Category: drinks

& a Christmas cocktail | Mistletoe Mule

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You know what happens when you don’t drink for the 30 days leading up to Thanksgiving?

You think about drinking, that’s what.

You think about mixing cocktails with the booze bottles that have collected dust on the bottom shelf of your pantry.

You literally salivate each time your husband pours himself a beer to enjoy on the couch after the kiddos have gone to bed.

At least, that’s what I did. And then when THE DAY came, the day when my self-imposed, 30-day, no-drink ended, I realized I like the idea of drinking far more than the actual drinking.

But, I did come up with a drink idea or two. And it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t a) test the ideas, and b) share them with you!

Hendrick’s gin was, very unfortunately, one of the aforementioned bottles that has been neglected over the past couple of years. We used to be pretty tight, me and Hendrick’s. In fact, my pal Erin and I once did a little drink series that featured Hendrick’s gin a time or two. But that was before kids. And I don’t think either of us get the opportunity to mix up a cocktail as often as we used to. But that certainly doesn’t mean that we don’t appreciate them like we once did!

Anywayyyy, let’s get to this recipe, shall we?

As the name might suggest, it’s a little spin on the traditional vodka-based Moscow Mule, with a Christmas twist! I used to pretty much exclusively drink Hendrick’s in the summer because of its light, cucumber flavor, but with Christmas tree shopping on the brain last week, I realized that I’ve long been ignoring the juniper flavors that are so perfect for Christmas time! And in addition to the booze bottles gathering dust, I had some copper cups that were begging to be used. So there you have an entirely too long story about the inspiration for the drink, and now I’m finally getting to the actual recipe. Short stories have never been my thing.


You’ll need:

  • Hendrick’s gin
  • 1 lime, cut into wedges
  • cranberry-pomegranate juice (I actually used this cranberry extract water & it was really good!)
  • ginger beer (not ginger ale)
  • fresh cranberries & rosemary for garnish, optional
  • ice, crushed preferred
  • copper cup, also optional, but recommended

You’ll do:

  • Fill copper cup (or drink vessel of choice) to the brim with ice
  • Add 2 oz. Hendrick’s gin
  • Add 1 oz. cranberry pomegranate juice
  • Squeeze in juice of 2-3 lime wedges, to your liking
  • Top with ginger beer
  • Stir (with rosemary) and drop in a few cranberries
  • Enjoy!

 

12/15/16 EDIT: When I was enjoying one of these last night, I suddenly remembered that Erin created a very similar cocktail. I’m pretty sure I even watched her concoct it on Periscope (does that still exist??), yet I didn’t think of this when I was dreaming up my version. I didn’t think of it when I mentioned our cocktail series up above. I didn’t think of it when she commented on this very post. Nope. I thought of it last night, which I’ve now come to realize is exactly one year after she posted her recipe. So I’m going to blame it on a latent memory from this time last year. A time of my life in which I was suffering from a “condition” I’ve affectionately dubbed “extreme sleep deprivation due to two babies who think nighttime sleep is optional“. I guess the silver lining here is that perhaps there are other memories tucked away that might surface sometime soon? But mostly I just feel bad for basically copying my best blog pal without even realizing it. You know what they say about great minds though! Cheers!

throwback thirsty thursday

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I’m a fan of throwbacks. #longlivethe90s

I’m also a fan of adult beverages. #stereotypicalWisconsinite

And I used to do this little thing called Thirsty Thursday here on the blog, so I thought today I would throw it back to the olden days when I both blogged, and imbibed, regularly.

These days I really like the idea of drinking. I mean, I went seven months without a drink. I have two five week old babies.I had my appendix out two weeks after they were born. I sleep like, three hours each night. I think you could even say that I deserve a drink or two. But mom guilt sinks in the moment I take one sip of beer, booze, wine, what have you. So I either hand my drink of choice off to my hubby, or it goes to waste. And since I already feel an immense amount of Earth guilt for the diaper, take out food, and water waste we’ve created in this household over the past few weeks, I’m all about minimizing waste where I can.

Enter… this refreshing cocktail that’s practically guiltless, in every sense of the word.

Using white wine as the base allows you control the amount of alcohol you include, then toss the bottle back in the fridge until you’re ready for more. Frozen fruit is something you probably already have on hand so no need to go out and spend money on fancy garnish. And using sparkling water in lieu of calorie-laden juice (okay, well just a splash won’t hurt) or soda saves calories too! See? No guilt here!

Just load up your favorite glass (or mason jar- aka the ultimate cocktail vessel) with a combination of ice and frozen fruit. Any type of fruit will work. Other than bananas. That might be gross. Add your white wine of choice. I’m finally working through this bottle I received as a gift just weeks before discovering I was pregnant.


Be liberal with the wine if it’s been a rough day. Or if it’s been a rough day but you have nursing mom guilt like me, don’t go so heavy handed. You can even omit it completely if you prefer a mocktail. Add a splash of OJ. Or pineapple juice. Or cranberry juice. This is customizable, people. Use what you have, you can’t go wrong. Top it all off with something fizzy like club soda or sparkling water. Flavored, if you please.


Straws are wasteful. But I continue to use them. And I promise your drink will taste better with a cute paper straw so you should probably add one of those too.

Then sit back, relax, and sip down that guiltless cocktail you’ve created. Or if you’re like me and only have a few minutes until you have to change a diaper, feed a baby, or have a date with your breast pump, chug that drink.

The boys are down there, napping, and I’m up here. Day drinking.


Click over to ALOHA if you need some inspiration for a healthy cocktail or mocktail idea of your own! And while you’re there, check out some of their other recipes, too. I’m drooling over this stack of Berry Banana Pancakes!

Cheers!