Gin & Soda with Lime

Now for something short and sweet: I love gin and tonics like Augustus Gloop loves chocolate. I love chocolate, too, but when it comes to adult beverages I prefer unsweetened and even a bit on the sour side. Thus my undying love for G&T's. Unfortunately tonic water has almost as many calories as regular sweet carbonated beverages like coke or ginger ale, so I like to swap the tonic for zero-cal soda water.  This is a perfect example of adulthood: attempting to be health conscious while I get my drink on.

Makes 2

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces gin (I prefer Beefeater)
• 12 ounces soda water (1 can)
• 1 lime, sliced
• Ice 

Directions:

1. Place ice in two glasses. Add 2 oz. gin to each glass, pour 1/2 can soda water into each glass.
2. Lightly squeeze one slice of lime into each glass, then add the remaining slices to the glasses and stir. Serve and enjoy!

 

White Sangria with Strawberries

This is unbelievably easy and perfect for those times that you want to get your party on but also pretend to be classy, like when you host ladies night at your place or bring a specialty drink to a barbeque.

To be quite honest before last weekend I had never made White Sangria, so I was a bit nervous. I mean, you pour everything in and have to hope for the best! Yikes!

However, after a Pinterest binge and a chat with a really friendly woman at the liquor store I just went for it. The beauty of Sangria is that you can tweak it to be what you want, not what it should be.

Also quite the bonus, you don't have to splurge on a crazy expensive wine, because all of the other ingredients will smooth out any cheapo wine you pick.

Makes 8-10 tumbler-sized servings (you'll probably want to double, triple, quadruple this recipe, it's just so dang delicious)

Ingredients:

• 1 pint strawberries, sliced (about 2 cups sliced)
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 orange, halved
• 1 lemon 
• 1 bottle Pinot Grigio
• 1/2 cup Triple Sec
• 16-24 oz. ginger ale

Directions: 

1. In a small sauce pan add the strawberries and orange juice. Lightly simmer until the orange juice thickens to a more syrupy consistency, about for 8-10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, slice the orange and lemon and place in a large pitcher.  Add the strawberries, wine, and Triple Sec. Use a long spoon to mix the fruit and wine, then let it sit covered in your fridge at least 4 hours (overnight if you can!). Pour in 16oz. ginger ale right before serving (adding more if needed).
3. Serve with a ladle, scooping some fruit into each cup as well. 

Substitution Options: 
Orange juice:  Any other citrus juice such as limeade, lemonade, or grapefruit juice etc.
Triple Sec:  Brandy, Cointreau, or White Rum
Ginger ale: Sprite, 7-up, Lemonade
Fruit: Apples, peaches, pineapple, mango... really anything that's in season!