Thirsty Thursday: Blackberry Sage Cooler

Ingredients:

15 medium sage leaves

4 tablespoons sugar

1 cup water

8 ounces of blackberries

8 ounces of club soda

Bring the water and sugar to a boil over high heat just until sugar dissolves.  Crush the sage leaves with the back of a spoon and add to the syrup mixture and set aside to let the sage infuse for 15 minutes and then remove the herbs.

Meanwhile puree the blackberries in the blender and then strain the mixture through a fine strainer.

To serve place a tablespoon of the blackberry puree in the bottom of a glass, add a tablespoon of the sage syrup and top off with 8 ounces of club soda.  

photo & recipe via / Scaling Back

Thirsty Thursday: Coconut Mango Mojito

This Coconut Mango Mojito just screams summer! Try this for your next big event, small get-together, or just an afternoon of soaking up some sun. I think I might make this for my best friend's bridal shower in August. Wish me luck!

makes 1 mojito, but is easily quadrupled

6-8 fresh mint leaves

2 1/2 ounces of mint simple syrup

1 ounce of coconut rum

1 1/2 ounces of club soda

1-2 ounces of mango puree

the juice of one lime

To make the mango puree, combine 1 peeled + chopped, ripe mango in a food processor (or high speed blender) with the juice of 1 lime, and process until smooth (or at least almost smooth).

In the bottom of a glass, add 1 ounce of simple syrup and the mint leaves. Muddle with a muddler or use the clean bottom of something blunt, like a screwdriver! Add ice to the glass, and pour rum, syrup, mango puree, lime juice and club soda over top. Mix with a long spoon or knife and serve with an additional sprig of mint.

photo & recipe via / How Sweet It Is

Thirsty Thursday: Cucumber-Ginger Fizzes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of vodka

2 english cucumbers; 1 peeled and coarsely chopped, 1 left whole

1 lime cut into 8 wedges

2 bottles of sparkling water

1/2 to 1 cup of ginger simple syrup

Directions

Put vodka and cucumber in a non-reactive container. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Strain; discard cucumber. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to use, up to 2 days.

Using a vegetable peeler, shave the remaining cucumber lengthwise into wide strips; discard seeds.

Fill 8 tumblers with ice. Add 3 cucumber strips and 3 tablespoons infused vodka to each glass. Squeeze, then drop, a lime wedge into each. Top with sparkling water, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of syrup.

Recipe via / Martha Stewart