If you’re like us, then you definitely hit the swimming pool this season multiple times already. If you haven’t, we don’t know how you’re surviving. To help you get through the brutal summer and thanks to Ben & Jack’s Steakhouse, here is a recipe for a delicious cocktail: the Swimming Pool.

Ingredients:

1 Oz. Absolut Vodka

2 Oz. Malibu Rum

2 Oz. Pineapple Juice

1 Oz. Heavy Cream

Splash of Blue Curacao

Method:

Mix your Absolut Vodka, Malibu Rum, pineapple juice, heavy cream and Blue Curacao. Shake with ice. Fill a tall glass with ice and strain the contents in your mixing glass over the ice. Garnish with one slice each of pineapple, orange and lemon, and a Maraschino Cherry.

The weekend is here and the weather is hot. That means you need something refreshing to drink, right? Thanks to the Palo Verde Restaurant at the Boulders Resort, we have the perfect drink for you while you lounge by the pool. Cactus Lemonade sounds delicious, but don’t worry, there’s no cactus in it.

Ingredients:

1 & ½ oz. of Absolut Citron Vodka

½ oz. of Prickly Pear Syrup

3 oz. of fresh lemonade

 Method:

Add all ingredients to a shaker and mix well. Strain into a tall rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with a lime wedge

Okay, since it is just one day away from June, let’s go ahead and call it summer. Today is Friday and that means it is time to get the weekend started. What is one the best summer drinks? Margaritas, of course. Thanks to Village Tavern, here is a recipe for a deliciously fresh margarita.

Ingredients:

2 oz. Tequila

2 limes, halved

1 ¼ oz. Agave Nectar

Salt (optional)

Method:

In shaker, juice lime halves and put halves in as well. Add tequila, agave nectar and ice. Shake vigorously and put in glass

Friday is here and we are definitely ready for the weekend. We’re not sure about you, but we’re ready to relax. To help us relax, we need a new cocktail. Check out the Mango Cosmopolitan from Soi 4 Bangkok Eatery. It’s an easy cosmo to make and we’re betting it’s delicious, as well.

Ingredients:

2 oz. of Ketel One Vodka

1 oz. of Triple Sec

2 oz. o Mango Juice

1 oz. of Sweet and Sour

Method:

Add all ingredients to a martini shaker and mix. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with a lime wedge

In case you didn’t know it, Friday is here. That means it is time to party. That’s where the Weekender comes in. This week, we’re bringing you a cocktail from Soi 4 Bangkok Eatery at the SHOPS at Gainey Village. The Basil Caipifruta is a Thai inspired drink guaranteed to get you ready for summer. Let’s take a look.

Ingredients:

2 oz. of Cachaca Rum

4 Freshly squeezed lemon wedges

4 basil leaves, muddled

2 tsp. of powdered sugar

Splash of soda

Method:

Add all ingredients to a martini shaker and mix well. Pour entire contents into a short glass with ice and garnish with a lemon wedge.

We don’t have to tell you but in case you’ve forgotten, today is Friday. With the weekend comes our favorite post of the week: The Weekender. Today’s cocktail comes to us from the Spotted Donkey Cantina at el Pedregal. The Flor Bonita is the perfect drink to have this weekend, whether you’re at the cantina or hanging out at home.

Ingredients:

1 ½ oz Sauza Hornitos

1 oz O3 Liquor

½ oz Hum (Hibiscus Spirit)

1 oz Margarita Mix

Method:

Build in shaker with ice. Shake hard around 10 times. Then strain and serve in short glass with ice. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Is it Friday already? Ah yes, the beloved weekend is here and that means it is once again time for the Weekender. Our latest and possible greatest cocktail comes to you from the brand new Salut Kitchen Bar. The Lemon Lavender Fizz is the perfect drink for summer. If you don’t feel like heading into Salut for the drink, they’ve been kind enough to share the recipe.

Ingredients:

2oz Bombay Saphire Gin

¾ oz Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

¾ oz Lavender Syrup

2 ½ oz Sparkling French Lemonade

Method:

Mix the gin, lemon juice, and syrup with ice and shake. Fill your favorite tall glass with ice and add the the mix. Then top it off with French sparkling lemonade. Garnish with a lemon wheel and a fresh sprig of lavender.

The weekend is upon us once again and that means it is time to bring you another delicious cocktail. Thanks to Del Frisco’s Grille, here is a recipe for the perfect warm weather cocktail, a pomegranate margarita. This one comes with an added bonus: anti-oxidants.

Ingredients:

2 ounces Avion Reposado Tequila

1 ounce Cointreau

1 ounce fresh lime-sour mix*

1 ounce POM pomegranate Juice

3 parts freshly squeezed lime juice

2 parts simple syrup (1 part water and 1 part sugar)

Method:

Dampen the edge of a rocks glass. Pour all of the ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake away. Put ice in the rocks glass and pour the mix in. Garnish with a lime and there you go.

Friday is here and that means it is time to get the party started. Courtesy of Thirsty Lion Pub & Grill in Tempe and on their menu all Spring, this Cosmo is refreshingly delicious. The Blood Orange Cosmo will give you your cocktail fix this weekend. If you don’t feel like heading into Thirsty Lion go ahead and make your own.

Ingredients:

1 ½ oz Absolut Mandarin

½ oz triple sec

¼ oz fresh lime juice

¼ oz blood orange puree

1 splash cranberry juice

Method:

Pour all ingredients into a shaker and shake well. Pour into your favorite martini glass and enjoy.

We’re guessing you already knew this but it’s Friday. The weekend is upon us and that means it is time for us to share another cocktail recipe for you good people. With spring in mind, here is a delicious recipe for a Bourbon Ginger

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup honey
1 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
6 cups fresh orange juice
4 cups pear nectar
1 liter bourbon
2 lemons, thinly sliced

Method:

In a large saucepan, combine 2 quarts water, the fresh lemon juice, honey, and ginger; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Then strain into a bowl to let cool. Add the orange juice, pear nectar, bourbon, and lemons to the lemon syrup and stir. Serve over ice in a short glass.

Is it Friday already? That week flew by. Anyway, if you’re looking to party, the Weekender has you covered. Perfect for relaxing by the pool with, the Skinny Strawberry Blonde is best drink to have in hand. Courtesy of the folks at Z’Tejas, here’s a delightfully easy recipe to mix your own.

Ingredients:

1.25 oz SKYY Wild Strawberry

3 basil leaves- torn and muddled

1 whole strawberry sliced or 6 slices of strawberry

1 oz lemon Juice

1 oz cranberry

.50 oz Ginger Monin Syrup

.25 oz Agave Nectar

Method:

Muddle 6 slices of strawberries and 3 torn basil leaves with the .25 oz of Agave Nectar in a mixing tin.  Add ice, 1.25 oz of SKYY Wild Strawberry Vodka, 1 oz lemon juice, 1 oz cranberry juice and .50 oz Ginger Monin.  Shank vigorously and pour into margarita glass.  Garnish with a whole strawberry on the rim.

Is it Friday already? With the weekend comes the Weekender. Today’s cocktail of choice comes from Z’Tejas. With Spring in the air, adding a little lemon and lime to your drinks is almost a necessity. The Skinny Blonde has everything you could want and at only 184 calories, why not drink one?

Ingredients:

1.5 oz SKYY Vodka

.75 oz lemon juice

.75 oz lime juice

.75 oz Agave Nectar

8 ea mint leaves

Topped with splash club soda

Finished with Lime Fomz

Method:

Combine 1.5 SKYY vodka, .75 oz lemon juice, .75 oz lime juice, .75 oz Agave Nectar and 8 mint leaves in a mixing tin with ice.  Shake vigorously.   Strain over fresh ice and top with a splash of club soda and finish with Lime Fomz.  Garnish with a lemon wheel on the edge of the glass and a mint sprig.

Can you feel it? Spring is in the air. Already it’s time to hang out and relax by the pool. What’s the number one relaxation drink? Lemonade. Well, this Weekender is going to bring you some. But not just normal lemonade, that’s boring. This is the Lemon-Champagne Sparkler.

Ingredients:

1 Cup of Lemonade

2 cups of Champagne

2 tbs of cranberry juice cocktail

Method:

Simple enough. Mix all the ingredients in your favorite tall glass and serve over ice. We recommend adding a little umbrella.

This Sunday, the luck of Irish will be all over. With St. Patty’s Day comes all sorts of events and delicious green beverages. If you’re looking to get away this weekend, the Hidden Meadow Ranch has what you’re looking for. Their menu this weekend has a little extra Irish flair. In case you can’t make it, they were kind of enough to bring us a the perfect St. Patty’s cocktail, the Leprechaun Kiss.

Ingredients:

2oz. Vodka

1 oz. Lime Juice

1 drop of green food coloring

1/2 oz. Creme de menthe

20z. Sprite (for a little fizzle).

Method:

Put all ingredients into a shaker with ice except the sprite. Shake well and pour into a martini glass. Top with the sprite. Garnish with a slice of lime.

Spring is in the air, can you feel it? With warmer weather comes an array cocktails to match. Today, we’re bringing you an icy twist to the classic cosmo. Perfect for those sunny days, the Cosmopolitan Slushy will cool your jets when you’re ready to relax.

Ingredients:

10 ounce (1 1/4 cups) citrus-flavored vodka
1/2 cup Rose’s lime juice
2 cups cranberry juice
4 ice cube trays

Method:

Combine the ingredients in a pitcher with 2 cups water and stir to blend. Pour the mixture into the ice cube trays and let it freeze for at least four hours. Right before serving, empty the trays into a large bowl and break up the cubes with a fork and serve.

Part dessert, part cocktail, what’s not to like about the Chocolate Martini? With the weekend in tow, we’re here to add a little sweetness to your Friday and Saturday. Courtesy of the Roaring Fork, here is their recipe for the chocolate martini.

Ingredients:

1.5oz Van Gogh Dutch Chocolate Vodka

.5 oz. Van Gough White Chocolate Liqueur

.5 oz Godiva Chocolate Liqueur

Method:

Mix all ingredients in a shaker with ice, shake and pour into a chilled martini glass lined with chocolate at the bottom.

As you may or may not know, today is National Margarita Day. To help you celebrate and seeing how it’s our favorite day of the week, the Weekender is all about the margarita today. Courtesy of Los Sombreros, here is the Pomegranate Margarita for Two.

Ingredients:

4 oz Azul silver tequila

2 oz pomegranate purée

1 oz pomegranate liquor

1 oz damiana liquor

6 oz fresh lime mix

Method:

Serve over ice in a large margarita glass. Good to share.

Just because Valentine’s Day is over doesn’t mean you can’t drink a V-Day inspired cocktail. Some of you may not have even had the chance to celebrate the day of love yesterday. If that’s the case, then you should make yourself and your love a Cupid’s Arrow, courtesy of Uptown Alley.

Ingredients:

¾ OF APRICOT BRANDY
4 OZ. OF TOASTED HEAD CHARDONNAY
½ OZ. OF PEACH
2 QUARTERED STRAWBERRIES

Method:

Combine all ingredients along with cracked ice cubes in stainless shaker tin. Shake vigorously. Then pour into pint glass add 1oz of fresh cut strawberries and shake once, garnish with mint leaf.

Finally, the weekend is here and that means it’s time to party. If you’re planning on having people over this weekend, you’re going to need something to serve them. Enter the Weekender. If you love margaritas and aren’t afraid of trying something a little different, check out the Cucumber and Chili Margarita.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 ounces tequila
1 1/2 ounces Cointreau
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
8 thin slices of cucumber
cayenne pepper
1 lime wedge
kosher salt
ice

Method:
In a shaker, mix together the tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, cucumber, and cayenne pepper. Shake or stir.
Rub the rim of a glass with a lime wedge, then dip the edge in a dish of kosher salt. Fill the glass with ice and top with the mixed margarita

Since it’s the beginning of February, we decided to bring a little love to this week’s Weekender. With Valentine’s Day just two weeks away, you’re probably hoping your beloved will call you, maybe. Here’s a drink that’ll help you break the ice, a la Del Frisco’s Grille. The  “Call Me Maybe,” is a refreshing pair of shots designed to share with your special Valentine. Head into Del Frisco’s to grab a couple. For future reference, here’s the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 oz Crown Royal
1 oz Peach Schnapps
2 oz Cranberry Juice

Method:

Shake over ice to chill and strain into shot glasses.

Is it really the weekend already? Seeing how it is indeed Friday, let’s get your couple days of freedom started with the Weekender. In today’s edition, we’ll be bringing you the Tequila Grapefruit Splash. Something sweet, delicious, and easy to make. This recipe creates enough for 20 people, so adjust accordingly.

Ingredients:
2 quarts fresh pink grapefruit juice
2 liters ginger ale
1 liter tequila
3/4 cup Campari
1/4 cup Triple Sec
ice, for serving

Method:
In a large bowl, combine and mix all of the ingredients and then serve over ice.

Finally, the weekend is here. Do you have any plans? Maybe you should think about having some of your friends over. But what are you going to serve them? Don’t worry, we’ve got your back. Check out the Bourbon Ginger Snap. It’s refreshing, sweet, and easy to make. Let’s take a look.

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup honey
1 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
6 cups fresh orange juice
4 cups pear nectar
1 liter bourbon
2 lemons, thinly sliced
ice, for serving

Method:

In a large saucepan, combine 2 quarts water, the fresh lemon juice, honey, and ginger; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for five minutes. Then strain into a large bowl and let it cool. Add the orange juice, pear nectar, bourbon, and lemons to the lemon syrup and serve over ice.

Though it’s January, we’re going to go ahead and pretend like it’s summer again. We’ve got warm breezes and beaches on our mind. So, for this edition of the Weekender we’re going to go south of the border. From Epicurious, here is a refreshing cocktail: the Paloma.

Ingredients:

kosher salt
1/4 cup fresh grapefruit juice
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup mezcal or tequila
1/4 cup club soda

Method:

Salt the time rim of your glass. Combine the grapefruit juice, lime juice, and sugar in the glass; stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in mezcal or tequila, add ice, and top off with club soda. Garnish with grapefruit wedge.

Like we mentioned earlier, it’s Friday, are you ready to get the weekend started? If you’re planning on having some people over tonight or just want an easy cocktail to make for yourself, we’ve got you covered. This is the Spiked Sparkling Cider. Warning though, this recipe is meant for 20 people, so adjust accordingly.

Ingredients:
4 bottles cold Prosecco (or some other dry sparkling wine)
6 cups cold apple juice
3/4 cup cinnamon schnapps (such as Goldschlager)

Method:
In a large bowl, combine the Prosecco, apple juice, and cinnamon schnapps. Then serve in glasses with or without ice.

It’s Friday and that means it is time for your weekly dose of cocktail-deliciousness. Seeing how it’s the end of the December and New Year’s Eve is just three days away, let’s talk about what you’ll be drinking to bring in 2013. So we know that champagne is pretty much a necessity on New Year’s, but how can we give it a little more of kick? Check out this Champagne Cocktail.

Ingredients:

1/4 oz brandy
3/4 oz ruby port
3/4 oz orange juice
4 oz Champagne

Method:

Pour the brandy, port and orange juice into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into a Champagne flute. Top with Champagne.