thirsty thursdays (with a special guest).

drinklife

Jul 4

Written By

as i said yesterday, and at the beginning of the week, i asked some of my friends for help around this here blog. trish was one of them. trish and i happen to share a love for many things, pretty cocktails and happy hour being two of them. we have been sitting on the idea to do a happy hour collaboration for months now, and july just seemed like the perfect time to start our little project. you lucky kids will see trish here with cocktail recipes a couple times during the month of july, and i will be over on her blog sharing some of mine too!thank you so much trish! you are a girl after my own heart, and i am so happy we finally decided to get our booties in gear to do this. cheers and happy 4th of july!

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¡Hola! I'm Trish and I normally dish over here, but today I'm pleased as punch to do a little guest post for the lovely Erin!I started my blog a couple of years ago, mostly because I wanted to create and share recipes. In reality, I "dish" about a little of everything and I've made quite a few blog friends (blends) along the way. When I'm not blogging, I'm usually baking cupcakes, hanging with my sweet hubby and pup, and taking in all that Wisconsin has to offer with my awesome family and friends. Admittedly, I'm one of the many overworked and underpaid, but in all honesty, I love my job and try my best to truly relax when I'm not working. Blogging is one of the methods I use to unwind. Well, blogging and drinking. ;)Last summer I started a semi-weekly tradition of sharing a refreshing summer cocktail on my blog, just in time for the weekend. More often than not, my Thirsty Thursday concoctions involved Hendrick's Gin. As it turns out, hooleywithaz here is also a fan of Hendrick's so I thought it might be a good idea to share a Hendrick's cocktail on her blog.And in honor of Independence Day, it was also imperative to make this cocktail a certain few, patriotic colors.It starts with a simple syrup that you absolutely may make ahead of time and store in a sealed container in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it. If you want to use it right away, you'll just want to make sure it's at least cooled to room temp before using.Melon Berry SparklerIngredients:1 cup fresh watermelon chunks5 raspberries; rinsed5 strawberries; hulled, rinsed and de-stemmedjuice of 1 lime1/2 cup sugar1 tbsp. agave nectar (honey would also work)2.5 oz Hendrick's Gin2.5 oz lemonadeflavored sparkling water (I used raspberry lime)iceDirections:Place watermelon, berries, lime juice, sugar, and agave nectar in medium saucepan over medium heat. Use a potato masher to mash fruit as small as possible. Bring mixture to a boil and allow to simmer for five minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Strain into a glass jar and refrigerate until ready to use.To assemble the cocktail:Place a few ice cubes in the bottom of your favorite cocktail glass. Pour 2 oz. of melon berry mixture over ice cubes. Toss in a few blueberries. Add more ice. Add Hendrick's and lemonade. Add more ice, if desired. Top with sparkling water.Happy Independence Day to you and yours!