Blackberry and Lemon White Wine Spritzer

According to the weather channel, a good portion of the country is in for a seriously oppressive heat wave this weekend (woof!).  While it would be great to make the most of this super sunshine and hit the beach, I'm stuck in the city this weekend figuring out different ways to keep cool.  While there are certainly plenty of other ways to beat the mega heat this weekend, a cold and refreshing cocktail certainly makes the list!  Specifically, my latest go-to cocktail creation - a blackberry and lemon white wine spritzer!  

Beer is too filling in my opinion and while I am a major red wine enthusiast, this weather is just way too hot for red wine drinking.  Instead, this weekend I am opting for a cool and refreshing white wine spritzer with a fabulous new twist!  Combining two of my favorite things (Napa Cellars Wine and Spindrift Blackberry Seltzer) with a little hint of lemon and a few frozen blackberries has resulted in a drink that is not too sweet and a most delicious flavor profile.  If you are in the market for a new cocktail recipe this weekend, I highly recommend trying this recipe. 

Ingredients

• 1 Bottle Sauvignon Blanc
• 4 Cans Blackberry Spindrift Seltzer
• 12-18 Frozen Blackberries
• 4 Ice Spheres
• 2-3 Lemons

Instructions

1. Place one sphere ice cube into each tumbler or glass
2. Pour 4oz of wine into each glass
3. Fill the remainder of the glass with Spindrift Blackberry Seltzer
4. Squeeze the juice of 1/4 of a lemon into each glass
5. Garnish with 3-4 frozen blackberries and a slice of fresh lemon
6. Serve and enjoy!

Tropical Sangria Recipe

Historically, I have never really been a fan of Sangria.  If I take an honest look back at why this was the case for so many years, the reason probably had to do with the fact that every time I went to try a glass, it always tended to taste like a big boozy sugary fruit cup (yuck!). 

Over the weekend it occurred to me that National Sauvignon Blanc Day and Cinco De Mayo were right around the corner, which naturally had me thinking about ways to celebrate.  Naturally this got me thinking about the obvious elephant in the room (Wine Holiday + Cinco De Mayo = Sangria), so I decided to try my hand at concocting a new sangria recipe that was more suited to my palette (ie. not too sweet and very flavorful).

The result?  An absolutely delicious Sangria recipe that I am beyond thrilled to share with you all today.  I found the starfruit, kiwi berries and lime leaves at my local Whole Foods.  However, if you can't find kiwi berries, regular kiwis (peeled and sliced) will work just fine.  Here is how I went about making this revamped Cinco de Mayo cocktail staple-

Ingredients

• One Bottle Sauvignon Blanc (I recommend Napa Cellars)
• 1/2 c. Cointreau
• 1 Star Fruit
• 1/2 pt Kiwi Berries (sliced in half with ends removed)
• Fresh Lime Juice
• 3 Fresh Lime Leaves (sliced into thin strips)
• Fever-Tree's Premium Bitter Lemon Soda

Instructions

1. In a large pitcher, combine Cointreau, Wine, Starfruit, Kiwi Berries and Lime Leaves
2. Pour contents approximately 2/3-3/4 full in double old fashioned glasses over ice
3. Fill the remainder of the glass with Bitter Lemon Soda
4. Add the juice of 1/2 Lime to each glass
5. Garnish with additional fruit and serve

Winter Gin Sparkler

I have never been a huge fan of gin.  I don't know if it's something about the flavor or maybe it just tasted stronger than vodka, but there was something about it that never quite agreed with me.  Of course, now you're probably wondering why the heck I'm sitting here writing  a post about my new favorite gin cocktail recipe! 

WELL, let me just start by saying that my feelings about gin have completely transformed thanks to my recent discovery of One Eight Distilling.  One Eight is a local DC distillery specializing in Vodka, Gin and an array of whiskeys.  Every Saturday from 1-4pm, they open their doors to the public and offer free tastings of their liquors as well as a menu of specialty cocktails to purchase for $7.  In addition, they also offer free tours of their distillery.  

Naturally, as soon as I learned of their Saturday open house, I had to go and experience it for myself!  So my husband and I ventured over to the distillery a few weekends ago where we enjoyed the most delicious "Kumquat May" Cocktails (Ivy City Gin, Kumquat Syrup, Lime Juice and Bitter Lemon Soda) and took the fabulous distillery tour.  It was so much fun, the cocktails were absolutely delicious and definitely an activity that I would recommend to anyone in the DC area (age 21+ of course!).

So now onto my latest cocktail creation!  This is an easy to make cocktail, filled with delicious seasonal ingredients and of course my favorite local gin label!  Here's the scoop on how to make this flavorful and refreshing cocktail:

Ingredients

• High Quality Gin (I highly recommend trying Ivy City Gin)
• Grapefruit Juice
• 2 pkgs Fresh Rosemary 
• Sparkling Water (ex. Perrier)
• Fresh Ruby Red Grapefruit for Garnish
• 1c Sugar
• 1c Water

Rosemary-Infused Simple Syrup

1. In a small sauce pan combine 1 cup of water, 1 cup of Granulated Sugar, 3 Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary and about 1/4 cup Chopped Fresh Rosemary
2. Heat on Medium-High until sugar is dissolved 
3. Reduced to a simmer for 3 minutes, then remove from heat and allow to cool
4. Pour syrup through a sieve to remove all rosemary pieces 

To Make the Cocktail

1. Fill a low ball/double old fashioned glass with ice
2. Add 1-2 shots of Ivy City Gin
3. Add 1 Tbs Rosemary Simple Syrup
4. Fill the remainder of the glass with equal parts grapefruit juice and sparkling water
5. Garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary and slice of ruby red grapefruit that has been speared with a knotted cocktail pick
6. Serve and Enjoy!