5 Drink Recipes For New Year’s Eve

Posted on December 28, 2020January 7, 2021 Camille Smith

It’s no secret that 2020 has been a rollercoaster. Between a pandemic, a presidential election, and intermittent lockdowns, it’s been stressful, to say the least. Those of us who live on the lake are thankful for our nature-adjacent respites during these times.

We’re also looking forward to a bright future in 2021. Before we make our New Years’ resolutions, we’re celebrating with some fun, festive beverages. Whether you’re choosing an alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink this year, there’s a celebratory cocktail or mocktail for you! Check out these five New Year’s Eve drinks that will help you ring in 2021!

Pomegranate French 45

Some say that pomegranate is the fruit of the Greek gods. After one long tiring year, it’s time to channel your inner Aphrodite and ring in the new year with this festive gin cocktail. The fruity flavor, sparkling wine, and the hint of citrus make this drink sizzle like the excitement of 2021’s arrival!

Ingredients:

2 oz. gin

1 oz. fresh lime juice

½ oz. Cointreau

½ oz. pomegranate molasses

2 oz. sparkling wine

Lime twist and pomegranate seeds, for garnish

Directions: Mix gin, lime juice, Cointreau, pomegranate molasses, and ice into a cocktail shaker. Shake until cold, strain into a cocktail glass, and top with sparkling wine. Add pomegranate seeds and lime as garnish.

Check out the full recipe at Country Living

Cranberry, Clementine, and Rosemary Cocktails

When it comes to New Year’s Eve drinks, these cranberry, clementine, and rosemary cocktails are a crowd favorite. The fruity flavors mix seamlessly to create a refreshing taste. What’s not to love about this festive, bubbly beverage?

Ingredients:

For the simple syrup:

1 cup of water

1 cup granulated sugar

4 large rosemary sprigs

Peel from 2 clementines

For the cocktails:

1 small clementine, quartered (½ if large)

Ice

2 parts vodka

1-2 parts simple syrup, to taste

3 parts 100% unsweetened cranberry juice (not cranberry cocktail)

Club soda or dry sparkling wine for topping

Fresh cranberries and rosemary sprigs for garnish

Directions: To make the simple syrup, combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Be careful not to bring it to a boil. Once the sugar has dissolved, turn off the heat and let steep for an hour at least. Strain and store in a jar, chill until needed. To make the cocktail, muddle the clementine in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add ice, vodka, simple syrup, and cranberry juice. Give it a shake, then strain into a glass with ice and top with club soda or sparkling wine. Garnish with rosemary and cranberries.

View the full recipe at Coleycooks.com

Champagne Punch

What are New Year’s Eve drinks without champagne? This classy sparkling beverage was practically made for ringing in the new year. In this twist on a traditional drink, add some fresh raspberries and a rosemary sprig for a fruity, fresh flare. The perfect drink for cheers at midnight!

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups of orange juice

1 ½ cups of pineapple juice

1 bottle champagne

1 cup raspberries

8 sprigs rosemary

Directions: Mix orange and pineapple juice in a pitcher. Pour orange-pineapple mixture into the champagne flutes until the glass is half full. Then fill with champagne to the top. Serve immediately with the desired garnishes (raspberries and rosemary).

See the full recipe at damndelicious.net

Merry Mule Mocktail

It’s no coincidence that the acronym of this drink spells “Mmm!” The Merry Mule Mocktail doesn’t need any alcohol to be the fun, celebratory beverage that it is. Grab a festive copper mug, a few simple ingredients and drink to 2021!

Ingredients:

½ cup of ginger beer (non-alcoholic)

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

3 tablespoons club soda

Directions: Mix all ingredients into a copper mug that’s already ¾ full with crushed ice. Stir and garnish with a lime wedge. Serve immediately.

Check out the recipe at Themerrythought.com

Sparkling Chamomile Tea Mocktail

Who says that New Year’s Eve drinks must be all sparkle and no comfort? If you want to unwind with the familiar taste of chamomile tea (but with a funky festive twist), this one is the drink for you. It may be non-alcoholic, but it still sizzles.

Ingredients:

Chamomile tea

¾ cup of cold water

Honey

Ice

Tonic water

Dried chamomile flowers (for garnish)

Directions: Make cold brew chamomile tea by adding one chamomile tea bag to ¾ cup of cold water. Cover and refrigerate for at least a few hours (you can steep overnight if you want strong tea). Once the tea has steeped, fill a tall glass with ice, and pour the cold brew. Add a spoonful of honey and stir until it’s dissolved. Then, stir in the tonic water. To top it all off, garnish with dried chamomile flowers.

View the full recipe at thekitchn.com

From our lake house to yours — Happy New Year!

Stars, Stripes, and Sips: Recipes for 4th of July Cocktails

Posted on June 29, 2020June 25, 2020 Camille Smith

What’s your favorite July 4th tradition? Maybe it’s grilling burgers and taking your family on the boat. Or tasting the first bite of homemade apple pie and admiring the fireworks’ reflection in the water. Whatever your routine may be, a lake home is an unbeatable setting for this holiday. To top off the celebration, you can create 4th of July cocktails for you and your guests. After all, there are few excuses throughout the year to serve whimsical, colorful cocktails. Plus, you can skip the alcohol with most of these drinks, so they’re appropriate for kids. This holiday, pick your patriotic poison and enjoy the lake!

Red, White, and Blue Spritzer

If you’re looking for something light and refreshing, this spritzer is a perfect choice. Add some fresh strawberries and blueberries for the full red, white, and blue effect.

Ingredients:

1 cup simple syrup (1 part sugar + 1 part water, boiled until dissolved and cooled)
½ cup fresh strawberries, sliced in halves
½ cup fresh blueberries
1 bottle dry white wine
Club soda or tonic water
Ice
Fresh mint for garnish

Directions: Add ice to pitcher until full and top with berries (save some for individual glasses). Pour in simple syrup and wine until the pitcher is ¾ full, then add soda or tonic water. Stir, serve and garnish with mint and extra fruit.

Courtesy of: Pretty Plain Janes

Sugar Cookie Pudding Shots

Photo courtesy of Jelly Shot Test Kitchen.

Confectionery sweetness meets alcohol with these celebratory shots. The bright colors and thick, pudding consistency make for a fun, festive treat.

Ingredients:

1 box white chocolate flavored instant pudding
1 cup cold milk (any kind)
¾ cup vanilla vodka
2 tbsp amaretto liquor
½ cup whipped topping (or whipped cream)
Red and blue liquid food coloring
Cookies or sprinkles for garnish

Directions: In a medium bowl, pour pudding mix and add cold milk. Beat for two minutes. Add the vodka, ¼ cup at a time (combine thoroughly before each new ¼ cup addition). Stir in amaretto and whip. Evenly divide the pudding mixture into 3 bowls. Tint the first bowl with red food coloring, the second bowl blue. Leave the last one white. Layer the puddings in shot glasses and top with chosen garnish.

Courtesy of: Jelly Shot Test Kitchen

Firecracker

This cocktail’s spicy flavors are just as sizzling as the fireworks. For those who enjoy a relatively simple cocktail with a few fun flavors, this is for you.

Ingredients:

4 watermelon chunks
3 oz Flor de Caña Grand Reserve seven-year-old rum
1 oz Triple sec
1 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz simple syrup
½ tsp cayenne pepper
Lime wedge for garnish

Directions: Muddle the watermelon in a mixing glass. Add all other remaining ingredients and ice and stir. Unstrained, pour into a cocktail or margarita glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Courtesy of: Liquor.com

Red, White, and Blue Sangria

Photo courtesy of Certified Pastry Aficionado.

Sangria is a summer staple (alliteration, anyone?). But this time, you don’t have to decide between red and white wine as the base. As long as you add blue, it’s patriotic.

Ingredients:

¼ cup of sugar
¼ cup brandy liquor
1 750 mL bottle of dry white wine
12 ounces lemon-lime soda
1 pound strawberries (sliced)
1 dry pint blueberries
Ice (for serving)

Directions: In a pitcher, mix sugar and brandy and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add a bottle of chardonnay and lemon-lime soda. Stir, then add strawberries and blueberries. You can let it sit for a few hours ahead of time to absorb all the flavors. When ready to serve, fill glasses halfway with ice, then pour sangria and serve immediately.

Courtesy of: Certified Pastry Aficionado

Red, White, and Boozy Margarita

Nothing says “summertime” like a frozen margarita. But this time, try it with a 4th of July flare. After a day of grilling and relaxing in the sun, cool down with this colorful recipe.

Ingredients:

9 cups ice
6 oz. silver tequila
3 oz. triple sec
2 oz. grenadine (for the red layer)
2 oz. blue curaçao (for the blue layer)
2 oz. lime juice (for the white layer)

Directions: Divide ingredients for ice, tequila, and triple sec into thirds, and use ⅓ of each amount for each layer. Make the red layer by blending all ingredients, dividing evenly into glasses, and then repeating them with blue and white layers. Serve immediately.

Courtesy of: Delish.com

Red, White, and Blueberry Mule

If Moscow Mules are your cocktail of choice, try this festive twist on your favorite beverage. It has the same classic mix of vodka and ginger beer, with a unique fruity flavor. Don’t let your copper mugs go to waste this holiday!

Ingredients:

2 oz. berry vodka (blueberry or raspberry)
6 oz. ginger beer
Blueberries
Blackberries

Directions: Muddle blueberries and blackberries in a shaker. Add vodka and shake. In a Moscow Mule mug, fill with ice and pour vodka and berries mixture. Fill with ginger beer and garnish with extra blueberries and blackberries.

Courtesy of: Brooklyn Crafted

From all of us at Lake Homes Realty, happy 4th of July!

Summer Sips and Spirits – Tasty Lake-Inspired Cocktails

Posted on July 3, 2019July 1, 2019 Staff

Article co-written by LakeHomes.com intern Sam Harvey

Get your sweet summer sip on with these fun and fruity lake-inspired cocktails!

Summer Sangria with Watermelon and Pineapple

This simple, delicious summer sangria is crisp and refreshing, exactly what you need after a relaxing day of sunbathing by the lake. (Serves 4-6.)

Photo Courtesy of What the Fork Food Blog

Ingredients:

1 bottle of Moscato (750 ml)
1 cup brandy
1 lime, thinly sliced
2 cups fresh watermelon cubes, chilled
2 cups fresh pineapple cubes, chilled
Lemon Lime soda, for serving

Directions:

Prepare your sangria by first combining the wine and brandy in a large pitcher, and stir.

Next add the majority of the lime wheels, watermelon cubes, and fresh pineapple.

Place the remaining fruit pieces in the bottoms of your guests’ drinking glasses, and fill with ice.

Pour your finished sangria over ice, and top with lemon-lime soda for a little extra pop.

Serve!

Courtesy of: What the Fork

Mermaid Lemonade

Mermaids may be the stuff of tall tales, but this lovely, thirst-quenching lemonade definitely measures up to the myths. (Serves 4.)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup blue curacao
1 cup white rum
Lemonade
1 lemon, thinly sliced
Maraschino cherries, for garnish

Directions:

For a fun drink that is as visually refreshing as it is delicious, first fill each of your glasses halfway with ice, then pour in a splash of blue curacao.

Add 1/4 cup of rum, then top with more ice.

Add lemonade, then garnish with a lemon slice and two cherries.

Courtesy of: delish.com

Grilled Peach Whiskey Smash

A southern-inspired indulgence, this fancy treat is sure to impress your guests this lake season.

Ingredients:

1 small peach (or ½ of a large peach), pitted and quartered
1/2 lemon
2 fresh basil leaves (or 4 fresh mint leaves)
1 Tbsp honey
2 oz bourbon
3 oz club soda, chilled

Directions:

For a warm, smoky flavor, place the peach and lemon slices on the grill and cook, covered, until golden brown, turning once.

Combine the peaches and lemons, basil (or mint) and honey in a cocktail shaker.

Muddle — crush and stir– the fruits and herbs to release their juices and aromas.

Pour the bourbon and mixture over ice, cover and shake for 10 to 20 seconds.

Strain your cocktail over a fresh glass of ice, and top with club soda before serving.

Courtesy of: Better Homes & Gardens

Meyer Lemon Shandy

Pucker up for this summer classic combination. (Serves 4.)

Photo Courtesy of Lori Yates Photography

Ingredients:

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups cold water
3 Meyer lemons, juiced
4 12-oz bottles of wheat beer

Directions:

Begin by bringing the sugar and the ½-cup of water to boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until dissolved.

Let the mixture cool, then transfer the sugar-water to a pitcher and place in the refrigerator to chill into a syrup.

Combine this chilled syrup with fresh lemon juice, and add 2 cups of water.

Stir lemonade into one bottle of beer in a chilled pint glass.

Courtesy of: Foxes Love Lemons

For more taste bud-approved sips and spirits, check out these “5 Delicious Cocktails to Enjoy All Summer Long.”

5 Delicious Cocktail Recipes to Enjoy All Summer Long

Posted on June 22, 2018June 6, 2019 Staff

Imagine this: the a sun is setting, and the breeze is blowing. The kids are in the water having a blast, and you’re sitting lakeside, sipping a tasty homemade cocktail and soaking it all in. Does it get any better than that?

Enjoying life is what lake lovers do best, and these five unique cocktail recipes are sure to add some flair to any sunny day.

Pink Lemonade Vodka Slush

Pink lemonade is a warm-weather classic. Just add some vodka, and you’ve got yourself a party.

Ingredients:

1 gallon-size ice cream pail
12 oz frozen pink lemonade concentrate (thawed)
2 cups vodka
2-liter bottle of citrus soda (Sprite, Squirt, etc.)

Directions:

First, combine thawed pink lemonade concentrate, 2 cups of vodka and a 2-liter bottle of citrus soda in the ice cream pail.

Stir and freeze.

After it’s frozen, remove from the freezer an hour or two before you plan to serve it. Once it begins to thaw and melt, you can scrape the slush into a glass.

Now just top your drink with some extra soda, tonic or carbonated water, and sip away!

Courtesy of culinaryhill.com

Blueberry Mint Margarita

The sun’s beaming now, which means the fruits and berries should be in abundance in the produce section. Why not throw a few in your cocktail to make the ultimate sweet treat?

Ingredients:

½ cup lime juice
1 cup fresh blueberries
2 Tbsps agave nectar
1 Tbsp fresh mint, roughly chopped
3 oz silver tequila
1 oz triple sec
Sugar (for the rim)
2 fresh mint sprigs
Splash of seltzer (optional)

Directions:

To begin, put lime juice, blueberries, agave and mint into a blender. Blend until smooth.

Then pour the blueberry mixture through a sieve (a wire or plastic frame used for straining solids from liquids) into a large glass. Press down on the solids to extract juice and then discard.

Next, run a slice of lime around the rim of two glasses. Then place sugar on a plate, and dip the moistened rims in the sugar to coat.

Fill those two glasses with ice.

In a large cocktail shaker, add your blueberry mixture, tequila and triple sec. Shake well.

After that, divide the drink evenly between the two glasses. Top with a splash of seltzer and garnish with mint.

Courtesy of virtuallyhomemade.com

Smashed Cherry Mule

Who doesn’t love a Moscow Mule? Since you’ll already be grabbing blueberries at the farmer’s market for that margarita, go ahead and snag some cherries while you’re at it! This bold drink is refreshing, colorful and full of flavor.

Materials:

2 oz vodka
4 fresh cherries
Ginger beer
Lime

Directions:

First, cut 4 cherries in half and remove the pits.

Then, in the bottom of your cup, mash the four cherries with the juice from half a lime.

Next, add vodka, ice and then top with ginger beer.

Garnish the drink with a lime slice and a fresh cherry.

P.S.—you can eat the cherries at the bottom of the cup when you’re done!

Courtesy of abeautifulmess.com

Grapefruit Blood Orange Cocktail

It’s the color of sunset and tastes like heaven. Whipping up this delight will only take five minutes of your time, and it’s worth every second.

Materials:

1.5 oz vodka
3 oz freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
3 oz freshly squeezed blood orange juice
0.5 oz freshly squeezed lime juice

Directions:

Just pour all the ingredients into an ice-filled cocktail shaker and shake it well.

Then pour the mixture into an ice-filled glass. Garnish with a blood orange wedge.

Courtesy of wearenotmartha.com

Raspberry Lemon Drop Martinis

Last but not least, the ever-popular lemon drop. They simply scream summertime, and this fruity, colorful spin not only makes this cocktail yummy, but pretty.

Materials:

¼ cup fresh raspberries (plus extra for garnish)
3-4 oz vodka
4 Tbsps fresh lemon juice (plus lemon slices for garnish)
¼ cup lemon lime soda
4 Tbsps sugar

Directions:

First, muddle your raspberries with sugar to create a raspberry puree. Press the mix through a sieve to remove seeds and release as much juice as possible.

After that, mix the raspberry puree, vodka, soda, lemon juice and ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake well.

Garnish with lemon slice and raspberries.

Courtesy of realhousemoms.com

This lake season, stock your fridge with berries and tequila and give these tasty cocktail recipes a shot! They’re a delicious way to enjoy a summer day down by the water. Cheers!