at Caroline’s Cooking for hosting such a fun event, perfect for this time of year!

Appetizers

• 3 Ingredient Citrus Salad by Wholistic Woman
• Caprese Dip by The Freshman Cook
• Easy Persimmon Appetizer with Minted Mascarpone by Caroline’s Cooking
• Goat Cheese & Basil Stuffed Peppadews by My Life Cookbook
• Mom’s Cheese Ball by Grumpy’s Honeybunch
• Mushroom Pate by Simple and Savory

Beverages

• Boozy Slow Cooker Hot Cocoa by Cricket’s Confections
• Cranberry Cocktails 3 Ways by Monica’s Table
• Sparkling Pamplemousse by Books n’ Cooks

Desserts

• Candy Cane Fudge by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Easy Lemon Bundt Cake by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Pumpkin Nutella Cookie Bars by Take A Bite Out of Boca
• Sweet and Salty Toffee Bark by Pies and Plots

Finger Foods

• Cheese Ball Pops by Palatable Pastime
• Cranberry Bacon Jam Crostini by Life Tastes Good
• Cranberry Bratwurst Bites in Cranberry Jezebel Sauce by Turnips 2 Tangerines
• Healthier Sausage Crescent Bites by Momma’s Meals
• Hoisin Beef Purses by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Jalapeno Potato Poppers by Mindy’s Cooking Obsession
• Spicy Sausage Tarts by A Mind “Full” Mom
• St. Louis Ravioli by Bottom Left of the Mitten
• Tuna Salad Deviled Eggs by Food Lust People Love

Mains

• Loaded Pizza Stew by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Roast Chicken with Scallions and Mushrooms by Asian In America
• Simple Christmas Pizza by Cooking Chat
• Stuffed Turkey Cutlets by Sunday Supper Movement

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

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One of my favorite things about summer and early fall is all of the fresh produce – from fruits and veggies to fresh herbs, which are so incredibly easy to grown in a little pot on the front stoop or back porch. Last year, my herbs were thriving well into December. I can’t tell you how many times I had to attack the plans to get them back to a more reasonable size, leaving me with loads of fresh herbs to cook with, give away, or save for later. I tend to preserve (usually freeze or dry) a good bit for out of season cooking, but I do enjoy trying new recipes that highlight the fresh ingredients while I have them around. Fresh herbs in light, slightly sweet cocktails has become one of my favorite ways to experiment with fresh herbs.

This particular cocktail has been rewritten from the below book, but not really changed. The cocktail has a strong citrus flavor with just a touch of sweetness from the sugar and subtle thyme undertone. It takes just minutes to mix up, and is a cocktail I’ve enjoyed more nights that I should admit.

Hang Thyme

Adapted from Mix Shake Stir (p. 128)

Makes 1 drink

Ingredients:

• ice
• 5 springs of fresh thyme
• 2 oz. Citrus-flavored vodka (I use lemon)
• 1 oz. fresh lime juice
• 1 oz. sugar

Muddle 4 sprigs of fresh thyme in a cocktail shaker. Top with ice, vodka, lime juice, and sugar. Shake well until combined.

Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with remaining spring of thyme.

Serve immediately.

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This Honey Thyme Gin & Tonic is a sweet and savory twist on a classic cocktail. 

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Drizly. All opinions are my own.

For me, summer time is all about fresh fruit, cool beverages, and as much relaxation as possible. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I’ve really been enjoying making cocktails this summer, instead of my usual glass of wine. I’m enjoying the range of different flavors from bursts of bright fruit flavors to more subdued refreshing beverages.

When Drizly reached out to me to create a recipe on their behalf, I immediately knew I wanted to do a spin on a gin and tonic. For those of you who have never heard of Drizly, the company is an alcohol delivery service operating in roughly two dozen cities throughout the U.S. For a busy, working mama of two, you can imagine how excited I am about the possibility of having one less errand to run. Seriously. Genius.

So if you don’t have gin in your house, head over to Drizly now to order up a bottle and mix yourself up a refreshing honey thyme gin and tonic. The sweet honey in this version is balanced by the savory thyme. If you’re worried about it being too sweet, don’t – the honey doesn’t completely dissolve in the room temperature alcohol, so there’s just a touch of sweetness.

What are your favorite gin and tonic variations?

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Honey Thyme Gin & Tonic

This Honey Thyme Gin & Tonic is a sweet and savory twist on a classic cocktail.

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 1

Calories 217 kcal

Author Liz

Ingredients

• ice
• 1 Tbs. honey
• 3 sprigs of fresh thyme divided
• 2 oz. gin
• 3 oz. tonic water

Instructions

1. Muddle 2 sprigs of thyme in a cocktail shaker. Add honey and gin, shaking well.
2. Add ice and shave vigorously to chill.

3. Strain chilled gin mixture into a glass (I recommend a highball or a rocks glass) about halfway full of ice. Top with 3 oz. tonic water. Garnish with remaining sprig of thyme.

4. Serve immediately.

A Books n’ Cooks Original

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Drizly. All opinions are my own.
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Do you all know what day it is?  Valentine’s Day. That day of the year where getting into a good restaurant without a reservation is next to impossible. But that’s alright, because the babysitters are booked months in advance anyway, if they’re available to watch the munchkins at all.

But seriously, even before we had kids, my husband and I rarely went out on Valentine’s Day. We typically preferred to celebrate at home – in our comfy clothes, eating a fancier-than-usual homemade meal (Cornish game hens and my hubby’s favorite crab cakes are among previous dinners) and sharing a good bottle of wine.

This year is a bit unusual for us. My parents are in town, so we’re taking advantage of the free(!) babysitters and are going out for dinner. When Taylor Strategy asked if I would be interested in creating a cocktail using Smirnoff Ice®, I jumped at the chance to create a new take on my favorite cocktail – the cosmo. Instead of pre-dinner drinks at the restaurant tonight, my hubby and I will enjoy the Smirnoff Ice Cosmos I created – a light cocktail featuring Smirnoff Ice® Original.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Smirnoff Ice® Cosmos

By Books n’ Cooks

Yields 1 drink.

Ingredients:

• scant 1/2 c. ice
• 4 oz. cranberry juice, chilled
• 4 oz. Smirnoff Ice®, chilled
• splash of fresh lime juice
• frozen cranberries (optional, a compliment to the ice to keep the drink cold without diluting it)
• a thin slice of lime for garnish

Fill a mason jar – or the glass of your choice – with ice. Add cranberry juice, Smirnoff Ice, and splash of lime juice. Stir. Top with frozen cranberries and garnish with a slice of lime.

Serve immediately.

Disclaimer: This recipe was created on behalf of Smirnoff Ice but the opinions and recipe are my own.