Cocktail Confessions - White Chocolate Peppermint Coffee

 It appears that I've made several coffee cocktails lately, but if I'm being honest, it's because I need more coffee! When you're chasing a four year old who wakes up before the sun and never stops, even in his sleep, this mama is tired and needs a constant pick me up! And, from time to time, a little booze!

This one is pretty tasty. I mean, when you're working with a peppermint simple syrup, Peppermint Schnapps, and white chocolate liqueur, how could it not be good! 

Here's What You'll Need:

Coffee, Peppermint Schnapps, White Chocolate Liqueur, Peppermint Simple Syrup, Half & Half

Add coffee to an ice filled glass. And half & half, if you like that kind of thing.

To that, I added one shot of the white chocolate liqueur. So pretty! 

After that, I poured in a little peppermint simple syrup. I made my own and you can too. It's just a half cup of sugar, a half cup of water, and a half teaspoon of peppermint extract. You add all of that to a small saucepan and allow the sugar to dissolve in the water of medium low heat. Let it cool and store in the fridge in an air tight container. It will be great in your daily coffee and other recipes!

The iced version was great, but I was actually freezing, so I added it to my favorite my holiday mug and heated in the microwave! It's good cold and hot! Gotta love a double trouble cocktail!

After a sip or two is when I decided to add the Peppermint Schnapps. You have to taste your drinks to see what it's missing. In this case, the simple syrup was good, but it needed a little extra punch. Leave it out if you think yours is perfect!

This would be a great after dinner drink on Christmas Eve! Serve up a little decaf, or full on caffeine if you have a night ahead of you, and toast to family, friends, and the festive holiday season!

Cheers!

Cocktail Confessions: Forever Royal

Our Kansas City Royals are headed back home for Game 6 of the ALDS and we hope to win it! Heading back to the World Series is a must, but winning the whole thing would be a dream come true!

In honor of our Boys in Blue, I've come with a fabulously royal blue drink I'm calling Forever Royal! Super tasty and perfect for cheering on our Home Town Team!

Here's What You'll Need:

 Blue Curacao; Lemon Vodka, 7UP, and Lemon Wedges for Garnish

Add plenty of ice to your favorite high ball and one and a half shots of the blue cucacao. I use BOLS Blue. I LOVE this color!

Next up, add two shots of lemon vodka. I'm using Deep Eddy for the tartness. It really cuts the sweetness and you need that with this drink.

Add as much, or as little, 7UP as you would like. It's all according to taste. Add a lemon wedge for a little extra flavor and garnish. Just look at the effervescence!

One last stir and it's time to taste!

So good! A little sweet. A little tart. And a whole lot of a royalty in this glass! I totally think it should be the official drink of the Kansas City Royals! Do you hear that Kauffman Stadium? 

A toast to our KC Royals and their amazing season! Can't wait to see you back on our home field on Friday!

As they say here in KC, Take the Crown!

Cheers!

Cocktail Confessions: Not Your Mama's Cherry Coke

When I started thinking about this week's cocktail, I wasn't really all that inspired. It's not quite fall, but summers not over, and with Starbucks already serving Pumpkin Spice, I knew I didn't want to go down that route so soon. So I headed down to my parents bar and just stared at the contents in the liquor cabinet. The Cherry Brandy immediately caught my eye. I grabbed that and the vanilla rum and headed back to the kitchen. 

I mixed the two with club soda and it just didn't have the taste I was expecting. My mom suggested Coke. Great idea! I tossed the original drink, grabbed a Diet Coke and started all over. The result, a kicked up Cherry Coke that we have dubbed "Not Your Mama's Cherry Coke"!

What You'll Need:

Vanilla Rum, Cherry Brandy, Diet Coke (or Coke), Maraschino Cherry's 

and their juice

 

Add one shot of Vanilla Rum. Sorry for the super close up! I was taking the photos and pouring at the same time. Not an easy task!

Next, add one and a half shots of Cherry Brandy. I love the color!!! A gorgeous deep red!

   

Fill it up with the Coke of your choice! The regular Coke will make it a little more sweeter than the Diet. Stir!

 Add a small spoon full of the Maraschino Cherry juice and a couple of cherry's for garnish.

 This is so good!! Like, I would drink several so good! And it's kind of the perfect end of summer drink. A say make one tonight!

Cheers!

Cocktail Confessions - Rainy Day Blue

 Tuesday was the most dreary, rainy day! On days like that, all I want to do is lay on the couch and binge watch romantic comedies! But with a toddler, you don't really have that option. Instead, we found ourselves at Toys r Us. McKinley wanted to browse the aisles and continue his list for Santa. That list is getting mighty long!

By the afternoon, I was soaked, cold, and thinking about cocktails! I was inspired by the dark blue stormy skies and reached for the Curacao. The color was spot on. Read on for the recipe and the bluest sky you've ever seen.

What You'll Need:

Curacao, Triple Sec, Club Soda

 

 

Add a large amount of ice to your glass. Pour two shots of Curacao.

Add one shot of Triple Sec or more to taste.

Next up the Club Soda. Stir.

 Look at that color! It's gorgeous! And the perfect blue for a rainy day! Gotta love when Mother Nature inspires.

And wouldn't you know that on this day, blue was the color of choice. I bought this cute baseball tee at Target and just happen to wear it on Tuesday! Fashion and cocktails do go hand in hand, no?

Happy Thursday! CHEERS!

Cocktail Confessions - A Cool Cali Sparkle

My girl Caitlin over at Sophisticaited recently introduced me to this little sparkle in a can. It's by Francis Ford Coppola Winery and it's called Sofia Mini. It's a mini sparkling wine in a can and it even comes with it's own tiny straw for sipping! It's the cutest little packaging I've seen in a while! 

The sparkling wine has notes of juicy pears, summer melon and honeysuckle and bubbles on your tongue with each sip. But because it's so sweet, it's really not something I can drink on it's own. I'm more of dry wine and champagne girl myself, but I didn't want to give up on this little can of bubble. I've been thinking about what pairs well with ingredients listed above and then I decided that I shouldn't try to mix. I should highlight it. What did I mix it with? Keep reading....

What You'll Need:

Vodka and Sofia Mini

 Because my shot glass is so little, I used two shots of vodka in this glass. Also, I didn't show a pour shot since I spilled it all over the place last week! After the vodka, add your Mini Sophia and fill to the top!

Check out those effervescent bubbles! Such a lovely sight!

And because there will be a little leftover in the can, go ahead and add that darling straw and sip away! No need to let it go to waste!

And there you have it! The Cool Cali Sparkle! It's really tasty and quite refreshing! 

Now, I know I said I wasn't going to mix it with anything other than vodka, but after a couple of sips, my mom and I agree that Citrus Vodka might add a little punch. 

If you haven't tried Mini Sophia, you need to. And you need to add it to a little vodka! Seriously! It's a new sip I can't wait to pour again!

Cheers!

Cocktail Confessions - Spiked Vanilla Iced Coffee

 I love a vanilla iced coffee and now I love them even more when spiked! Sure, I don't drink them first thing in the morning, but a little afternoon pick me up doesn't hurt, right? Or go the decaf route and have one after dinner on a hot summer night. Either way, they're delish! Read on for your little afternoon kick!

Here's what you'll need:

Brewed Coffee, Creamer of choice, Vanilla Simple Syrup, Kahlua

 

Fill your glass full of ice! I love using these little mason jars. Darling! Pour your brewed coffee into each glass. Fill as full as desired. 

Add the vanilla simple syrup. I made my own. Dissolve 1 cup of sugar in one cup of water over low heat. Cool. Once cool, add 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. You can use a vanilla bean to make the syrup, but those are so expensive! And I love the maple color it created!

Add your creamer. I used half and half.

Stir. Isn't it pretty? If you want just the iced coffee, stop here! If you want it spiked, read on!

For the Kahlua, I poured a jigger full but only used half per glass. Of course you can use more or less. It gave it a nice warmth!

And there you have it! A spiked vanilla iced coffee!

It was a perfect end to an afternoon of running around! My mom and I discussed all the different ways to spike this little guy and the options are endless! I will be experimenting soon and will share them all here!

Cheers!

Cocktail Confessions - Berry Cooler

The Fourth of July is right around the corner and I wanted to make a special cocktail to celebrate the holiday weekend! There will be cookouts, pool parties, beach bbqs (if you live near one of those), and fireworks! With all those activities, everyone needs a little beverage to sip throughout the day, right? Enter the Berry Cooler!

Here's what you'll need:

Berry Vodka, Seltzer Water, Strawberries, and Blueberries

Add festive cocktail picks like these parasol flags or use cute paper straws!

Any other festive fruit will work as well like blackberries or raspberries!

 To make the cocktail, it's super easy. Add one jigger of the berry vodka, or more to taste.

Fill the glass 3/4 of the way with Seltzer water.

Thread the berries through the cocktail pick. I added a blueberry first, then a strawberry, and then another blueberry. Make it festive!

   

Place the berries in the glass! Don't want to go the cocktail pick route? We also floated the berries in the drink. Just as cute! And, the berries become infused with the vodka and are super tasty!

This is a refreshing drink and one I sipped all afternoon. However, sip fast if you don't want it watered down. For this, freeze your berries and use in place of ice cubes! I will definitely do this next time around. Or this weekend!

Happy Fourth! Cheers!

Cocktail Confessions - White Chocolate Vanilla Cocktail

The other day my mom and I were thinking about desserts. I love desserts, a sweet tooth that I wish weren't so sweet, and I'm always thinking ahead to the end of the meal. And chocolate! I can't get enough chocolate and in any form. I love milk chocolate. Chocolate milk. Coco Krispies instead of dinner. Iced mochas. And then I started thinking about a liquid dessert. Hot chocolate. Milkshakes. Frosty's. Instead of eating a dessert at the end of the meal, why not drink it?  

A white chocolate vanilla cocktail is what I consider dessert in a glass. Here's what you need!

Ingredients:

White Chocolate Liquor such as Godiva, Vanilla Vodka, and a block of chocolate

Fill a small tumbler with one jigger of white chocolate liquor and vanilla vodka. 

    

Stir!

And before serving, use a small rasp and shave a little chocolate over the cocktail. So pretty! 

Your dessert in a glass!

Seriously, this drink is so good. It could honestly replace an actual dessert. And my mom and I agree, you have to be super careful with this one! It could definitely sneak up on you!

Cheers!

Cocktail Confessions: Watermelon Splash

 Summer is full swing here in the Midwest and humidity has totally set in. (If you have naturally curly hair like myself, you are already in a frizz rage!) So when it's this hot out, and your tired of drinking gallons of water, it's time to give your taste buds something on the refreshing side!

Yesterday I made a Watermelon Splash! So good!! I could drink this all summer, and as I confessed last week, I'm not a big liquor girl. Here's what you're going to need!

Ingredients:

Rum, Watermelon Vodka, Grenadine, Club Soda, Lime, and Mint

Since my glasses were the thinnest glass I've ever seen, and my mom worried they would break, I muddled the lime and mint in a mason jar. If you aren't using fragile glass, by all means muddle the ingredients in the ones you're using.

Gorgeous, no?

Now that you have the mint and lime muddled, start pouring the liquor. Pour one jigger of rum and one jigger of watermelon vodka into the glass.

       

 Add a splash of grenadine for color.

Pour about 3/4 of the glass full of Club Soda. And make sure you use plenty of ice! Repeat in the second glass.

Add a few sprigs of mint for garnish. It's so pretty! I love the slight pink color. Just like a watermelon!

After a couple of sips of this taste little cocktail, my mom and I decided to make a couple of tweaks for the next one. And there will be a next one. I'm pretty sure this is a beach worthy cocktail! Instead of one jigger of watermelon vodka, we need to add one and a half. Instead of the club soda, we will use either seltzer water or a sparkling water. And to make it extra pretty, we are going to freeze cubed watermelon and use that instead of ice. This way it won't get watered down and you can eat the infused fruit once the drink is gone! 

What do you think of the Watermelon Splash? Something you might make this weekend? It's supposed to be a hot one and this little cocktail is incredibly effervescent. Perfect for summer!