yes, i know it is not actual friday and that is is definitely not happy hour. 

i'll spare you the gory details of my last couple days, but basically friday i had the blog all queued up and ready to go and then my computer froze. and friday at three was the last time i had free time. 

but none of that matters now. the only thing that matters is that today, i get to be with family, eat a ton of food and there is no work to be done! 

after a bustling holiday season, i just want to enjoy a cocktail and relax. so here is an EASY cocktail with a very festive feel. 

cranberry mint cooler
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 4-5 hours (as long as it takes ice to freeze)
active time: 1 minute
ingredients: 6 oz your favorite white wine. .25 cup club soda. sphere or regular ice mold. 10 cranberries. 10 small mint leaves. mint sprig for garnish

start by creating your ice. in your mold, add the mint and cranberries. top with water and set to freeze. 

when you are ready to indulge, add one sphere or a few of your cranberry ice cubes to your glass. 

top with white wine.

add club soda as desired and enjoy. 

garnish with mint and serve.

merry christmas, a

cranberry mint cooler
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 4-5 hours (as long as it takes ice to freeze)
active time: 1 minute
ingredients: 6 oz your favorite white wine. .25 cup club soda. sphere or regular ice mold. 10 cranberries. 10 small mint leaves. mint sprig for garnish
start by creating your ice. in your mold, add the mint and cranberries. top with water and set to freeze.
when you are ready to indulge, add one sphere or a few of your cranberry ice cubes to your glass. top with white wine.add club soda as desired. garnish with mint sprig. 

let's get real. you and your holiday guests are about to consume a ton of cocktails. and the last thing you need at this moment is a bunch more work to do. 

but let me ease your fears. simple syrup is really as easy as the name would lead you to believe. if you have sugar on hand and ten minutes to spare, you can easily throw this syrup together. it is a life savor when the moment is a little sour and you need to add a bit of sweet to the situation. once made, you can keep the syrup in the fridge for a month and i find myself using it as a light sweetener on fruit, in my tea as well as in my holiday beverages. you are really only limited by your imagination. 

if your imagination is fried, that is ok too. here are a few cocktails you could use the simple syrup for. 

pomegranate + candied rosemary gin & tonic
casco bay sweet limeade
blackberry + sage gin fizz

simple syrup
serves: 1 cup
prep time: 1 minute
active time: 10 minutes
total time: 15 minutes
ingredients: 1 cup water. 1 cups sugar. medium saucepan. 

in a medium saucepan combine the water and sugar. 

bring the mixture to a boil. let the liquid boil until the sugar has dissolved. 

once the sugar has dissolved, remove the liquid from the heat and allow it to sit for a few minutes before you bottle up the simple syrup.

store it in a jar or bottle in the fridge for up to one month. 

xo, a

simple syrup
serves: 1 cup
prep time: 1 minute
active time: 10 minutes
total time: 15 minutes
ingredients: 1 cup water. 1 cups sugar. medium saucepan. 
in a medium saucepan combine the water and sugar.
bring the mixture to a boil. let the liquid boil until the sugar has dissolved.
once the sugar has dissolved, remove the liquid from the heat and allow it to sit for a few minutes before you bottle up the simple syrup.
store it in a jar or bottle in the fridge for up to one month.