Tag Archive: aperitif

  • Orchid Fever
  • This gorgeous cocktail is elevated by nibbling the orchid while you sip!...
  • Mon Jul 20th
    Tara Shinn
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  • The Secret Garden
  • This savory garden fresh cocktail highlights fresh oregano, basil and homemade flower pepper!...
  • Mon Jul 20th
    Tara Shinn
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  • berries-loaded-with-antioxidants
  • Are you getting enough antioxidants from your cocktails?
  • We all know that making healthy choices can be hard- especially when the weekend rolls around. Luckily, berries have tons of positive effects on health and can easily be added to to your liquid diet for a tasty dose of vitamins and antioxidants that will help you keep partying for years to come! H...
  • Sat Jun 13th
    Tara Shinn
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  • strawberry-sour-hdr
  • Forget Dying Your Easter Eggs- Try an Easter Egg Cocktail Instead!
  • Why waste time dying Easter eggs when you can use them to make a pretty pastel hued Easter egg cocktail instead?  I know that the term 'raw egg' is a bit scary for some people, but as any baker knows, egg whites are packed with protein and when emulsified (whipped or shaken) create a luxurious foa...
  • Sat Apr 4th
    Tara Shinn
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  • use-any-vinegar-to-make-a-cocktail-gastrique
  • Using cocktail gastriques
  • If you're an avid diner I'm sure you've seen the term "gastrique" used on a menu at least a few times (*Bonus points if you knew it was some type of sauce!*), but what are they really? To put it quite simply, it's caramelized sugar that has been mixed with vinegar to create a very flavorful sweet an...
  • Thu Mar 26th
    Tara Shinn
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  • Lady Charmant
  • This cocktail with raspberry, hibiscus, and rose water is a hopeless romantic!...
  • Fri Feb 13th
    Tara Shinn
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  • thanksgiving-cocktail-bruleed-cranberries
  • The perfect Thanksgiving cocktail: Cran-Apple Cider
  • What's a celebration without the perfect Thanksgiving cocktail? Whether you're hosting Thanksgiving dinner, or don't want to show up empty handed, this super easy infusion recipe might even turn into a annual tradition!   For this deliciously easy infusion recipe you'll need to first infu...
  • Thu Nov 20th
    Tara Shinn
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  • pixie-stick-syrup-blog
  • How to make pixie syrup for cocktails
  • Everyone knows that candy is the best part of Halloween- now you can turn it into a cocktail! This simple pixie syrup recipe is easy to make and can be made into cocktails, martinis or shooters for your big Halloween bash! 1. Sort your pixies You can choose to make whatever colors you want, bu...
  • Thu Oct 9th
    Tara Shinn
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  • top-5-home-bar-tools
  • Top 5 tools every home bar should have
  • Whether your experimenting with new cocktail trends or just love a good Martini, having the right tools (and knowing how to use them!) in your home bar makes crafting a great cocktail about a zillion times easier. Worried about breaking the bank? Fret not- you should be able to pick up everything on...
  • Thu Sep 18th
    Tara Shinn
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  • ultimate-mule-blog
  • What’s 10x better than a Moscow Mule? A Latvian one of course!
  • Who doesn't love a good Moscow mule? They're spicy, citrusy, and if made properly, super cold due to the traditional copper mug. It's almost silly to think you could improve on the classic cocktail, but we did! Here are step by step instructions on how to make a Latvian Mule- Made with Latvian Cliqu...
  • Thu Sep 11th
    Tara Shinn
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  • Untitled
  • celebrate labor day with the real maguire
  • Labor day weekend is upon us, and we all know what that means- Sunday Funday cocktails!! We work hard all year round so it seems natural to find a reason to celebrate even if we don't know who exactly came up with the idea ( was it Peter J. Maguire, co-founder of the Federal Labor Union, or Matthew ...
  • Fri Aug 29th
    Tara Shinn
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  • herbal-sugars
  • How to make herbal sugars for rimming
  •   We all know how a cinnamon sugar rim can take a fresh apple-tini to a new level- so why stop there? Using dried herbs to make herbal sugars is super easy, and will take classics to a whole new level! Let get started:   Add a few pinches of dried herb to a mortar (or spice gr...
  • Thu Aug 7th
    Tara Shinn
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  • Lemongrass Tea
  • This refreshing summer cocktail gets it’s citrus notes from yuzu and lemongrass!...
  • Fri Jul 25th
    Tara Shinn
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  • How to dry fresh herbs
  • Growing a cocktail garden: Part 3- Drying Herbs
  • You cocktail garden should be in full bloom at this point (refer to How to Grow A Cocktail Garden: Part 1 or 2 to catch up!), but what if you have more herbs than you can use or give away? Simple- dry them! Dried herbs fresh from the garden have way more flavor than anything you can buy in the store...
  • Fri Jul 18th
    Tara Shinn
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  • strawberry-shrub-blog
  • How to make a Strawberry Shrub
  • Condensing the flavor of seasonal ripe fruit, then preserving it with vinegar is know as a shrub, and is an easy way to add flavor to cocktails well after the growing season is over. Today I'll be showing you how to make a strawberry shrub, but you can use any high water content fruit you wish- plum...
  • Fri Jun 27th
    Tara Shinn
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  • how-to-make-the-best-sweet-tea-vodka
  • How to make your own sweet tea vodka in 10 minutes!
  • Sweet tea vodka comes in many different flavors and sizes (and prices!)- but they all have one thing in common: they're too sweet. Syrupy sweet- and unless you have the diet of a hummingbird (no judgment here if you do!) they can be pretty hard to stomach- especially if you're planning on mixing it ...
  • Fri Jun 13th
    Tara Shinn
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  • BYOV
  • Heading out to eat? Why not BYOV?
  • We're all familiar with the BYOB concept (it's when you bring you own booze to a restaurant or eatery without a liquor licence), but if you're heading out with a bunch of friends that can get pretty pricey. Why not BYOV (Bring Your Own Vodka!) and drink better while saving some cash! Afraid that a r...
  • Fri May 30th
    Tara Shinn
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  • planting-a-cocktail-garden
  • Growing a Cocktail Garden: Part 2
  • Now that your soil is prepped and your seedling are starting to grow (See Growing a Cocktail Garden: Part 1), it's time to start the most important part: Planting! I know it sounds easy enough, but there are a few factors that you will want to take into consideration when planting:   1. ...
  • Fri May 16th
    Tara Shinn
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  • springcocktails
  • Check out these top spring cocktails!
  • Spring is here, so why not celebrate with a nice refreshing spring cocktail? Here are the top 3  from the #MixBook: 1. Basil Lemondrop 2 1/2 oz Clique Vodka 1/4 oz basil syrup* 1/2 oz lemon juice Shake all ingredients over ice to chill, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. ...
  • Fri Apr 25th
    Tara Shinn
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  • egg-white-cocktails-using-nitrous-oxide
  • Egg white cocktails: Make a foam using nitrous oxide instead!
  • Egg white cocktails: We all love 'em for the silky texture and mouthfeel with the added bonus of that signature foam that gently settles on top, but most people shy away from this method due to possible cross contamination. We all know that raw egg is considered a hazardous substance in the kitchen ...
  • Mon Apr 21st
    Tara Shinn
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  • Growing-a-cocktail-garden-part-1
  • Growing a cocktail Garden: Part 1
  • Summer cocktails require fresh ingredients, and you can't get any fresher than plucking them from your own backyard, so why not spend a little time now (and save a lot of money later!), by planting your very own cocktail garden!   Step 1: Find your Zone It is imperative to find out wha...
  • Fri Apr 18th
    Tara Shinn
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  • The Heisenberg
  • If you don’t know to drink it- then maybe your best course of action would be to tread lightly....
  • Mon Apr 14th
    Tara Shinn
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  • How to dress up your lemondrop martini with lemon garnishes
  • Dress up your Lemondrop!
  • Spring is officially here, and for us that  means sun, fun and lemondrop martinis! There are dozens of lemondrop recipes out there for you to choose from, but after some searching we realized that it isn't quite the recipe the makes a lemondrop so enticing- it's the garnish! Whether you use one of ...
  • Fri Mar 21st
    Tara Shinn
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  • Green St. Patrick's Day cocktails!
  • Try a Cucumber Melon-Tini: The Perfect St. Patrick’s Day cocktail!
  • You don't need to be Irish to be excited for Saint Patrick's Day, if fact there's only one real necessity:  some tasty green St. Patrick's Day cocktails! Whether you want one that's clean and crisp, or one that goes down quick, here are a couple excellent recipes that you can whip up in no time! ...
  • Fri Mar 14th
    Tara Shinn
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  • How to smoke Clique Vodka with a smoking gun
  • How to smoke cocktails using a smoking gun
  • In response to some of the MixBook cocktails, we received some requests for a complete tutorial on how to smoke cocktails using a smoking gun, so here we go!: Add Clique Vodka to a  clean sealable glass bottle. If you are smoking 1-2 oz use a 750ml bottle, but for more than that (or a more i...
  • Fri Mar 7th
    Tara Shinn
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  • carnivalsin1
  • Indulge yourself this Fat Tuesday with a “Carnival Sin” cocktail!
  • Fat Tuesday is just a few days away, and even if you're still contemplating where to celebrate, make sure you shake up a "Carnival Sin" for a delightfully decadent pre-game cocktail- wherever the Mardi party takes you! With only 4 ingredients, this creamy lemon cocktail takes just a minute to make, ...
  • Fri Feb 28th
    Tara Shinn
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  • ibc
  • Power up with these immune boosting cocktail recipes!
  • Got the sniffles? Runny nose? Try one of these immune boosting cocktail recipes to make sure you kick that cold to the curb (or never get one in the first place)!   1. Powerhouse Punch Blueberries naturally increase the number of Natural Killer Cells- the ones that are responsible for ...
  • Sat Jan 18th
    Tara Shinn
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  • L.A.X.
  • Clique Vodka has landed in L.A.! Celebrate our arrival with an L.A.X. cocktail!...
  • Tue Jan 14th
    Tara Shinn
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  • Stargazer
  • Low calorie cocktails: 4 simple rules to follow
  • Americans drink about 20% of their calories, so stick to those New Year's resolutions by following these 4 simple rules for low calorie cocktails! 1. Cut the soda. Of course it seems obvious that soda water has less calories than cola, but did you know that a Clique & tonic has only 3 calori...
  • Fri Jan 3rd
    Tara Shinn
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  • blog-cover
  • 5 Fun and Easy New Year’s Eve Cocktail Recipes!
  • Whether you're hosting a New Year's Eve party this year, or just want to try a few tasty cocktails before you go out, here are 5 fun and easy New Year's Eve cocktails for you to try out! (Click on pictures for complete recipe instructions):  1. Prickled Pink This vibrantly colored cocktail mu...
  • Tue Dec 31st
    Tara Shinn
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  • Tips and tricks on how to make Holiday Vodka Infusions
  • Tips, tricks and recipes for making holiday vodka infusions!
  • Making your own infused vodka for the Holidays is not only a fabulous way of creating unique cocktails for your holiday gathering, but also makes a great gift too! By following a few simple rules, you can make sure that your holiday vodka infusions come out full of flavor and have a long shelf life!...
  • Fri Dec 13th
    Tara Shinn
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  • Holly Berry
  • A refreshing cocktail pairing Cranberry Infused Clique Vodka with mint...
  • Thu Dec 12th
    Tara Shinn
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  • The Grinch
  • Get into the holiday spirit with this festive green cocktail!...
  • Wed Dec 11th
    Tara Shinn
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  • Red Cock
  • Get it while it’s hot! (and before it may be gone!)...
  • Wed Dec 11th
    Tara Shinn
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  • Host the perfect holiday gathering with "The Partystarter" cocktail!
  • Host the perfect holiday gathering with “The Partystarter!”
  • Hosting the perfect Holiday party is never effortless- it takes planning, excellent timing, and attention to detail to pull off a good one, so for your next party, why not leave yourself more time to mingle by letting the guest serve their own cocktails? I know- part of being the host is providing d...
  • Fri Dec 6th
    Tara Shinn
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  • Mad Eye
  • This scary looking cocktail is actually light and sweet!...
  • Thu Nov 21st
    Tara Shinn
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  • ObamaCare
  • Check back soon, we are still trying to figure out how to make this cocktail work........
  • Thu Nov 21st
    Primo
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  • Sangria Stacker
  • Take your sangria to the next level and try stacking it for a beautiful presentation!...
  • Thu Nov 21st
    Tara Shinn
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  • Zen Garden
  • This crisp and refreshing cocktail is the perfect way to wind down after a long day!...
  • Thu Nov 21st
    Tara Shinn
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  • Cottontail
  • This rich and savory cocktail uses ginger syrup and carrot juice...
  • Thu Nov 21st
    Tara Shinn
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  • Hibis-kiss
  • This light and citrusy cocktail recipe uses an easy raspberry hibiscus syrup recipe you can make from flavored tea, as well as instructions on how to make one with fresh flowers!...
  • Thu Nov 21st
    Tara Shinn
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  • Stargazer
  • This bright and citrusy cocktail is perfect for watching a meteor shower!...
  • Thu Nov 21st
    Tara Shinn
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  • blog
  • This is a Mandatory Cocktail We Cant Figure Out
  • It's been 6 weeks since the Affordable Care Act (or ObamaCare) was initiated on Oct. 1st, and let's face it- the rollout wasn't too smooth. With a constantly crashing website and Americans receiving cancellation notices from their insurers for not meeting all the requirements of the new law, Preside...
  • Thu Nov 21st
    Tara Shinn
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  • spiced-toddy
  • Warm up with a hot cocktail!
  • With temperatures dropping all over the place, there's no reason you should have to settle for ice cold cocktails all  the time! The toddy is a traditional hot cocktail that consists of a spirit warmed up with hot water (or tea) and flavored with citrus (usually lemon) and spices, and does wonders ...
  • Fri Nov 8th
    Tara Shinn
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  • The "Mad Eye" Halloween Martini!
  • This delightfully gory Halloween cocktail is actually light and sweet!
  • Halloween is almost here, and what better way to curl up to a scary movie that with a gory Halloween cocktail? (And if you love scary movie like we do, make sure you enter to win a signed photograph of Tom Savini, legendary makeup artist for films such as Dawn of the Dead and Friday the 13th). This ...
  • Fri Oct 25th
    Tara Shinn
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  • Pumpkin infused vodka goes into this spooky "Hickory Trickery" cocktail
  • Make pumpkin infused vodka for this spooky Halloween cocktail!
  • It's pretty hard to miss the pumpkin craze going on, it's in everything from coffee to butter right now, so I took it upon myself to find out the best recipe for pumpkin infused vodka. With a couple tweaks and a couple pumpkins, here is my ultimate spooky pumpkin cocktail, Just in time for halloween...
  • Fri Oct 18th
    Tara Shinn
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  • Hail-yes-cocktail
  • Pittsburgh Yellow Cab celebrates 100 years with a “Hail, Yes!”
  • Pittsburgh Yellow Cab, a division of the Pittsburgh Transportation Group, celebrates 100 years of "Moving Pittsburgh Forward" this year. To celebrate, they are partnering with Clique Vodka for their anniversary gala to be held tomorrow and will be unveiling 2 new cabs designed by John Ross in additi...
  • Wed Oct 16th
    Tara Shinn
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  • Cottontail
  • Ward off colds with this carrot juice cocktail!
  • Fall is fully upon us, and that means a lot of temperature changes and a constant chill in the air. Fortunately, paying a little attention to what I consume for the next week or so will ensure that I don't end up with one of those nasty colds going around- I mean, who has time to be sick? For this w...
  • Fri Oct 11th
    Tara Shinn
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  • cocktail-creation-101
  • Cocktail Creation 101
  • So you've already mastered your shake, and know how to stir up the perfect martini (congrats!), but for The National Vodka Day Toast, we want you to step up your mixology game by adding a few new techniques to your roster. Sure, making the perfect cosmo is no small feat, but if you try adding in one...
  • Thu Oct 3rd
    Tara Shinn
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  • johnnyappleseed
  • Jump into Fall with this warm “Johnny Appleseed” cocktail!
  • If you have never warmed up with a hot cup of apple cider on a blustery Fall day- you don't know what you're missing. Literally. Why drink warm apple cider all by itself when you can make it into a cocktail?! Warm cocktails are the best when the weather starts to cool down, and nothing makes a Fall ...
  • Fri Sep 27th
    Tara Shinn
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  • sangriastacker
  • Take your sangria to the next level by stacking it!
  • Sangria is undeniably the most loved wine cocktail, probably because it's so versatile.  You can make it with red, white, or rose wine and basically any fresh fruit you have lying around. For the endless flavor possibilities you can come up with for a batch of sangria, one things is always the same...
  • Fri Sep 13th
    Tara Shinn
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  • Zen-garden
  • Relax this weekend with a refreshing “Zen Garden”
  • One of my favorite ways to relieve stress is gardening, and right now is my favorite time of the year. The garden is in full bloom, all the herbs are big enough to survive some snipping and the vegetables get bigger everyday. When I get home from a long day, the first thing I do is make myself a "Ze...
  • Fri Aug 16th
    Tara Shinn
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  • Aloe-El
  • This refreshing summer recipe uses Aloe Vera juice as a mixer!...
  • Fri Aug 2nd
    Tara Shinn
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  • blog
  • Get the good times rollin’ with an Aloe-El!
  • Extracting aloe gel from a plant can be time consuming, sticky and slightly dangerous if you don't remove the entire yellow latex layer from the gel sac (it's poisonous in small quantities), but with all new aloe drinks on the market today, adding aloe to your cocktails is simpler than ever! Aloe ju...
  • Fri Aug 2nd
    Tara Shinn
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  • blog
  • Try making your own orange infused vodka!
  • This week's cocktail, Pirate City, incorporates 2 different homemade ingredients: Homemade orange infused vodka, and homemade orange liqueur! Part I The first (and most crucial) ingredient to the Pirate City recipe is orange infused Clique Vodka. I know, it sounds slightly complicated, but I assur...
  • Fri Jul 26th
    Tara Shinn
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  • Pirate City
  • Learn how to infuse your own orange vodka, how to make it into orange liqueur, and how to use both in this fantastic orange cocktail!...
  • Mon Jul 22nd
    Tara Shinn
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  • Mama Doble
  • A refreshingly tart version of Ernest Hemingway's favorite tipple...
  • Mon Jul 15th
    Tara Shinn
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  • Insta-fusion
  • Using the "Insta-fusion" method you can use pressure from a cream whipper to make infused vodka in minutes instead of hours or days!...
  • Sun Jul 7th
    Primo
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  • Kooln’ The Gang
  • This colorful cocktail uses flavored ice cubes that slowly flavor the drink as they melt!...
  • Sun Jul 7th
    Tara Shinn
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  • blog
  • Make infused vodka in minutes with the “Insta-fusion!”
  •   Making infused vodka by steeping it with fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices is a great way to flavor cocktails naturally, but let's face it- sometimes you just don't want to wait 4-5 days for Meyer lemon zest to infuse Clique Vodka. The "Insta-fusion" utilizes a much different technique u...
  • Sat Jul 6th
    Tara Shinn
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  • Deadbeet
  • A savory infusion cocktail that gets it's radiant magenta color from beets...
  • Thu Jul 4th
    Tara Shinn
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  • expedition
  • Need a fantastic 4th of July Cocktail? Go on “The Expedition!”
  • This year, forget the sweet red, white and blue drinks and try a 4th of July cocktail with character! "The Expedition" has a many complex flavors and is a tribute to the accidental discovery of our whole continent in the quest for spices. With just three ingredients and a bit of prep, you can forget...
  • Fri Jun 28th
    Tara Shinn
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  • blog
  • Wondering how to spend National Martini Day?
  • There's no better excuse for stirring up a martini than National Martini Day! The martini has evolved quite bit from its original form,but it still reigns as one of the most popular cocktails of all time.  Although this two ingredient cocktail seems simple on paper, it can still be quite confusing ...
  • Wed Jun 19th
    Tara Shinn
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  • mistercocktail
  • Looking for the perfect Father’s Day Cocktail?
  • If you've been combing the interwebs looking for the perfect Father's Day cocktail to make Dad on his day of recognition- be glad you landed here, this is the last thing you'll need to read today. This cocktail is made for Dad- It's simple, strong, effective, and you get to use an interesting gadget...
  • Fri Jun 14th
    Tara Shinn
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  • basillemondrop
  • Try this summery Basil Lemondrop Martini recipe!
  • Fresher ingredients undeniably make for better quality cocktails, so most of my favorite summer drinks always utilize things from the garden, whether it's herbs, spices, vegetables or fruit. This delightfully light and savory Basil Lemondrop martini is not only refreshing, but causes my basil plants...
  • Fri May 31st
    Tara Shinn
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  • blog
  • Give mom some “En-Lighten-Mint” this weekend!
  • For mother's day brunch this weekend, show mom how much you appreciate all she does with this simple cucumber recipe. It's light, refreshing, and soothing, everything a pampered mom wants on Mother's Day! Muddle 1 1/4 oz Clique Vodka, 1 mint sprig, 2 cucumber slices and 2 lemon wheels in a co...
  • Fri May 10th
    Tara Shinn
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  • Perfect Pair
  • The “Perfect Pair” Martini!
  • The "perfect pair" of anything always good news- perfect pair of cards, perfect pair of jeans, or my personal favorite- the perfect pairing of two ingredients in a cocktail! Sweet green melon and pear are both light summery flavors, but when combined in this fabulous martini they make a dynamic duo-...
  • Fri Apr 26th
    Tara Shinn
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  • sbs
  • Have you ever tried smoking a cocktail?
  • It's the 3rd weekend in April, and we all know what that means. It's time to take your cocktail adventures outdoors of course! Finally I can put some fire to my cocktails and not worry about dropping embers all over my kitchen! This tried and true "Smoked Blackberry Sour" is one of my all time summe...
  • Fri Apr 19th
    Tara Shinn
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  • mexymango
  • Surprise someone with a “Mexy Mango” for April Fool’s Day
  • Well pranksters, your day is nearing and I'm sure you've been cooking up some fun ideas for April Fool's Day, so I'll be happy to pass on the recipe for a deceiving little cocktail called the "Mexy Mango."  It looks sweet and refreshing, but beware- it's got a chipotle kick that is quite surprising...
  • Fri Mar 29th
    Tara Shinn
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  • overtherainbow
  • Travel Over The Rainbow This Weekend
  • In light of the big holiday weekend I thought I would surprise you with a bonus shot recipe, and this one is easy to make, and big on style points. Great for kicking off St. Patrick's Day, OR heading out to see the Wizard of Oz prequel, these Over The Rainbow shooters are an absolute must for this w...
  • Thu Mar 14th
    Tara Shinn
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  • shamrockshaker
  • Go green this weekend with a “Shamrock Shaker!”
  • We all lucked out a bit this year, with St. Paddy's Day falling on Sunday- It's almost like getting  2 St. Paddy's Days back to back. So, on Sunday (The REAL St. Paddy's Day) when you think you just can't dance to any more Irish jigs- go ahead and have a few "Shamrock Shakers," I promise they'll ge...
  • Wed Mar 13th
    Tara Shinn
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  • prettyinpink
  • Get “Pretty In Pink” for International Women’s Day!
  • In 1910 a woman named Clara Zetkin stood up at the 2nd International Conference for Working Women in Copenhagen and proposed that once a year, in every country there would be a celebration where women were encouraged to press for equality. The result was unanimous approval from women from 17 differe...
  • Fri Mar 8th
    Tara Shinn
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