Sick of Snow? Curl Up with a “Purple Rain”

With just under a week of February left, I can’t be the only one getting a bit tired of all these blustery days. I’m starting to fantasize about all the wonderful plans for my garden this year, and  even if Phil did fail to see his shadow, I’m probably getting way ahead of myself. No matter. This weekend, I’ll sit down and and shop for extravagant seeds and wish for spring while I sip on a Purple Rain.

For this simple cocktail, we’ll first have to make one of my signature ingredients: raspberry hibiscus syrup. Sounds exotic but its actually very easy to make, which is why it is one of my go-to crowd pleasers. Bring 1 1/4 cup of water to a boil, cut the heat and throw in 5 raspberry hibiscus tea bags (I like Stash, but use whatever brand you prefer). Let that steep for about 10 minutes, then strain the tea bags out and squeeze out any remaining liquid. Add in 1 cup of sugar and stir until dissolved, then let cool. For the cocktail: fill a cocktail tin all the way with ice and shake 1 1/2 oz Clique Vodka and 1 oz raspberry hibiscus syrup. Shake very well, and then add in a small amount of regular (not light) whipped cream- just enough to bring a creamy texture to the cocktail. Shake again, and strain into a cocktail glass. The natural hibiscus brings a whole new twist to raspberry and cream, and make sure to let us see how much you love this one by tagging your Instagram pics with #CliqueShots!