How to Make a Breezy Summer Cocktail

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Summer is officially just around the corner! Memorial Day is this coming weekend and I want to make some fancy lady cocktails. We can do so much better than a case of cheap PBR. I’m not knocking cheap-ass beer here, but variety is the spice of life! Let’s make some Lavender Lemonade.

I am no gourmet, but I do love a good infused vodka. You can DIY if you are going to have people over that you want to impress.  Here is an easy recipe for Lavender infused vodka. Substitute gin if you are feeling extra saucy.

Lavender-Infused Vodka Ingredients:

• 750 ml vodka
• 1 bunch fresh lavender, about 20 stems
• 1/2 orange, zest of (optional)

Instructions:

1. Pour one bottle of vodka over a bunch of fresh lavender.
2. Add the orange peel if using.
3. Store in a dark and cool place – or in the fridge – for about 2 weeks before using.
4. Ready to use when the vodka smells and tastes of lavender.
5. Strain into a fresh bottle or jar.

Now on to the lemonade! You could make this from scratch here, too.

From Scratch Lemonade Ingredients:

• Water
• 3/4 cup sugar (give or take depending on taste)
• Bag o’ Lemons (give or take depending on taste)
  

Instructions

1. Fill up a pitcher with 5 to 6 cups of water. Filtered water is better, but you’ll be just fine drawing from the tap.
2. Add sugar. You can use more or less sugar depending on how sweet or tart you prefer your lemonade to be, but try not to use less than 3/4 of a cup.
3. Take one of your lemons and place it flat against the counter. Roll it back and forth with your hands, lightly pressing down. This will make it easier to juice. If you have a juicer handy, use that to squeeze your fruit. If not, just cut the lemon in half with a sharp knife and squeeze it over your pitcher. Be sure to really squeeze every part of the lemon to get all the juice you can out of it.
4. Repeat step 3 with the rest of your lemons. Be sure to leave between one and three halves of squeezed lemons to add into the pitcher after you’ve finished!
5. Mix the lemonade until fully blended.
6. Add in a few lemon halves, this will add some extra flavor to your lemonade. Plus, it looks great!

Now we are getting to the good stuff! If you are super lazy (like me) you could get a bottle of lemonade and a bottle of infused vodka or gin. We taste-tested Karlsson’s Gold Lavender-infused vodka. It was some amazing stuff! Let’s hear it for lavender goodies. They taste like freaking flowers!

Take a shot of your infused hooch and add lemonade to taste.

That is the bare bones recipe, but you could take it a bit further into flavor town with some muddled blueberries! Or add some rosemary! Get crafty and get your fancy drinking on.

 

Images and recipes via nerdsathome.hubpages.com, food.com, karlssonsvodka.com, restlesschipotle.com