today is st. patrick's day. one of those holidays that pretty much means nothing to you unless you are... 

a. irish
b. a child in school
c. a college student (or those who still drink like college students) who wants an excuse to drink at six in the morning. 

but hey, i'm down for a reason to drink. and i'm definitely down for some jameson in a pretty cocktail glass. not much of a weekend going on over here this week... or the next... or the next... so i'll be getting my sips in where i can fit them in. and i'm starting with an hour or two in the garden tonight with one of my old favorites. 

whiskey smash
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 2 minutes
active time: 1 minute
total time: 3 minutes
ingredients: 2.5 oz whiskey. two small lemon wedges, plus small slice of lemon for garnish. 1 tsp simple syrup. 1 mint sprig. 2 cups crushed ice. serving glass of your choice. strainer. shaker. muddler.

start by dividing your ice between the shaker and the serving glass. set the serving glass aside. 

in the shaker, combine the simple syrup and the juice of the lemons. 

throw the lemon wedges into the glass as well. 

then, pluck all but the pretty top leaves of the mint sprig and add them to the shaker.

muddle the lemon, syrup, ice and mint together. 

then pour in your whiskey. 

shake until well combined. 

strain into your serving glass. 

garnish with small lemon wedge and the mint sprig and serve. 

xo, a

whiskey smash
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 2 minutes
active time: 1 minute
total time: 3 minutes ingredients: 2.5 oz whiskey. two small lemon wedges, plus small slice of lemon for garnish. 1 tsp simple syrup. 1 mint sprig. 2 cups crushed ice. serving glass of your choice. strainer. shaker. muddler.
start by dividing your ice between the shaker and the serving glass. set the serving glass aside. in the shaker, combine the simple syrup and the juice of the lemons. throw the lemon wedges into the glass as well. then, pluck all but the pretty top leaves of the mint sprig and add them to the shaker. muddle the lemon, syrup, ice and mint together. then pour in your whiskey. shake until well combined. strain into your serving glass. garnish with small lemon wedge and the mint sprig and serve. 

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.