Category: Drinks
Grapefruit Jalapeno Margarita with Less Sugar
It’s party time!
Get out your sombrero and margarita glasses because Cinco de Mayo!
I wanted to come up with a margarita made with less sugar. None of that thick syrupy stuff. Just a refreshing flavor with fresh squeezed grapefruit and lime and a hint of heat. Spice it up, literally!
I was actually surprised at how much I love the jalapeno! I am a little bit of a wimp when it comes to spicy, but I seriously love these. The heat comes from chopped jalapeno and seeds infused in the tequila for just 30 minutes.
This margarita recipe is made on the rocks with a salted rim. You can blend them if you prefer. The recipe measurements are for just one margarita so multiply that if you have a party!
I use La Croix sparkling water to give it a little fizz and more lime flavor without adding any sugar or calories.
Need a snack to serve with your margaritas? Try my Salsa Bar including recipes for 3 different types of salsa! Perfect for Cinco de Mayo or any summer night!
- Put however much tequila as you plan to use in a mason jar. Chop 1-2 jalapenos and add to the jar (including the seeds). Let the jalapenos infuse for 30 min. Then filter out the seeds and jalapeño pieces.
- Mix all ingredients in a shaker and add ice.
- Salt the rims of glasses (optional).
- Shake and pour over ice. Garnish with fresh grapefruit slices and jalapeno. Enjoy!
Lime & Thyme Sparkler
Now that summer is in full bloom, it’s about time I shared a tasty cocktail recipe with you! One of my favorite summer activities involves an outdoor patio while sipping on a yummy beverage. I love going out for drinks, but there is something so fun and relaxing about creating a cocktail and enjoying it at home on your patio or porch.
My kinda summer cocktail is not too sweet, light and refreshing and uses fresh fruit and herb flavors. The Prosecco and La Croix add some fizz and the bubbles make it that much cuter 🙂 Experiment with fresh herbs you have on hand. I used lemon thyme, but basil and rosemary would make good substitutions.
- 2 oz gin
- 4 oz prosecco, chilled
- 4 oz lime La Croix sparkling water
- Lime wedges
- Fresh thyme
- Combine gin and La Croix sparkling water in a shaker with ice. Stir or lightly shake.
- Add prosecco and stir to combine. Pour into champagne glasses. Garnish with lime wedges and fresh thyme.
- Start sipping!
TNP’s Top 3 Bloody Mary’s in Minneapolis
One of our favorite meals to go out to eat for is brunch. Brunch is such a cool meal because you can get creative with it! Two meals into one gives you so many options. And what’s the most creative drink on a brunch menu?
The bloody mary.
Top 3 reasons we love a bloody mary:
#1 The perfect combination of spices in a bloody mary mix is just delightful.
#2 It’s healthy…I mean it is basically vegetable juice (shhh just let me get away with this one).
#3 and the most important…THE SKEWER. Who doesn’t love munchies on a stick while you wait for your meal?
This post is all about our favorite bloody mary’s in Minneapolis. While the tomato juice mix is important, we feel like it’s kinda hard to mess that up. So we based our choices on a combination of the juice mix and the skewer, with a little more emphasis on how cool the skewer is. That’s the fun part after all! And we’re all about having fun on a Saturday morning brunch.
#3 Bryant Lake Bowl
This bloody mary is probably my favorite as far as the mix itself. It’s the perfect amount of spice (I don’t like too spicy), but it’s definitely not mild. The skewer is pretty standard: pickle, olives, a couple of pepperjack cheese cubes, lemon and lime. This is a classic. And going to Bryant Lake Bowl is an experience! The best spot is belly up to the bar so you can chat with the bartenders. Brunch food is awesome here, one of my favorites and don’t forget the bowling! Old school vintage bowling lanes are so cool and something different to do.
#2 Hen House Eatery
That skewer! You almost don’t even need to order brunch. The skewer could be a meal by itself! This bloody is the spiciest of the three. They use sriracha vodka for an extra kick. For me, it was a little too spicy but Trav was lovin’ it! Let’s talk about the skewer: pepper jack cheese cubes, salami, celery and a whole hard boiled egg! Seriously, I was basically full before our food got there. But of course my chilaquiles were too good to go to waste 🙂
#1 The Copper Hen
Ok. Everything about this place is just adorable. A little rustic farm style cafe/restaurant with all kinds of tasty treats. Brunch here is also awesome. More on that later… This bloody mary wins the #1 spot mainly because, one word: CUPCAKE! Come on. Are you in love already? This bloody mary skewer comes with a blueberry breakfast cupcake! I’ve never met a bloody mary that comes with a sweet treat before but I’m so glad we did. Besides this adorable little cupcake it comes with bacon…so you get the best of both worlds if you ask me. They use Prairie Vodka, which I love because it’s organic and is made in Minnesota, and a housemade bloody mary mix. Their brunch food I could go on to talk about for quite a while but one highlight: the farmhouse BELT (bacon, egg, lettuce, tomato). You gotta try it!
His and Hers Christmas Cocktails
Tis the season…
…for craziness. for family, lots of family. for shopping shopping shopping. for wrapping. for cooking. for throwing Christmas parties. for traveling. for freezing temps and lots of white fluffy stuff everywhere. And for a lot of people, a somewhat organized chaos.
The holidays should be a time to relax and enjoy time with family and friends, but ends up causing stress for a lot of us. Personally, I hate procrastinating. I am one of those annoying people who has their Christmas shopping done by Thanksgiving. I know. Who does that? But that means I now have time to do things like make pretty Christmas cocktails and share them with all of you 🙂
Maybe you’re getting caught up in the busyness and stress of the holidays. Maybe you’re not. Wherever you are, think about taking some time to relax and focus on whoever or whatever is important to you this time of year. And, I propose that pretty cocktails help you do that 🙂
I put together his and hers Christmas cocktails. Hers is a Rosemary Gin Sparkler, which is not too sweet. If you like a sweeter cocktail, add pomegranate or cranberry juice to this one. I use Prairie gin, an organic spirit made locally in Minnesota. Their spirits are great quality for a good price. I get Prairie gin and vodka at Trader Joe’s for $5 less than at other liquor stores!!! (Small victory!) Check out their website they include more recipes using vodka and gin.
His Christmas cocktail is a Maple Old Fashioned, which is like a traditional old fashioned but uses a maple syrup instead of simple syrup.
- Maple Old Fashioned Ingredients
- 3 ounces bourbon (I used Bulleit Bourbon)
- 4 tablespoons organic, pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoon water
- Dash or 2 of orange bitters
- Orange (for zest and peel)
- Garnish: frozen cranberries and fresh rosemary
- Rosemary Gin Sparkler Ingredients
- 2 oz gin (I use Prairie Gin)
- 1 tablespoon elderflower liqueur
- 2 oz prosecco or other sparkling white wine
- 1 oz club soda (I use La Croix lemon lime sparkling water)
- Optional: splash of pomegranate or cranberry juice
- Garnish: frozen cranberries and fresh rosemary
- Maple Old Fashioned Instructions
- Gently heat maple syrup and water in a small saucer over the stove until combined. To each glass, add one king ice cube (one large cube keeps your drink cold without melting as fast as smaller cubes – if you need one of these trays, I recommend this one. Add bourbon, maple syrup mixture and orange bitters. Peel a small section of the orange with a peeler. I add some orange zest to mine as well. Squeeze out the little bit of juice from the peel before you add it to the glass. Garnish with frozen cranberries and fresh rosemary.
- Gin Sparkler Instructions
- Combine all ingredients (except garnish) to a shaker with ice. Shake for 10 seconds and strain into a martini glass. Add garnish.
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