Blackberry Gin and Tonics

Hello! Sorry for the period of absence from the blog. I was in the great state of Washington for the third and final week of work related training last week, and Jacob flew out over the weekend so we could spend some time exploring Mount Rainier National Park and Seattle together. We had an absolute blast.

While no gin and tonics were consumed on our trip, we did eat and drink some fabulous things. I can't wait to tell you all about them in my full recap very soon!

Let me just say, I was very skeptical of gin before I first tried it. I had heard so many people talk about their deep hatred for the liquor and so I stayed away from it. But then, one day, Jacob talked me into taking a sip of his gin and tonic. YUM! So refreshing, light, crisp, piney (in a good way, I promise), and slightly sweet. It's now my go-to "fancy" drink. This past week I decided to switch up the normal gin and tonic by adding a few frozen blackberries to my drink. It was fabulous. If you are over the age of 21 and not pregnant, I highly recommend you try this.

 This creation is just a slight twist on the classic gin and tonic. Frozen blackberries were the only "non traditional" ingredient.

Fresh black berries would work just fine too.

The gin to tonic ratio I usually stick to is 1/3 gin to 2/3 tonic, poured over ice.

A squeezed lime wedge is very necessary, in my mind.

Enjoy!

Grapefruit Cucumber Martini

Grapefruits are dirt cheap right now - at least here in Boone they are! You can't beat $1.47 for a huge bag of them at the local Harris Teeter. I typically pack a grapefruit with my lunch every day, but I needed some additional ways to use up the citrus fruits that were living in my fridge. And so, the grapefruit cucumber martini was born. This drink is the perfect pick me up for one of those winter-is-never-going-to-end kind of days.

Start out with some grated cucumber, reserving a few slices for garnish. Then, juice one whole grapefruit, reserving a couple of slices for garnish.

For the alcohol, I used gin, vodka, and triple sec (for sweetness). Clearly these are not top shelf liquors, but top shelf would be just fine as well.

Add the liquor to a martini shaker with ice, cucumber shreds, and grapefruit juice, and shake!

Pour the martini into a cool glass (this newly wed didn't register for martini glasses, so this fancy bar glass will have to do instead). Keep in mind, this is a martini, so it is mostly alcohol. It looks like such a small amount of drink, but believe me, it's powerful. Please drink responsibly.

Garnish with the reserved slices.

And imagine it's not 22 degrees with winds gusting up to 60 miles per hour :). Yes, that was the actual forecast on the day that I created these drinks!