Summer Sunshine Cocktail

It may be September, but in Texas, it's still feeling like summer. So I'm sharing this summer-inspired cocktail I created today - it's called the Summer Sunshine and it's a sour and tasty treat. 

Ingredients:

• 2 oz grapefruit vodka
• 1 oz lime juice
• 1 1/2 oz grapefruit juice
• 1/2 oz orange curaçao  
• 1/4 oz grenadine
• 1 cup crushed ice

Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously. Pour the mixture into a tiki mug or your glass of choice.

Enjoy!

Baking Powder Biscuits

Baking powder biscuits are one of my favorite foods! They're delicious with jelly or honey - I love having them for brunch. So today I'm sharing our recipe for them.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups, 2 tbsp. flour
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 4 1/2 tbsp. Crisco
• 3/4 cup milk

Yield: 6-8 large biscuits

Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.

Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until the mixture looks like a course meal (you should still be able to see little clumps of shortening).

Add milk by sprinkling it over the flour mixture tossing it in the bowl until all the milk is incorporated and you have a soft dough. 

Stir the mixture until it forms a ball which follows the fork around the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a floured board or pastry cloth and knead for about 30 seconds. 

Pat or roll to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with a floured biscuit cutter. 

Place 1 inch apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Brush the tops with milk or melted butter. Bake for 12 minutes at 450º.

Immediately split biscuit and place a pat of butter inside. You can serve them with jelly, honey, or by themselves. Enjoy!

Lemon Drop Martini Recipe

Today I'm sharing the recipe for a Lemon Drop martini - I really love these! I make mine very sour with just a little bit of simple syrup - they are great paired with seafood or grilled chicken or for enjoying by themselves.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz lemon vodka
• 2 oz lemon juice
• 1/4 oz simple syrup
• Rimming sugar (you can use regular sugar to rim the glass, but a rimming sugar designed to be used for cocktails works best)
• 1 cup crushed ice

Rim the edges of a martini glass with the sugar. To rim the glass, rub a lime or lemon on the edge of the glass. Spread the rimming sugar out on wax paper and then rub the edges of the glass with the sugar. 

Next, combine the vodka lemon juice, simple syrup, and ice in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously. Strain the drink into the rimmed martini glass. You can put in a few pieces of the ice if you want the drink to stay colder longer.

Enjoy!

Fogcutter

Today I've got the recipe for a potent cocktail - the fogcutter! This citrusy drink is delicious and packs quite a punch. I used the recipe from Trader Vic's Tiki Party! to make this one. 

Ingredients:

• 2 oz silver Puerto Rican rum
• 1 oz brandy
• 1/2 oz gin
• 2 oz lemon juice 
• 1 oz orange juice
• 1/2 oz orgeat
• 1/4 oz sherry 
• 1 cup crushed ice

Combine the rum, brandy, gin, orange juice, lemon juice, orgeat, and ice in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously.  Pour into a tiki mug or glass of your choice. Float the sherry on top.

Enjoy!

Suffering Bastard

Today I'm sharing the Trader Vic's recipe for a Suffering Bastard. This drink tastes more like a Mai Tai instead of the ginger beer Suffering Bastard served in some bars.  I modified the recipe from the one included in Trader Vic's Tiki Party! since that recipe uses a pre-made Mai Tai mix and I use the individual ingredients. 

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Jamaican rum
• We used Appleton Estate's Signature Blend
• 1 oz silver Puerto Rican rum
• 1/2 oz lime juice
• 1/2 oz orange curaçao
• 1/2 oz orgeat
• 1/4 oz simple syrup
• 1 cup crushed ice

 Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously.

Serve in a tiki mug or your glass of choice. Enjoy!

Magic Mermaid Cocktail Recipe

Today I've got the recipe for a drink I created - the Magic Mermaid. I've loved mermaids my whole life, so of course I had to name a drink after them.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz orange vodka
• 1 oz grapefruit juice
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 1/2 oz Gran Marnier 
• 1/2 oz orgeat
• 1 cup crushed ice

Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously. Pour into a tiki mug (or your tall glass of choice) and enjoy!

Pieces of Eight Cocktail

Today I'm sharing the recipe another one of our favorite tiki drinks, Pieces of Eight.  I found this recipe in Beach Bum Berry Remixed - the drink is originally the Pieces of Eight restaurant in Marina del Rey, circa 1962.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz gold Puerto Rican rum
• 1 1/2 oz passionfruit syrup
• 1 1/2 oz lemon juice
• 1/2 oz lime juice
• 1 cup crushed ice

Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously.

Pour into a tiki mug (or your tall glass of choice) and enjoy!