Peach & Raspberry Sangria

I drank some lovely peach sangria on my recent trip to Savannah, and I HAD to make some for myself when I got home! It's really the ideal summer beverage. Fruity, refreshing, and easy to drink, Peach & Raspberry Sangria is perfect for porch-sittin' or soaking up some sun at the pool or beach. And the fresh fruit at the bottom of your empty glass is a juicy added bonus! The sweet peaches and tart raspberries combine with a hint of citrus in triple sec to give this sangria a bright, summery flavor.


Peach & Raspberry Sangria
Makes 8 Servings
Total Time: 5 minutes

0.75 L white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
11.2 oz peach nectar
6 oz club soda
3 oz triple sec
2 peaches
6 oz raspberries

1. Slice peaches.
2. Mix all ingredients. Pour over ice and enjoy!

I found peach nectar in the ethnic food section of my grocery store. The rest of the ingredients are very standard! I chose Pinot Grigio rather than a Riesling or Moscato because I didn't want the sangria to be overly sweet. The peach nectar and fresh fruit add a decent amount of sweetness! I think Pinot Grigio ended up striking just the right balance.

Just slice up the peaches and mix everything together! My Georgia peaches from the farmer's market were so soft and sweet and fragrant. Almost too ripe, which is right where you want them.

There's something about drinking sangria that makes me want to kick my feet up and relax. A little summertime day-drinking by the pool or at a cookout and I am one happy girl! And how easy is this recipe?! No blending or muddling or syrup-making. Just slice, mix, and enjoy!

Watermelon Margaritas

It's Saucy Jocey's Kitchen's 1st birthday! I can't believe it! This experience has been an absolute BLAST and I can't wait to continue experimenting with food, dirtying-up my kitchen (my fiance and I have a clutch deal going - whoever cooks doesn't clean), and showing you all what I come up with :) Although the school year leaves me pretty swamped, it's summer again, which means more free time and more blogging! I can't wait. As for the coming year, a few of my goals for my blog are:

1. Improve my food photography. Get a new camera too?

2. Post at least once a week on average. Note - that's about what I averaged this past year, but next year I will be even MORE swamped than I already am, with more school, work, and planning a wedding :) I'm DEFINITELY not complaining - I'm a lucky girl! I'm also a busy girl though, so once a week blogging is a reasonable goal I think!

3. Redesign my blog. I've dabbled a little in html (surprisingly little considering my major - computer science), so I can figure my way around some website designing I think! 

4. Cook healthier. Don't get me wrong, I love the occasional fried chicken and sugary baked good, but for every day, my goal is to eat healthier than I do now. I would like to make a not-putting-as-much-garbage-into-my-body lifestyle change. Paul and I joined an organic produce buying club recently, which keeps fresh organic produce in the house at all times, which I LOVE. 

To anyone stopping by to read my blog, thank you :) sharing recipes and stories with you all this past year has been a joy, and I look forward to many more!

To celebrate year one - a fruity summer cocktail of course! Margaritas scream summertime to me, as do watermelons. This marg is definitely a lighter cocktail as far as alcohol content goes, as opposed to Beergaritas which are more on the potent side. Feel free to add more tequila to your liking! A bit slushy and not overly sweet, this is the perfect poolside cocktail! 

Watermelon Margaritas

Makes 5 (1 cup) servings

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

3 cups chopped watermelon

1 1/2 cups limeade (simply limeade ideally)

1/2 cup tequila

salt for the rim of the glass

Puree 3 cups of chopped fresh watermelon. Mix watermelon puree, limeade, and tequila. Serve over ice with a salted rim!

It's a little baby watermelon! We got this mini guy in our organic produce share from Annie's Organic Buying Club. It's been such a nice change to have organic fresh produce always around to snack on and cook with! Paul and I get the 3/4 share, which two people can finish in a week if they put their minds to it, but it's a tiny but of a challenge. But that's good, because it forces us to eat more fruits and veggies than we used to :)

Give the watermelon a rough chop so you can measure out 3 cups, and puree in the food processor!

Mix the pureed watermelon with limeade...

... and tequila! These margs are definitely on the easy-drinking side of the cocktail spectrum. Feel free to add more tequila if you want!

Serve over ice with a salted rim, sit back, relax, and enjoy!

Beergaritas

Are you longing for summertime? I know it's January, but honestly, Florida isn't very cold. And damn it, I was craving a margarita! 

My friends introduced me to beergaritas over the summer, and drinking them by the pool quickly became a weekend ritual. Let me just tell you... you get some bang for your buck with these. They're quite strong but still drinkable and refreshing due to the limeade concentrate and lime juice. 

Whip up a batch of Beergaritas, relax, and pretend it's summer!

**Thanks Laura and Dan for the recipe!**

Beergaritas

Makes about 4 servings (5 1/4 cups)

Total time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

6 fl oz tequila

12 fl oz corona beer

12 fl oz limeade frozen concentrate

12 fl oz sprite or club soda (depending on your desire for sweetness)

1 Tbsp lime juice

Mix all ingredients and serve over ice with a salted rim. Enjoy!

Sideline Sippers

This recipe is inspired by my friend Rebecca's famous (or infamous) punch. Ever since I tasted her punch I've been making it for every large gathering I host, especially if we have to beat the heat! The citrus flavors make it delightfully refreshing AND mask the alcohol very well ;) This batch below is LARGE but cutting it down is easy - just use a 750mL bottle of vodka, one lemon lime soda, and 12 fl oz frozen lemon lime concentrate mix.

Featured in La Petite Fashionista Magazine :)

Sideline Sippers
Makes 14 servings (16 fl oz each)
Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients
1.75 L vodka
4 L lemon lime soda
24 fl oz frozen lemonade concentrate mix
Sliced lemon, lime, and orange for garnish


- Mix all ingredients and serve chilled with ice.

Raspberry Cosmopolitan

I decided to mix up a girly cocktail today! I had cranberry raspberry juice in the refrigerator and vodka in the freezer and I got to thinking.... I keep seeing this brilliant idea online - freezing fruit and using it to keep your cocktails cold! Makes perfect sense! Keeps your beverage nice and cool and ADDS flavor instead of taking it away like ice cubes. I froze a few raspberries and added them to the cosmo. Quite a nice alcoholic beverage ;)

Raspberry Cosmopolitan

3 oz cranberry raspberry juice

2 oz vodka

1 oz triple sec

1 oz limeade

a few frozen raspberries and a slice of lime

Mix cranberry raspberry juice, vodka, triple sec, and limeade (in a shaker if you have one, with ice). Serve in a martini glass with frozen raspberries and a slice of lime. Enjoy!