happy memorial day weekend friends. nothing says summer kick off like memorial day.

and my favorite summer fruit is watermelon. it has basically been baby’s number one craving since the beginning of my second trimester. for a while there i was eating one fourth of a watermelon A DAY. i suffered a few months of bad watermelon season but we have official turned that corner towards summer and the watermelon pickings are GOOOOOOD.

fresh, crisp, sweet watermelon is a special experience. but once your watermelon goes a little bit past its freshest or if the watermelon texture is mealy, blending it up for the juice is the PERFECT solution. with baby on board, i have been drinking watermelon juice straight. but for wesley, i’ve been whipping up this delicious vodka + watermelon cocktail for him to enjoy.

watermelon + rosemary cooler

serves: 1 cocktail

prep time: 3 minutes

active time: 1 minute

total time: 4 minutes

ingredients: 5 oz watermelon juice (i blended 1 cup watermelon and strained the juice from the pulp). 2 oz vodka. 1 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice. 3-5 oz club soda. 1 rosemary sprig. 2 cups ice. tall serving glass. shaker/strainer. optional: borage flowers or other blue edible flowers for garnish.

start by combining the watermelon juice, vodka and lemon juice in the base of your shaker with half the ice. remove the bottom two thirds of leaves from the rosemary sprig. smash and tear up the rosemary leaves and add them to the shaker.

shake vigorously for 30 seconds to combine everything and to release the oils from the rosemary. fill your serving glass with the remaining ice. strain the contents of your shaker over ice.

top the cocktail off with club soda.

stir well and garnish with the rosemary sprig and edible flowers. serve and enjoy.

xo, a

watermelon + rosemary cooler

serves: 1 cocktail

prep time: 3 minutes

active time: 1 minute

total time: 4 minutes

ingredients: 5 oz watermelon juice (i blended 1 cup watermelon and strained the juice from the pulp). 2 oz vodka. 1 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice. 3-5 oz club soda. 1 rosemary sprig. 2 cups ice. tall serving glass. shaker/strainer. optional: borage flowers or other blue edible flowers for garnish.

start by combining the watermelon juice, vodka and lemon juice in the base of your shaker with half the ice. remove the bottom two thirds of leaves from the rosemary sprig. smash and tear up the rosemary leaves and add them to the shaker. shake vigorously for 30 seconds to combine everything and to release the oils from the rosemary. fill your serving glass with the remaining ice. strain the contents of your shaker over ice. top the cocktail off with club soda. stir well and garnish with the rosemary sprig and edible flowers. serve and enjoy.

there is this really beautiful plant nursery near where we live and a couple of years ago they opened a restaurant on site focused on seasonal, farm to table food. it is one of the most beautiful places to dine, not just near me, but anywhere. and the first time i went i had a tasty cocktail that had some really impressive little star flowers in it. after some research, i discovered that they are the flowers of the borage plant.

after a little digging, i discovered it is an herb often used for medicinal purposes. the flowers and leaves are used for everything from headaches to depression and its oil can be used for all types of skin conditionals as well as arthritis. AND while you probably wont be able to purchase a plant of borage at your local nursery, they are VERY easy to grow on your own. you can find seeds HERE and before you know it, you can have your own stunning star flowers.

now with all that blubbering about a less than one inch blossom out of the way, the point is they are a great compliment to this cocktail. this spring time beverage is delicious with edible flower garnish or with out. it is a little sweet, a wee bit tart, very herbaceous and the perfect way to start your passover/easter weekend.

lemon + sage sparkler

serves: 1 cocktail

prep time: 1 minute

active time: 2 minutes

total time: 3 minutes

ingredients: 2 oz vodka. 1 oz lemon juice + small lemon wheel for garnish. 4 large sage leaves, torn and smashed to release their oils + a sprig of sage for garnish. 1 tsp sugar. 5 oz club soda. 2 cups ice. borage flowers for garnish, optional. muddler. shaker.

start by combining the torn and smashed sage leaves, the sugar and the lemon juice together in the base of your shaker.

muddle the mixture until the sage is really smashed and the sugar is absorbed into the liquid.

add in the vodka and half the ice to the shaker and shake well till everything is combined.

strain the contents of the shaker over the remaining ice in your serving glass. top the drink off with the club soda and stir well.

garnish with your sage sprig, lemon wheel and edible flowers if you have them. serve and enjoy.

xo, a

lemon + sage sparkler

serves: 1 cocktail

prep time: 1 minute

active time: 2 minutes

total time: 3 minutes

ingredients: 2 oz vodka. 1 oz lemon juice + small lemon wheel for garnish. 4 large sage leaves, torn and smashed to release their oils + a sprig of sage for garnish. 1 tsp sugar. 5 oz club soda. 2 cups ice. borage flowers for garnish, optional. muddler. shaker.

start by combining the torn and smashed sage leaves, the sugar and the lemon juice together in the base of your shaker. muddle the mixture until the sage is really smashed and the sugar is absorbed into the liquid. add in the vodka and half the ice to the shaker and shake well till everything is combined. strain the contents of the shaker over the remaining ice in your serving glass. top the drink off with the club soda and stir well. garnish with your sage sprig, lemon wheel and edible flowers if you have them. serve and enjoy.