Vodka Strawberry Lemonade

Over the next couple weeks, I'll be posting some cocktail recipes to get you ready for Valentine's Day. Each drink has a theme for however you're feeling this Feb 14th. Today's drink is a sweet vodka strawberry lemonade. It's perfect for those who are feeling sweet and flirty. Keep this recipe on file for the summer too! It will definitely make the perfect summer drink.

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 oz vodka
• 3 oz organic lemonade
• chopped strawberries
• 1/2 oz agave nectar
• asti spumante

Recipe:

• Fill a glass with chopped strawberries and ice.
• In a cocktail shaker, mix vodka, lemonade, and agave nectar. 
• Add lemonade mixture to glass. 
• Top with asti spumante.  

Girls Night Martini

Hot pink just makes me happy.

Martinis make me ecstatic.

So you can just imagine how I feel about a hot pink martini. 

Beer is awesome, but sometimes I need a girly drink.

My go to drink is always vodka soda, but it looks a tad boring...like water.

 So I dressed it up a little bit to make this drink for girls night.

Ingredients:

• Raspberry Vodka
• Raspberry Seltzer
• Grenadine
• Lime Juice
• Pink Sugar

Recipe:

• Dip the rim of a martini glass in lime juice, then dip the rim in pink sugar. 
• Add ice to a shaker. To make one martini, add 1 shot and a splash of vodka, add 3 to 4 ounces of seltzer, and a splash of grenadine.
• Shake ingredients together.
• Pour in martini glass. 

Raspberry Sunset Martini

Hi Everyone!! I hope you enjoy this guest post from Meg at Happy Kids, Inc. She has a great series on her blog called "Mama Needs A Martini." You should check it out even if your not a mama like myself! We can all use a good martini once in a while. - Lauren

Hi readers! My name is Meg and I blog over at Happy Kids, Inc.  Lauren asked me to guest blog for her today and I couldn't be happier.  One thing Girl Gone Food has is GREAT cocktail recipes! So, when she asked me for one of my martini recipes, I was excited to come up with a new, never before published concoction.  So, let me introduce you to the........

2 ounces citrus vodka

1/2 ounce Chambord raspberry liqueur

1/2 ounce Malibu caribbean rum

2 ounces limeade

Sprig of fresh mint

Squeeze of fresh lime juice

In a martini shaker, add about a cup of ice, then add all ingredients.  Shake well and strain into a martini glass.  Garnish with a lime slice and fresh raspberries.  

Enjoy!

Pineapple Upside Down Cake Martini

This drink is so yummy! I had it out one night at a bar and copied down all the ingredients so that I could recreate it at home. The vanilla vodka really makes it taste like cake. You have to try it to believe it!!

To make 2 martinis, pour 3 shots of vodka and 6 oz of pineapple juice in a martini shaker, shake with ice, and pour into a martini glass. For something extra special, dip the rim of the glass in crushed graham crackers.

 

New Years Eve Drinks

I can't believe that it so close to 2013! These are some of my favorite drinks from this year. (Plus a new one!) I picked the ones that I felt best fit the season. They will be perfect for any new years eve celebration.

Hope you have a great new years!!

Top (Left to Right)
Frozen Hot Chocolate
S'moretini
Salted Caramel Pretzel Martini (See Recipe Below!!)
Holiday Red Wine Sangria

Bottom (Left to Right)
Sweet Tart Shot
Pumpkin Pie Martini
White Cranberry Cosmo

Salted Caramel Pretzel Martini

I was out for cocktails with my friend Ann a few weeks ago and tried this AMAZING drink. I bought the ingredients for the martini shortly after, and I now love to recreate the drink at home. The salty and sweet balance is perfect.

Ingredients:

• Stoli Salted Karamel vodka
• Frangelico
• Caramel Sauce
• Crushed Pretzels

Recipe:

• Pour caramel sauce on a plate.
• Spread out crushed pretzels on a second plate.
• Dip top of martini glass in caramel sauce, and dip glass in pretzels immediately after.
• For each martini, pour 3 oz of vodka and 2 oz of frangelico in a martini shaker with ice.
• Shake vigorously and pour into martini glass. 

White Cranberry Cosmo

My signature drink is usually cranberry and vodka, but once in a while I like to change it up a bit. Using white cranberry juice instead of regular cranberry juice was an ingenious exchange if I do say so myself. This cosmo has definitely become a new fave of mine. It is fruity and sweet, just like I like it. My favorite part of the drink are the frozen cranberries dredged in sugar. It really makes the drink look festive! This recipe makes 2 to 3 drinks. I tripled this recipe and put all all the ingredients in a pitcher to serve at a party and that worked too. Just make sure you keep the cranberries on the side so that the sugar doesn't float to the bottom of the pitcher.  

Recipe Source:The Chew

Ingredients:

• 1 cup white cranberry juice
• 4-5 ounces vodka
• 2 ounces cointreau
• 1/2 ounce sweetened lime juice
• 1/2 cup cranberries
• granulated sugar

Recipe:

• Make the cranberries at least 3-4 hours before you are planning to serve the drinks.
• To make the cranberries, rinse the cranberries with water.
• While they are still wet, dredge them in sugar.
• Spread them evenly on a pan and freeze for 3-4 hours.
• Fill a martini shaker with ice. Add the cranberry juice, vodka, cointreau, and lime juice.
• Shake vigorously and strain into a martini glass.
• Add ice and garnish with the sugared cranberries.

Pumpkin Pie Martini

So no work for me today! Massachusetts got hit by Hurricane Sandy. Thankfully we haven't had it as bad as New Jersey or New York, so fingers crossed that we don't loose power!

This weekend we went to our friend's annual halloween party. My friend Sarah and I dressed up as price is right contestants. Sarah's boyfriend Dave dressed up as a model (haha) and my boyfriend dressed up as Bob Barker. It was a great time! While we were at the party Sarah introduced me to these delicious pumpkin pie martinis. They were just so good I had to share! It would be a perfect drink for any fall or holiday party.

Ingredients:

•  Pumpkin Pie Cream liquor (I bought Fulton's Harvest)
• Vanilla Vodka (I didn't have any on hand so I used fluffed vodka instead)
• Rum Chata (A creamy rum)
• Ice

 

Recipe:

• In a shaker combine ice, 2 shots of vodka, 2 shots of rum chata, and 3 shots of Pumpkin Pie liqueur.
• Serve in a martini glass rimmed with cinnamon

**Note: 1 shot is approx 1.5 oz of liquid**

Happy Halloween!!