It’s summer ya’ll, pour me a drink! In case you haven’t noticed by that sweat forming on your upper lip [cute] — it is OFFICIALLY  summer. Time for outdoor concerts, days at the pool, and you guessed it…fun cocktails! I’ve always appreciated a good mixed drink but lately I’ve been feeling a bit more creative when it comes to my happy-hour choices. Moon-lighting as a bartender for the past 10 or so years [yikes] — I dabble as a ‘mixologist’ which makes me sound like I should be wearing some “flare” pins and working for a corporate chain. Bleh. Basically I get bored easily and like to come up with new drinks for my friends/fam to test out.

One commonality as of late? MINT. Seriously cannot get enough of this herbaceous goodness in my life. I want it in my drinks, on my food, shoot I may just rub a little behind my ears for extra freshness. My girlfriends agree — mint is the word. And whether it’s a fresh bunch from the farmer’s market or a sprig you cut from your own crop [super easy to grow!] – this stuff is one of my favorite flavors of the season. It instantly infuses a refreshing punch to anything it’s added to. Turns out Cooking Light was on the same page with my latest obsession. Check out some of their minty-fresh ideas here. Below are two of my own concoctions that I mixed up during a recent trip to Wolftrap to see Amos Lee and David Gray [swoon]. IZZE’s sparkling juices played a big role. I could drink those babies solo – so tasty! Solo or not, who cares what the question is because the answer is always…vodka. 🙂

Pomegranate Minty Basil Fizz

Fill your glass to the top with ice. Add desired vodka, lime juice from at least 2 lime wedges, and freshly chopped mint & basil [approx 2-3 leaves of each].
Top with IZZE Sparkling Pomegranate Juice and fresh pomegranate seeds.
Enjoy!

 

Grapefruit Mint Fizz

Fill glass to the top with ice. Add desired vodka, lime juice from at least 2 lime wedges, and freshly chopped mint [approx 2-3 leaves].
Top with IZZE Sparkling Grapefruit Juice, garnish with a grapefruit slice & more mint!
Cheers!!