Hello Lovelies, I hope everyone had wonderful holidays surrounded by your loved ones. We enjoyed it a lot, spent cozy days with lots of cuddles and yummy food. And now the last hours of the year have really arrived. We were super grateful for 2017, we have been able to spent lot of quality time as a family, I quit my job to become a full time blogger and everyone is healthy - the most important thing. We are ready for some new adventures in the new year!
So for this year I want to share one last recipe (or recipes) for you: for some delicious drinks and cocktails. Perfect for NYE or any other gathering.
I really love a good cocktail, I don't like mine sweet or creamy like "Pina Colada" or "Sex on the Beach" but prefer more refreshing combinations and also the addition of herbs. So I was experimenting a bit for you to find new flavors and I'm happy to present you these recipes, which I hope you will like:
Pomelo-Pomegranate Cocktail
Ingredients: (for 2 big glasses)
1 1/2 cups fresh pomelo (the pulp) 4 cl Vodka grapefruit (e.g. Danzka Grapefruit) 1 Tbsp coconut sugar Juice of 1/2 pomegranate and some arils 2 cl lime juice some rosemary sprigs ice cubes
How-To:
Add the pomelo pulp, sugar, vodka, lime juice and ice cubes to a high speed blender and mix until smooth and creamy. Serve in cocktail glasses with the fresh rosemary, pomegranate juice and some arils.
I loved the taste of the fresh pomelo and it's subtle sour flavor, works so well in combination with the pomegranate and the hint of rosemary. If you can't find pomelo you can use pink grapefruit as well, just add more sugar if you need it sweeter. And you can also use plain vodka or no alcohol at all.
My second creation is a combination of freshly squeezed tangerine juice, lychees and fresh thyme or to be more specific lemon thyme - what a heavenly taste.
Tangerine Lychee Cocktail
Ingredients: (for 2 big glasses)
Juice of 5 tangerines (ca. 400 ml / 1 ¾ cup) 4 cl vodka (e.g. Danzka Citrus) 5 fresh lychees some sprigs of lemon thyme (or regular thyme) tangerine zest ice cubes
How To:
Juice the tangerines (or use store bought juice), peel the lychees and remove the stone. Add the juice, the vodka, the lychees and some thyme into a shaker with ice cubes and shake well. Pour into a glass with ice cubes, add the lychees as well and decorate with more thyme and some tangerine zest.
The last cocktail was a wish from Hubby, since he wanted a drink with apple. So I made a wintery version with apples, figs, cranberries and cinnamon - so good!
**Apple Fig Cranberry Cocktail **
Ingredients: (for 2 big glasses)
400 ml (1 ¾ cup) apple juice (I used freshly juiced) 4 cl fig vodka (e.g. Figenza) 5 fresh or dried figs 1 hand full of fresh cranberries 2-3 pinch of cinnamon juice of 1/2 a lemon 1 apple cinnamon sticks ice cubes
How to:
If you use dried figs you can soak them in vodka for some time (but this is optional). Add the apple juice, vodka, cinnamon, some cranberries and the lemon juice into a shaker with some ice cubes. Shake well and pour into 2 glasses with ice cubes. Add cranberries, figs, apple slices and cinnamon sticks and enjoy!
I used fresh juices since I love the intense flavor and it kind of feels healthy too (healthy with vodka :-) - and I love to spent some times preparing the cocktails, that's part of the ritual already. But you can also use store bought juices, I'm sure it tastes good as well. And you can make all 3 drinks without alcohol too, you don't need a substitute, just leave them out.
I really hope you all have a wonderful start into the new year wherever you celebrate and all the best for the new year! I'm so thankful for the past year and everything I achieved and experienced. Thank you for your support and love for my blog, recipes and pictures - it means the world to me! If you are still looking for food ideas for your celebration, have a look at our New Year's Eve party, and the vegan chocolate orange mousse makes a wonderful festive dessert.
Love Verena
