Just like today’s DIY Friday’s post, all December we will be bringing you holiday-inspired cocktails. In today’s Weekender, we proudly present the Gingerbread Apple Cocktail, a la Marie Claire. Blending the holiday spirit of gingerbread and apple cider with – well, actual spirits, this cocktail will be a hit at your holiday party. Let’s take a look.

Ingredients:

2 oz. Domaine de Canton
1 oz. vanilla vodka
2.5 oz. apple cider
A few drops of lemon juice
Orange zest
Agave syrup

Method:

Line a chilled martini glass lightly with agave syrup on a dish followed by spiced graham cracker crumbs. Place all ingredients except for orange zest in a shaker and shake vigorously. Strain into glass. Freshly grate orange zest on drink and serve immediately.

If you love cocktails as much as we love cocktails than absolutely positively click on this link.

With the weather gradually starting to cool down, we decided to warm things up a bit with this week’s The Weekender. The Hidden Meadow Ranch in Greer has  great recipe for a chestnut inspired drink. Available at the ranch, they have been kind enough to pass along the recipe to all of you. It’s the perfect drink to sip on while sitting around the fire with your loved ones.

Ingredients:

1 Roasted chestnut

1 TBS sweet butter

1 TBS brown sugar

Dash cinnamon

Dash of nutmeg

2OZS dark rum

1 cup boiling water

Method:

Roast a fresh Chestnut in a 350 degree oven. Make a small “x” through the shell before placing in oven, unless you want it  to explode. Place Chest (Warm) in the bottom of a mug, with all other ingredients. Pour hot water over and let steep for a couple of minutes. Enjoy your cocktail and eat the chestnut at the end for an added bonus.

With all this talk about pumpkins recently, we thought we’d give a pumpkin recipe with a kick. No, this isn’t pumpkin pie, this is The Weekender. Courtesy of ZuZu, the Pumpkin Martini is a must for season-themed drinks. You can head to ZuZu to pick one up throughout November, or if you’re feeling a bit adventurous, here’s the recipe to make your own.

Recipe

1 oz. Stoli Vanilla Vodka

.5 oz. Kahlua

1 oz. pumpkin syrup

.5 oz. creamer

Method

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Strain and pour into a martini glass, top with cinnamon and pumpkin seeds.

Before we know it, Halloween will be upon us. We’ve brought you some Halloween events and recipes so far, but what about a Halloween cocktail? You can order them all year round, but we’re pretty sure there’s an increase in demand during October for the Brain Hemorrhage. Not so much a cocktail and more of a shot, the brain hemorrhage will give you and your friends a fright. A drunken fright that is.

Ingredients and Method

1/2 – 3/4 oz. Peach Schnapps
Float 1-2 Tbl. of Baileys on top
Drop 1 tsp of grenadine through the Baileys.

With the conclusion of the first presidential debate this week, it’s time we got into the political arena. No, we’re not going to nitpick every topic and statement made. Instead, we’re going to bring you something a little more exciting. Courtesy of the Hermosa Inn, we present to you presidential cocktails: the Obama Swizzle and the Romney Refresher.

Obama Swizzle

2 oz Baker’s (union made) bourbon

1 oz Dubonnet Blanc (union made)

1 oz pineapple juice

Bittermen’s tiki bitters

Hum float

This edition of The Weekender is going to sweeten up your day. Apparently, it is National Honey Month. This weekend, the Honey Festival kicks off at The Boulders. So, courtesy of the Spotted Donkey Cantina in North Scottsdale, we’re bringing you this delicious Oaxaca Honey Cocktail. Too lazy to make your own? Don’t worry, Spotted Donkey will be serving them.

Ingredients

With October approaching rapidly, pumpkins and other fall related things are starting to pop up everywhere. That said, we decided to jump on the bandwagon. Okay, we may be getting ahead of ourselves here, but this Pumpkin and Gingerbread Cocktail sounds amazing. It’ll be perfect for your first autumn get together.

Ingredients

2 oz Goslings Dark Rum
1 tbsp gingerbread essence
1 oz Pumpkin Molasses
1/2 oz chilled coffee
Splash of Kahlua
Garnish: Ginger bread cookie

Directions

Shake all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain the mixture into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a ginger bread cookie.

Now this is a drink for the socialite in all of us. The Ritz Carlton in Paris claims origin of the drink. We don’t know that for sure, but we can tell you it’s been around for almost 100 years. Our friends at SASSI have come up with a twist on this classic cocktail. Introducing the Fig Sidecar.

INGREDIENTS:

2 oz. of Fig Infused Remy 1738

1 oz. of Cointreau

1 oz of Lemon Juice

Fig and Lemon, to garnish

METHOD

1. In a tall mixer, add Fig Infused Remy and Contrieu with ice and shake well
2. Pour mixture in a martini glass, served up
3. Garnish with a lemon wedge and fig

It’s Friday and that means it is time for The Weekender. Are you a fan of the cosmo but want something with a little extra kick? The Urbanpolitan should be right up your alley then. This bolder version of the cosmo adds citrus flavor to one of your favorite cocktails. Let’s take a look at the recipe so you can make it at home, no problem.

Ingredients:

lemon-flavored vodka
orange liqueur
lemoncello
cranberry juice
fresh lime juice
sour mix
lemon peel, garnish

Who doesn’t love a good mojito? How about one with a little bit of sweetness? From our friends at Sassi, you should try the Tangerine Mojito for yourself. It’s ridiculously easy make, so if you’re looking to impress some friends this weekend, go ahead and use this recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

Freshly muddled mint and lime
2 oz tangerine cello
4 oz club soda

METHOD
1. Combine all ingredients in a shaker and mix well
2. Pour liquid into a tall Collins glass over ice
3. Garnish with a lime wheel and mint sprig

Let’s face it, if the Olympics were a drinking game and you took a shot every time you heard our national anthem, you would be in trouble. So we’ve come up with another way to honor all of the Olympians who have had the chance to stand at the top of the podium and sing along to the Star Spangled Banner. This week’s featured cocktail, the Chilean Pisco Star-Spangled Punch from The Kitchn, is dedicated to Team USA.

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup fresh-squeezed, strained lemon juice

1 750-ml bottle Chilean Pisco

1 quart cold water

1 star fruit, sliced into 1/4- inch thick slices

The peel of 3 lemons, each cut in a 1/2 inch wide spiral with a vegetable peeler

In honor of the London 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony this evening, we couldn’t help but share this royally appropriate cocktail. Summer Gold, originally created by Basil Hayden, is the literal embodiment of Olympic spirit. This summer games-inspired cocktail, courtesy of Guys Gab, mixes classic British tea with America’s favorite spirit, Bourbon.

Ingredients
1 1/2 parts Basil Hayden’s Bourbon
1/2 parts Pimm’s® No.1
1/2 part Cold Black Tea
1/2 part Simple Syrup
Mint Leaves
Ribbon of Orange Peel

Preparation
1. In a metal tumbler, muddle mint into the simple syrup until mint becomes aromatic.
2. Add remaining ingredients and ice.
3. Stir together until tumbler gets cold.
4. Top off with more ice and garnish with fresh mint and an orange peel twist.

It’s muggy. It smells like rain. It must be July. Because we miss those double-digit temperatures like the deserts miss the rain, we’re celebrating our favorite summer storm’s namesake, the Monsoon, courtesy of FoodNetwork.com this week.

Ingredients

4 ounces unsweetened ice tea

4 ounces tangerine vodka (recommended: Grey Goose)

4 ounces sugar cane juice

1/2 key lime, juiced

Several mint leaves

1/3 cup brown sugar, for rimming glass

Preparation

 ½ oz.   fresh lime juice

 ¼ oz.   Agave nectar

 ½ oz.   Apple Pucker

 3 pieces of  watermelon (cut into 1 ½ x 1 ½ squares)

Preparation

1. Muddle watermelon in mixing glass.

2. Add lime juice, Agave nectar, Atlantico Platino rum and ice.

3. Shake and strain into an ice filled highball glass.

4. Garnish with a watermelon rind.

In light of the impending Zombie Apocalypse we’ve found yet another platform to celebrate the way pop culture embraces the strange, the creepy and the downright terrifying events in the news lately. The Red Zombie, courtesy of Drink of the Week, has quite a list of curious ingredients, including eyeballs (no bath salts though).

Ingredients

1 ½ oz. Skyy vodka

3 oz. tomato juice

½ tsp. finely-grated horseradish

1 tsp. barbecue sauce

3 dashes Worcestershire sauce

3 dashes Tabasco sauce

»READ MORE

Happy B-day, Uncle Sam. To celebrate the country’s favorite holiday, we have rounded up our favorite “pinteresting” foods that will have everyone at your 4th of July gathering seeing stars.

1. Red, White and Blue Fruit Skewers: Luckily, summer is berry season which means pulling off these delicious (and healthy) fruit-on-a-stick appetizers is easy as cut, skew and serve. Use strawberries, blueberries and bananas for the perfect patriotic look. You can even take it to the next level by arranging the fruit to look like a flag.

2. Patriotic Daiquiris:  By using frozen strawberries, blue curacao liqueur and coconut sorbet with a dash of rum, making this frozen red, white and blue cocktail is a simple way to get a buzz on with the press of a blender button. Your friends will be very impressed with your domesticity and they don’t have to know you snagged the recipe from the Food Network.

3. Hot Dog Flag: Is it really the 4th of July without the grill going? While we stand by the notion that simply having hot dogs at your shindig is celebratory enough, you can up the ante by arranging your wieners and buns into a clever flag shape. Visit this blog and learn how to make star-shaped french fries to finish off the design.

4. Star-Spangled Sandwiches – Probably the easiest of all our finds, these desserts can be in seconds and only require the purchase of some cheap ice cream sandwiches and red, white and blue sprinkles. Just unwrap, dip the sides in the sprinkles and serve. You can also shove some sticks into the end to make the eating process much easier for your intoxicated guests.

5. Chips, Veggies and Dip – We think you know where this is going, but in case the flag-colored food hasn’t gone far enough, you can now turn your regular crudite into something that would make Betsy Ross proud. Cut up red peppers, hicima and blue corn tortilla chips are the perfect trio for your favorite dip.

Everything found via Pinterest

Red, white and blue dipped strawberries are the perfect Summer treat for any 4th of July gathering. Photo courtesy of halfhourmeals.com.

It’s time to stop procrastinating and get busy prepping for that 4th of July gathering you’re hosting or attending. Since patriotic appetizers, drinks and party favors are so, well, patriotic and because it’s rude to show up empty-handed, we’ve taken the liberty (pun intended) of creating this holiday shopping list for you.

What to serve:

Half Hour Meals has compiled an exceptional list of recipes that pay tribute to the Red, White and Blue. Between the dessert ideas, the cocktail recipes, and the kid-friendly sweet treats you’re sure to find a uniquely edible way to salute to the USA this holiday. Don’t forget to keep these ideas tucked away for the Olympics later this Summer too.

What to buy:

It’s just not Independence Day without fireworks. Buying fireworks at tent stands and grocery stores is legal in Arizona; however, lighting them can be illegal depending on your city (as well as the date). Click here for more details.

The Grill Comb is not a grooming gadget, it’s a conversation piece. Save yourself the hassle of skewers this grilling season and get this multi-pronged grilling tool. Made from food-grade stainless steel, it’s reusable, dishwasher safe, and at a foot long, can handle plenty of food. Available at Uncrate.com for $11/2-pack.

What to wear:

No, not another commemorative Old Navy tee. We’re talking practical fashion for the triple digits. Here are some timelessly patriotic ideas, because, let’s face it, people love to rock the stars and stripes. For her and for him. Whatever your plans entail, don’t forget the lawn chairs, blankets, cooler and sun screen. Happy Independence Day.

Photo courtesy of SheKnows.com.

In the spirit of patriotism (and fireworks and paid holidays) we present a festive three-part 4th of July weekender courtesy of SheKnows.com.

Here are our colorful ambassadors of independence, perfect for family gatherings, potlucks, pool parties and any other occasion where temperatures soar above 100 degrees.

The Sparkler:

Ingredients

1 ounce raspberry vodka

1 ounce elderflower liquor

Splash of sparkling rosé wine

»READ MORE

Looking for a classy way to celebrate Independence Day in style and in air conditioning? Why not at the top of a Valley resort, in front of floor-to-ceiling windows where you can view firework shows stretching from Phoenix to Scottsdale?

The Phoenician’s J&G Steakhouse invites you to share this holiday in their restaurant’s open seating while enjoying specialty cocktails, a full a la carte menu or their Fourth of July-themed prix fixe menu Wednesday.

The July 4th Prix Fixe Menu includes three courses. Choose between local watermelon gazpacho, jumbo shrimp cocktail or heirloom Tomatoes with fresh raspberry vinegar and goat cheese for the first course. Next up is a grilled tuna burger, french fries, miso mayonnaise and yuzu pickles; barbecue sirloin tip with creamy local corn; or  a grilled pork chop, cherry mustard and sautéed mustard greens. The third course includes your choice of strawberry charlotte sundae, popping cherry pie or warm chocolate nougat tart with praline ice cream.

Festive 4th of July cocktails are available for $12 and include Red: Sour Cherry Caipirinha (Pirrasunga 21 Cachaca, cherry, lime), White: Vanilla Cream Soda (Svedka Vanilla Vodka, caramelized Sugar and club soda) and Blue: Blueberry Lemonade (Ketel One Citroen Vodka, lemon, blueberries and Sprite).

The July 4th Prix Fixe Menu is $45, is available Tuesday and Wednesday from 5 to 10 p.m.

Preparation

1. Cut 12 thin slices of cucumber for garnish.

2. Peel and chop the rest of the cucumber; transfer to a food processor, add rosemary and puree.

3. Pour the puree through a fine-mesh strainer (press on the solids to extract all juice).

4. Add water, gin, lemon juice and agave syrup to the cucumber juice; stir until the agave is dissolved.

5. Divide among 4 ice-filled glasses and garnish with cucumber slices and rosemary sprigs.

Photo courtesy of Mastro's Restaurants.

Because June is about dads and grads, we’ve pulled out all the stops and brought back a sophisticated classic this week. The Boulevardier, courtesy of Mastro’s Restaurants, is not only a super manly cocktail with an interesting history, but also is defined as a wealthy and fashionable socialite (no joke, check Google). But hey, if the shoe fits.

Ingredients

3 count Bulliet Straight Rye Whiskey

2½ count Vya Sweet Vermouth

1 count Campari

Photo courtesy of Del Frisco's Grille

It is no coincidence that Saturday marks both Arizona’s Annual Strawberry Festival and the opening of Del Frisco’s Grille at the Esplanade – the latter being home to Apt. 5D, our featured beverage recipe. This cocktail just so happens to be a strawberry celebration in and of itself. It’s simple, festive and certain to refresh.

Ingredients

3 oz. SKYY Vodka

1 oz. simple syrup

1 oz. lemon juice

¼ oz. Balsamic Vinegar

4 muddled strawberries

Preparation

1. Combine all ingredients.

2. Add ice and shake (stirring optional).

3. Enjoy.

When life hands you lemons, you head down to the nearest bar and drink away your sorrows. Oh, that’s not how the saying goes? Well someone should tell the people down at Tilted Kilt because their new cocktails seem to suggest they think otherwise.  Like that lemons serve a much better purpose when they’re shaken to a pulp on the rocks with alcohol and we have to admit, we agree wholeheartedly. Starting June 11 – August 5th, Tilted Kilt will be serving seven new “Shaker” cocktails which are handcrafted at the bar in mason jars (um…awesome?) and then shaken at your table by a scantily clad plaid Tilted Kilt girl. Pictured is the Watermelon Shaker which includes Bacardi Superior Rum, Monin Watermelon Syrup, Finest Call Premium Lime Sour, Cranberry Juice and garnished with a cherry and, you guessed it, lemon slices. If you feel the need to mix up your summer routine, then shimmy on down to one of the six Valley locations  and just shake it off.

Got plans this weekend? Of course you do. With Monday off and so much room (in your schedule) for activities, there’s no doubt you’ll be celebrating Memorial in some way. Sip on this refreshing Raspberry Beer Cocktail from My Recipes via Southern Living to stretch your drinking budget well into the long weekend:

Ingredients

3/4 cup frozen raspberries
3 1/2 bottles of chilled beer (or 12 oz)
1 12 oz. container of frozen raspberry lemonade concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup of vodka
lemon and lime slices for garnish

Preparation

1. Stir together the first four ingredients, serve over ice and add garnish. You may also add fresh raspberries. To make ahead, stir together lemonade concentrate and vodka in a pitcher and chill up to three days. Stir in raspberries and beer before serving.