It’s time to shake off those deck cushions and take a front seat as you wait for the show of aspiring blooms ready to perform in your garden. A delightfully refreshing cocktail that features Charbay Green Tea Vodka, this drink is perfect for spring and summer evenings as you listen to the shrimp sizzle on the barbie…

Ingredients:
2 oz Charbay Green Tea Vodka
2 oz fresh lemon juice
2 oz simple syrup
Soda water
Lemon wedge for garnish

Preparation:
Pour the vodka, lemon juice and simple syrup into an ice filled highball glass.

Top with soda water.
Pour the contents into a shaker to mix.
Pour back into the glass.
Garnish with the lemon wedge.

On a midweek night, Ronald Flores is running around Art and Soul Restaurant’s packed Art Bar serving up artisan drinks for a thirsty post-work crowd. As Art Bar’s mixologist, Flores has been a fan favorite and critic’s choice winner at Corcoran Gallery of Art’s ARTINI event for two years in a row. It’s no surprise. Flores has a knack for crafting unique and artistic cocktails, with tinctures and syrups only his imaginative mixology mind could concoct.

Figs are known to be sexy fruits and often thought to have psychoactive properties. The ancient Greeks associated figs with love and fertility. Of course, everyone knows these aphrodisiac elements can make cocktail mixing extra fun.

Flores’ fig and whiskey cocktail is sure to satisfy two very different palates. Not too sweet and not too bitter, the finish is smooth and warming. Allspice Dram complements smooth white whiskey, and a dash of lemon and ginger marries it all together.

1/4 Cup Van Gogh Dutch Caramel Vodka

1 can (14 oz) Pumpkin, chilled

3 oz. Reduced-fat cream cheese

6 oz. Low fat vanilla yogurt

1 Cup low fat milk

1/2 Teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 Teaspoon nutmeg

6 Teaspoons graham cracker crumbs, optional

 

2012 is the Year of the Dragon so there is no better way to celebrate National Rum Day (August 16) than with creative dragon inspired cocktails created by some of the nation’s most imaginative mixologists.  Using Ron Abuelo 12 Años, Panama’s finest, rich, dark and full-bodied rum, as the base spirit mix-up the delicious recipes below on August 16!

Below you’ll find an array of creative cocktails from across the nation.  

 

This Holiday Season, give a gift  that will get even your Grinchiest guests in the spirit – sophisticated table wine. VOGA Italia hails from Italy, the country best known for producing some of the world’s best wine as well as its’ keen sense of style. VOGA Italia encompasses all aspects offering a collection of crisp delicious wine thoughtfully packaged in a revolutionary re-designed bottle featuring a unique resealable cap. 

Since the company’s inception, VOGA has earned numerous awards and accolades for their sleek and sexy glass cylindrical bottle, presentation and most importantly taste.  The collection retails from $10.99 to $15.99 and includes Pinot Grigio, Merlot, Moscato, Quattro, Sparkling Pinot Grigio and Sparkling Pinot Grigio Chardonnay. VOGA is available in over 62 countries, hundreds of major cities, and can be found in thousands of the world’s trendiest bars, restaurants and shops. Wherever, whenever, if you are drinking VOGA you are drinking IN Style.

This Thanksgiving, shake up some wine cocktails with a holiday twist that will get even your Grinchiest guests in the spirit. VOGA’s Thanksgiving Sangria is sure to spice up your Thanksgiving dinner and kick start the holiday season.

Trick-or-treating may be for kids but Halloween stirs up sweet tooths spanning all ages.  For adults looking to stock their Halloween party bar with cocktails worthy of this sinfully sweet holiday, Van Gogh Vodka’s new irresistible Rich Dark Chocolate flavor is perfect for shaking up a spookily delicious drink.  With its naturally infused complex, dark cocoa taste, it is appreciated well-chilled and straight and also pairs well with a number of flavors and beverages.

Make hosting the party a breeze by serving a pitcher drink that you can make in bulk ahead of time.  The Cocktail Guru Jonathan Pogash’s Van Goghst Punch is easy to make and sure to please a crowd, mixing the Van Gogh Rich Dark Chocolate Vodka with fruit juices and sodas for a unique and unexpectedly refreshing cocktail.  Or for a single serving cocktail that is both sweet and tart, try the Maple Basil Sour, also developed by Jonathan Pogash.

Planning any end of summer cocktail stories? As the season winds down, late summer fruit takes center stage, with farmer’s markets and grocers overflowing with ripe peaches, fresh apricots, and the first apples of the season. Savor the final days of August with the Late Summer Sangria recipe from VOGA Italia, the thoughtfully packaged Italian wine with a uniquely designed resealable top.

Moscato offers subtle bubbles to any white sangria recipe, with light floral notes that blend perfectly with peach and citrus flavors.

Fair or not, perception is reality. People we meet every day in business and social settings make snap judgments about us that will likely influence our entire future relationship with them. Volumes have been written on how to make a good first impression, from the proper amount of time to hold eye contact, to the strength and duration of a good handshake, down to the shine on your shoes, all aspects of one’s appearance and demeanor are closely scrutinized and judged.

It is with that thought in mind that you should look at the glass in your other hand. What you drink helps flesh out the snapshot of who you are. For some women, it can be tough to be taken seriously in the old-boys-club situations that are still so common in politics and business.

Mojito
1.25 oz Captain Morgan® Original spiced rum
12 mint leaves
1 tbsp simple syrup
1/2 lime
2 oz soda
Place mint leaves and 1/2 lime in bottom of glass and muddle. Pour crushed ice, Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum, simple syrup, and shake. Add soda water and garnish with sugar cane, umbrella, or whatever tickles your fancy.

Pina Coloda
6 oz Bacardi® black rum
8 oz Coco Lopez® cream of coconut
8 oz pineapple juice
1 pineapple wedge
Combine rum, cream of coconut and pineapple juice in a regular sized blender. Blend on low speed, and fill with ice. Blend on high speed until ice is grainy. Pour into a hurricane glass, garnish with a
pineapple wedge, and serve.