A beautiful spring day deserves a cocktail on our patio! We have been staying in and around the house for weeks now as we adhere to the public health measures for COVID-19. Luckily we have plenty of cocktail supplies!

Since I had blackberries and basil in the fridge I thought I would give this mojito a try.

Cocktail Scale (out of 5*)
James 3.75*
Mellissa 3*

​I found the rum taste to be overpowering perhaps, more basil or blackberries would make a better drink. Or making blackberry syrup instead of just muddling them. 

Ingredients
1 Tbsp cane sugar
1/2 medium lime (quartered)
3 ripe blackberries (plus more for garnish)
6-7 basil leaves (plus more for garnish)
1.7 ounces white rum (such as Bacardi)
1 cup crushed ice
1/4 cup soda water (aka club soda) Instructions

Add lime segments, blackberries, and sugar to a cocktail glass and gently muddle 7-8 times (use a muddler or anything with a blunt edge, such as the handle end of a spatula). Add basil and gently muddle again 4-5 times to infuse flavor.

Add white rum and gently stir/fold with a spoon to combine.

Follow with crushed ice, gently stir, and top with a splash of club soda. Gently stir/fold once more. Then garnish with a bit more crushed ice and garnish with basil

Recipe is from Minimalist Baker can be found here 
.

A trip out to see Charlotte on the Easter weekend inspired me to get out my shaker and try a new martini - the Cottontail Martini.

​It was a fun drink to mix up. Overall the drink was good, a strong coconut flavour and quite sweet. The recipe calls for whipped vodka but I didn't have enough so I substituted vanilla vodka for most of the drink. 

Cock Tail Scale (out of 5*)
James 4*
​Mellissa 4*

Ingredients
1.5 ounces whipped vodka (or vanilla vodka)
1.5 ounces coconut rum
2 ounces half and half
1/2 ounce cream of coconut
Splash of pineapple juice
Honey, chopped sweetened coconut, and marshmallow to garnish

Begin with two shallow dishes. To one, add a teaspoon of honey. To the other, add the sweetened coconut. Rim the edge of the martini glass first in the honey and then in the coconut. Set aside.

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine the whipped vodka, coconut rum, half and half, cream of coconut, and pineapple juice. Shake vigorously; then strain into your prepared martini glass.

Using a knife, make a small slit in a marshmallow. Slip the marshmallow on the side of the martini glass.
Recipe from Inspired by Charm