Last winter Mister and I decided to move from just buying wine here and there to building up a stocked bar in our house. Talk about good decisions! While it started out with martinis that I couldn’t even moderately enjoy, my mixology skills have increased by leaps and bounds since then, and finding fun drinks has been something of a game for me.
This spring I’ve been feeling playful. Give me fizzy sips of jewel toned drinks that are simple to make, and I’ll show you some girl bonding time about to happen.
My two current favourites are a basic Tom Collins & a Raspberry Cocktailmajig. You can’t get more light and summery in my books- and don’t forget that you can always skip all the alcohol and have them with the juice and club soda. It’s like having a pop with almost no sugar, what’s not to love?
Both are so simple you won’t need the recipes, but just for fun…
download the Tom Collins Recipe here & download the raspberry vodka cocktailmajig here
Patio season & fun bubbly drinks like these are some of my favourite spring rituals, what are yours?
{ 38 comments… read them below or add one }
The raspberry one sounds really good. Might have to try this over the weekend.
.-= Barbara´s last blog ..Cancer Sucks =-.
These sound absolutely delicious. I’m not a fan of gin, but I may have to try the Tom Collins drink. I think the Raspberry Coctailmajig could be an instant favorite of mine. Thanks for sharing!
Ahhhh! I love a good Tom Collins!! My friends make fun of me when I order one in a bar because they think it’s an old woman drink. I just think it’s deeeeelicious. :)
.-= Hannah´s last blog ..Look yourself in the eye. What do you see? =-.
Why, oh why, can’t we be neighbors? Drinking on the deck is one of my absolute favorite spring/summer past times. Try a Scarlett O’Hara sometime — southern comfort, a splash of lime juice and cranberry juice garnished with a lime wedge.
Ooh! Those look good! I’m a big fan of Campari and soda. Campari is kind of bitter, and even though it looks like a sweet drink, it’s not.
.-= Allie´s last blog ..ADD, Of Mice and Men, and Mrs. X =-.
I love, love, love sipping on white wine spritzers in the spring and the summer as the temperatures rise.
.-= terra´s last blog ..Spring Fever, Ch-ch-changes, and FLOWERS! =-.
One of my friends is a HUGE Tom Collins fan. I literally drove all around STL looking for Tom Collins mix when she came to town last summer. I wound up at some dive liquor store in downtown STL to get it. What a trip that was :)
I may have to try one of these soon, perhaps while working on school stuff…!
.-= Nora´s last blog ..The (Three Day) Weekend =-.
Oh man, that sounds so good… now I want to come and hang out with you on your swing on the patio! :)
.-= san´s last blog ..On being an aunt =-.
that raspberry drink totally sounds like my kind of drink! As for alcohol, I enjoy white wine spritzers and an ice cold beer with lime. my favorite mocktail is POM juice, club soda, and a squirt of lime juice.
and since we’ve been having absolutely gorgeous summer-like weather down here, I seize every opportunity to eat outdoors. love it.
.-= thatShortChick´s last blog ..me and my macbook = L.O.V.E. =-.
My go-to drink is always a Tom Collins! It tastes great and it’s always fun to order!
I buy lingonberry saft from Ikea (http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/50117106) — it’s a sort of “drink syrup” that is used commonly in the family home in Sweden instead of juice or juice boxes. It comes in all sorts of flavors, many of which are much easier to find in Sweden than in the US (or Canada?). But they are quite delicious for making simple mixed drinks; add club soda and your alcohol of choice (gin, vodka) and muddle with herbs to be creative (strawberry with basil, anyone?) and drink! Delicious. They also make wonderful mimosas with dry champagne.
.-= Bridget´s last blog ..April 2010 =-.
Can I just say, that I adore how you make your own post collages/headers, etc. Srsly cute.
And YUM. Can’t wait to try out these fizzy adult beverages :)
.-= Liz´s last blog ..In bloom =-.
Oo, those are fun, springy drinks! I bet I’d love the Raspberry one! I love fun cocktails like that!
.-= Lisa from Lisa’s Yarns´s last blog ..An Afternoon Date =-.
I am all about cocktails… anything cocktails. It just needs to look pretty, and I WILL drink it. :) Thanks for sharing these recipes.
.-= Stefanie´s last blog ..I was never a Mormon but I will always remember living as one. =-.
i think you fell off my reader! i haven’t been getting your updates, the WHAM! i got a ton all at once. weird.
that drink looks yummy! i think i’m ready to trade in wine for something new. thanks for the recipes!
.-= molly´s last blog ..Easter Weekend =-.
Popsicles! Cold beer in the hot sun. Laying out in my backyard with a good chick lit novel. Eating lighter food. Mmmmm I love this time of year.
.-= Lauren From Texas´s last blog ..Almost Done! =-.
You must try a raspberry mojito sometime! It is the most refreshing cocktail in the world, if I do say so myself.
.-= Ashlee´s last blog ..stitch swap success. =-.
I love an icy cold Tom Collins but I always add lime as well as lemon. It’s also nice with a squeeze of fresh grapefruit juice (though that might make it something other than a Tom Collins? I don’t know all the fancy names for drinks – I just like to drink them.)
PS: you might also like a whiskey sour
.-= hillary´s last blog ..Choose The Highest Bidder Was My Answer When They Told Me I Was Up For Sale =-.
I’m all about pretty coloured, sweet tasting drinks! My dad owns a bar (something which has happened only recently) and I had alot of fun getting to know the bartenders. I’m lucky enough to have a pretty coloured cocktail named after me, its an Ellyquaint (instead of Eloquent, ha! I’m amused every time :) and its super super tasty. Yay for pretty coloured drinks!
.-= Elly´s last blog ..Sinter Redesign =-.
Thank you dear! I’ll be trying these as soon as possible, no one has to tell me twice :)
.-= Dani´s last blog ..La Vie Looks Of The Week =-.
I especially love that you call it cocktailmajig. I think I’ll get it just because I want to be able to say that when I host a cocktail party.
.-= Doniree´s last blog ..What does it mean to live with an open heart? =-.
Kyla! Your recipe cards are so cute and you just brought back the best memories for me. My first EVER mixed drink was a Tom Collins, but NEVER have I known how to make one without the gross-looking mix you buy at the liquor store. Can’t wait to mix one up sister! Thank you!
.-= Taryn´s last blog ..Cockapoo Wrangling & Houston Bluebonnets =-.
Those sounds amazing! Can’t wait to try them.
.-= Michelle´s last blog ..sola cafe =-.
I love your doily/lace design at the top of the post. It’s absolutely amazing! I wish it felt like summer here, I can’t get into the summery drinks thing until I’m home and it’s warm out haha
.-= Good Girl Gone Blog´s last blog ..My mysterious post =-.
oh both of those sound delicious. one of my favorite spring/summer drinks is peach sangria, so delicious!
.-= katelin´s last blog ..Some Hollywood cuteness. =-.
i’ve had cranberry with vodka, but i’ve never had rasberry with vodka – sounds DELICIOUS! can’t wait to try it. :) thanks for sharing, dear!
.-= kelly ann´s last blog ..the small stakes. =-.
I’ve always been so terrified to try one of those (pardon the term) “girly” drinks. I’m jealous because they look so damn tasty!! The closest thing I drink to that is an Alabama Slammer. If you’ve never had one, you’ve not yet lived!!
As for spring rituals, I’m all about hitting up the patio’s and hanging out at the park throwing around a frisbee with friends.
.-= Braedy’s World´s last blog ..Sad days… =-.
Definitely keeping the raspberry one for the future. I’m pretty good about having a bottle (or 3) of wine in the house, but I never have beer (don’t drink it) and never have liquor (too expensive). But for Christmas, I got fabulous martini glasses and I do love a good martini so I’ve been thinking I need to get on the whole bar thing. But simple recipes with few ingredients are a must!!
.-= A Super Girl´s last blog ..Not here, but over there =-.
How exciting! These look like so much fun. Thank you for sharing!
.-= Lisa´s last blog ..Seeing life as a verb, and coming to terms with doing. =-.
Oh, I LOVE a good Tom Collins. So tasty! In the summer (and any time of year, really) a margarita or mojito hits the spot. So does a vodka tonic with lime. Not that exciting, I realize, but I just can’t do the super sweet drinks.
.-= Stevie´s last blog ..Three =-.
Ohhh, yes. I want these. Yes I do. Thank you!
.-= Kara´s last blog ..My own tiny secret garden =-.
I have to admit I don’t really drink at home (except in company). But you know, if I had a husband (or boyfriend, I’m not picky, haha) for company, I think I’d probably enjoy a drink or two on a warm summer night.
.-= Karen´s last blog ..Phototastic =-.
I definitely want to get a bar stocked up in our home too! We buy wine here and there and have a couple bottles of alcohol, but we don’t keep things stocked up necessarily…
Those drinks sound lovely! Have a wonderful time sipping out on your patio!
.-= Melissa Oklahoma´s last blog ..Spring & Summer Goals (2010 Edition) =-.
Gin isn’t my thing, but the cocktailmajig sounds fabulous…
.-= MinD´s last blog ..Women’s Writes — But it’s not the 1950s… =-.
My favorite drink is Blue Hawaiian – blue cruaco, 7up, pineapple juice, coconut malibu rum. So yummy! Then I put cherries in it too.
.-= Michelle´s last blog ..Happy Easter =-.
Oh man, a good summer drink makes me so happy. I love beer but in summer it’s so heavy. That raspberry drink sounds amazing and your title for it is dead on.
I love it here!
Champagne! Elderflower champagne is easy to make and a real spring early summer treat.
See my blog post How to make elderflower champagne
.-= Pasty Muncher´s last blog ..Marathon Munching =-.