Think blue skies, sunshine and the perfect, cool cocktail in your hand.

I really don’t need to say much more!

It’s looking like for the foreseeable future we’ll be staying pretty close to home. We’ve sadly had to cancel some vacations and the rest are pretty much up in the air. So, we’re making a conscious effort to enjoy recipes that take us somewhere else, even just for a minute.

The second I took a sip of this slushie I immediately felt like I was on vacation! So for this long weekend and the summer to come I’ll be making these slushies while we enjoy our backyard oasis.

How do you make this easy frozen alcoholic drink?

Fruit: Frozen mango and pineapple are truly tropical flavours to me. They go perfectly with the rum in this boozy slushie.

Lime: Lime juice adds just a bit of tartness and also makes a great garnish.

Rum: When I think of making a tropical drink, rum comes to mind as the spirit of choice. It just goes so well with the fruity flavours!

Honey, maple syrup or agave syrup: Use one of these sweeteners to help tone down the rum just a bit.

Blender & Ice: A blender to blend up this drink with a couple of ice cubes gets you that perfect slushie texture.

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Tropical Rum Slushie

Escape to the tropics with this Tropical Rum Slushie! This easy alcoholic drink has just 5 ingredients and is blended up for the perfect summer sip.

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Keyword easy cocktail, slushie, summer cocktail

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 4 cups

Author Jess

Equipment

• blender

Ingredients

• 2 cups frozen mango
• 2 cups frozen pineapple
• 1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup, honey or agave syrup
• juice of one lime
• 3/4 cup rum
• ice
• lime slices or mint to garnish

Instructions

• Add frozen mango, frozen pineapple, maple syrup, lime juice and rum to a blender. Blend on high until everything is combined. Add in a couple ice cubes and blend to your desired slushie texture.
• If the mixture is too thick, add a bit of water & blend until desired consistency is reached. Garnish with lime or mint & enjoy!

Notes

• Stores well in the fridge for a couple of hours. When ready to serve, blend again with a couple more ice cubes to reach desired slushie consistency.

The best thing about this drink is it’s EASY to customize to your tastes! A couple other delicious fruit combinations you may want to try are:

• Strawberry & Mango
• Pineapple & Banana
• Mangos & Peaches

And, if making this without rum is your thing, you could try substituting with coconut water or coconut milk.

So, let’s sit back, relax and cheers with this Tropical Rum Slushie friends!

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

The post Tropical Rum Slushie appeared first on Cooking in my Genes.

An Old Fashioned cocktail is my personal favourite but I’ve changed things up with a cozy, warming spiced simple syrup.

With just a couple of ingredients you can be sipping one by the fireside in no time.

If you like bourbon-forward cocktails, I think you will love this cocktail.

Even for those of you who are not bourbon-drinkers but are adventurous, you’ll want to give this a try!

What goes in an Old Fashioned

A classic Old Fashioned is made with: bourbon or rye whiskey; a sugar cube; and bitters. In many Old Fashioned cocktails you’ll also find an orange peel

What makes this spiced Old Fashioned cocktail recipe different is the addition of the spiced simple syrup which takes the place of the sugar cube.

The spiced simple syrup has a hint of sweetness mixed with warming spices like ginger, cinnamon and cloves. Mixed with the warmth of the bourbon you get a delightful sip that’s perfect for enjoying at home or during an evening with friends.

What do you need to make this Winter Spiced Old Fashioned

• Cocktail glasses
• Bourbon
• Spiced Simple Syrup
• Orange peels
• Agnostura or Orange Bitters
• One large ice cube per cocktail or a handful of smaller ice cubes

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Winter Spiced Old Fashioned

This spin on the classic Old Fashioned cocktail uses a spiced simple syrup that brings lovely warming notes to this Wintery sip.

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Keyword bourbon cocktail

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 1 cocktail

Author Jess

Ingredients

For the Spiced Simple Syrup

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 cinnamon sticks or 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 inch fresh ginger, sliced or 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 inch piece orange peel
• one large pinch ground cloves or ground nutmeg

For the Cocktails

• 1 ounce spiced simple syrup
• 2 dashes agnostura or orange bitters
• 2 ounces bourbon
• ice cubes

To Garnish

• orange peel
• cinnamon sticks

Instructions

Spiced Simple Syrup

• To make the spiced simple syrup. In a small pot bring 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, cinnamon sticks, fresh ginger, orange peel and cloves or nutmeg to a boil. Boil 3 minutes then remove from the heat and let stand for 30 minutes to infuse and cool. This syrup makes enough for 6-8 drinks.
• Remove the cinnamon sticks, ginger and orange peel from the simple syrup and store in the fridge until ready to use. *You can store simple syrup in the fridge for a couple of weeks.*

Winter Spiced Old Fashioned

• To make one cocktail add spiced simple syrup, bitters, bourbon and ice to a cocktail glass. Stir for at least 20 seconds and up to one minute.
• Spritz an orange peel over the glass to release its oils by giving the orange peel a twist and then add to the glass. Garnish with cinnamon stick as well if you desire.

What bourbon to buy to make an Old Fashioned

The bourbon you use will have a great deal to do with how this cocktail tastes. Bulleit is my personal favourite bourbon for an Old Fashioned. Some other favourite’s to try are Knob Creek or Four Roses. Whichever bourbon you choose, make sure you enjoy it in other drinks too.

I picture sipping this cocktail by a cozy warm fireplace, with the Christmas tree beautifully lit, holiday music on and a few friends over. It’s really perfect for the season!

More Winter cocktails to love from the blog:

Easy Mulled Wine

Kombucha Cranberry Bourbon Smash

Citrus Vodka Crush

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

The post Winter Spiced Old Fashioned appeared first on Cooking in my Genes.

This 3 ingredient cocktail is perfect for the season.

If you love a Negroni or Aperol Spritz, you’re sure to enjoy sipping on this spritz this summer!

Traditionally this is served as a pre-dinner cocktail made with Prosecco and an orange slice, but I’m mixing it up for the summer with Sparkling Rosé and lemon!

This spritz is lovely served in a rocks cocktail glass but you could also try a coupe or wine glass to mix things up.

What’s in a Campari Rosé Spritz

Campari: A herbaceous Liquor with slightly bitter notes that pair well with Rosé

Sparkling Rosé: The sparkling rosé is key to make this cocktail fizzy and bubbly. Try to use a drier rosé if available. If not, that’s ok too!

Club soda: Just to top things off and bring the simple ingredients together.

Garnish: Add a lemon slice or lemon peel twist or you could even add a slice of strawberry to bring out the summer flavours even more.

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Campari Rosé Spritz

Made with just 3 ingredients, this Campari Rosé Spritz is a beautiful, vibrant cocktail made for the summer season.

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Keyword summer cocktail

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1 cocktail

Author Jess

Ingredients

• 2 oz campari
• 3 oz dry sparkling rosé
• 1 oz club soda
• lemon slice or lemon peel twist
• ice

Instructions

• Add campari and rosé to a glass filled with ice. Top with club soda and lemon garnish of your choice.

This cocktail is lovely on it’s own but also delightful with a pre-dinner spread of appetizers like charcuterie or these mixed berry goat cheese crostini.

Or make a night out of it! Serve one of these dishes as your main course after enjoying cocktails and appetizers:

Leek and Pancetta Pasta

Easy Healthy Baked Lemon Chicken

Zucchini and Prosciutto Pizza

You’ll find me sipping on this Spritz all summer long!

Looking for more summer cocktail inspiration?

More cocktails from the blog that you might like:

Lavender French 75 Cocktail

Citrus Vodka Crush

Minty Cucumber Lime Sangria

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

The post Campari Rosé Spritz appeared first on Cooking in my Genes.

I LOVE when all of the different citrus varieties arrive at winter time, so I knew I had to create a festive vodka cocktail with them.

Pairing the citrus juice with the spicy & citrus notes of Northern Keep Vodka and fizzy ginger soda, it’s a sip you’ll come back to! Let’s cheers to the season with this Citrus Vodka Crush friends!

I’m taking my cocktail game up a notch by making my own citrus juice as the base for this Citrus Vodka Crush; if you have the time, it’s a game-changer!

By combining a variety of oranges and tangerines, you get a super fresh citrus juice made for cocktails. Plus, the colour is just so lovely.

Creating cocktails is one of my favourite things to do in the kitchen. I especially love to mix fresh fruit flavours with local spirits like Northern Keep Vodka which is made right here in Alberta! They use Canadian grains of rye and winter wheat to craft their vodka which gives it hints of citrus and a light spiciness. And, because the vodka is distilled five times you get a very smooth vodka that pairs perfectly with fresh fruits like the citrus in this cocktail.

How to make a fresh citrus vodka cocktail

Fresh citrus: Use a variety of citrus like blood oranges, tangerines, cara cara or navel oranges or grapefruits to mix up the citrus juice.

Vodka: Use a smooth vodka with hints of citrus to mix with the fresh citrus juice in this cocktail.

Ginger soda or ginger beer: The ginger soda or beer rounds out the bright, fresh flavours of this cocktail.

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Citrus Vodka Cocktail

With fresh citrus juice, ginger beer & vodka, this Citrus Vodka Crush cocktail is a bright, colourful drink to sip on during the holidays.

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Keyword citrus cocktail, holiday cocktail, vodka cocktail

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 1 cocktail

Author Jess

Equipment

• blender

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz Northern Keep Vodka
• 4 oz citrus juice
• 2 oz ginger soda or ginger beer
• ice
• garnish with extra citrus slices & mint

Citrus Juice

• 2 blood oranges
• 2 cara cara or navel oranges
• 2 tangerines or 1 large grapefruit
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2-1 tbsp honey

Instructions

• To make the citrus juice: Add peeled pieces of fruit and water to a blender and blend on high for 1 minute.  Taste and add ½-1tbsp honey if too tart, blend again and then strain into a container for use in cocktails.
• To make one cocktail: In a cocktail glass stir together vodka and citrus juice. Then, add crushed ice or ice cubes followed by a top up with the ginger soda or ginger beer. Garnish with citrus and mint. Cheers!

I seriously cannot get enough of the fresh citrus juice in this vodka cocktail! It complements the vodka and ginger soda just so perfectly.

If you’re short on time feel free to sub-in a fresh store-bought citrus juice. Whichever way you make it, this cocktail is so worth making anytime of year.

If you’re looking for more holiday cocktail inspiration, check out my other creations in partnership with Northern Keep Vodka. Try the Apple Ginger Cranberry Punch or the Pomegranate-Rosemary Vodka Sparkler!

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

Disclaimer: Thank you to Northern Keep Vodka for sponsoring this post. Thank you for supporting the brands that I support. All opinions are my own.

The post Citrus Vodka Crush appeared first on Cooking in my Genes.