cocktail Archives - Ari's Menu

Tart Cherry Margaritas

April 30, 2015 · by Ari ·

Tons of fresh flavor and the perfect amount of sweetness, tart cherry margaritas will disappear in minutes at any gathering.

Maaaar-gaaaaa-riiiiiitas! Only, like, the very best margaritas I have ever had in my entire life. And I do not use the words “very best” lightly I have had, and made, some bomb margaritas (does anyone still say bomb anymore?), but these babies take the cake.

I made an entire pitcher–like HUGE pitcher–for friends and family and literally the entire thing was gone in approximately 90 minutes. Even my friends who rarely drink kept going back for more, and I had to cut Steve off so there would be enough left for our guests. Not that I blame him though…I was equally obsessed.

I like a margarita where I can taste my tequila. I love a hint of sweetness, but I hate those margs that taste like pure sweet and sour mix. Ummm…gross. These are sweetened by with a little simple syrup. I use sugar, but you could always use agave to keep it naturally sweetened. The tart cherry juice and sour lime give it a little bite that you’d expect from a great margarita.

With just 5 ingredients and a big, bold taste, these will quickly become your favorite margarita, just like it has for me!

Tart Cherry Margaritas

Author: Ari Ziskin

Recipe type: Drinks

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Serves: 12

Tons of fresh flavor and the perfect amount of sweetness, tart cherry margaritas will disappear in minutes at any gathering.

Ingredients

For the simple syrup:

2 cups water
1½ cups granulated sugar

For the margaritas:

3 cups 100% tart cherry juice
2 cups fresh lime juice (I used about 15 limes)
2½ cups tequila
½ cup triple sec
simple syrup

Instructions

To make the simple syrup, heat water and sugar in a large sauce pan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, stirring constantly until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and let it cool for about 15 minutes.
To make the margaritas, gently stir all ingredients together in a large pitcher. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Boozy Red Velvet Hot Chocolate

February 9, 2015 · by Ari ·

Rich, creamy and boozy red velvet hot chocolate made with cream cheese and almond milk for an ultra creamy texture combined with white and dark chocolate chips and cake flavored vodka.

You guys, you guys, you guys, youuuu guuuuyyyysss! I am so excited I’m about to burst! Today we’re throwing a virtual baby shower for my BBFF (best blog friend forever…yup, we’re nerdy) Nicole from The Marvelous Misadventures of a Foodie. I cannot believe that within the next month Nicole will have a tiny human, and I will have to stop referring to him/her as White Baby. I’m a little sad about that.

Surrrrprise Nicole! It’s your party! Whenever I think of Nicole’s blog and her favorite foods, I think about pizza, brownies and drinks. So today all of the recipes will be just that–pizza, brownies and booze! I had grand plans for this super amazing infusion I wanted to create, but I couldn’t find all the ingredients I needed, so I went with plan B, and I can’t say I’m disappointed. 😉

This hot chocolate is totally over the top rich and creamy thanks to the cream cheese. I used a combination of white and dark chocolate chips to get the traditional vanilla and chocolate flavor of red velvet. If you have any buttermilk on hand, you can also add a tablespoon or two, but I didn’t and I didn’t want to get a whole container just for a few tablespoons, ya know?

So make sure as you sip on your boozy red velvet hot chocolate, that you head over and give Nicole some love and congratulations for growing a whole human! Also, I put together a little list of my 5 favorite recipes that I’ve tasted from her. It was so freaking hard because I seriously love everything she makes, but I’d start with her Bacon Infused Bourbon, DIY Pumpkin Pie Vodka, Mexican Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Ultimate Candy Bar Brownies, and Red Velvet Ice Cream.

Boozy Red Velvet Hot Chocolate

Author: Ari Ziskin

Recipe type: Drinks

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 3

Rich, creamy and boozy red velvet hot chocolate made with cream cheese and almond milk for an ultra creamy texture combined with white and dark chocolate chips and cake flavored vodka.

Ingredients

3 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or milk of choice)
2 ounces reduced fat cream cheese, at room temperature
⅓ cup white chocolate chips
⅓ cup dark chocolate chips
2 teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon red food coloring
3-4 shots cake flavored vodka (depending how strong you want it)
whipped cream for topping

Instructions

Heat almond milk, cream cheese, and white and dark chocolate chips in a medium sauce pan over medium heat whisking constantly until all ingredients are melted and mostly combined. The cream cheese may separate a little bit--the next step will fix this.
Transfer liquid to a blender and blend until frothy and combined. Pour back into sauce pan and over low heat, whisk in vanilla, food coloring and vodka. Serve immediately topped with whipped cream.

Notes

*If you'd like, add 1-2 tablespoons buttermilk. This will give you even more of the red velvet flavor, but it is not required if you don't have it on hand.
**A cake vodka whipped cream or a cream cheese whipped cream take this to the next level!

Make sure to check out the rest of the links from this virtual shower!

Boozy Red Velvet Hot Chocolate from Ari’s Menu
Boozy Iced Coffee from The Wanderlust Kitchen
Coconut Oil Brownies from Handle the Heat
Raspberry Lemonade Champagne Punch from Eat. Drink. Love.
Chocolate Cherry Brownies from Savvy Eats
Four Cheese Pizza with Sausage and Peppers from The Little Ferraro Kitchen
Crab Rangoon Pizza from Mollie’s Sprinkles of Life
Grapefruit Chia Seed Cocktail from Peace Love and Oats
White Pizza with Bacon, Basil & Tomatoes from Eating Bender

Tart Cherry Lime Elixir

August 1, 2014 · by Ari ·

The following post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of the Cherry Marketing Institute.

This sweet & sour cocktail has all the flavor of a refreshing cherry limeade, spiked with cherry vodka and filled with recovery-boosting 100% tart cherry juice.

I’m pretty sure I have created my ideal drink for all time. A recovery drink that’s spiked with booze? Yes, please. Here’s the thing, I loooove working hard. I’m kind of a freak like that, but I genuinely love to beat myself up a little so that I can have fun later. In fact, Long Run Day would not be complete for me if it didn’t end with a cocktail. Usually involving bourbon, but I made an exception. 😉

There have been a lot of studies lately connecting tart cherries and tart cherry juice to aiding recovery, reducing soreness and oxidative stress. Okay, so as much as I love working hard, I am not super in love with the feeling of being sore ALL THE TIME. Ever since I started crossfit, I keep waiting for the day when I’m not sore, and it just never happens, so I was super stoked to put tart cherries to the test!

I set out to make myself a little recovery drink. A cherry limeade type of thing (ummm also, I’d never had that before…it’s like I’ve been living under a rock), and it was AWESOME! Tart, lightly sweet, refreshing and delicious. After drinking my weight in glasses, I wanted to spice things up a little, so I turned it into a simple, cute little cocktail.

The ingredients are so simple: just pure tart cherry juice, freshly squeezed lime juice, simple syrup, and a splash of vodka. Now, normally I’m a girl who likes to taste my alcohol, but this drink is definitely on the milder side. You can always make it stronger, but it’s not meant to be a “hard” drink. It’s more like a sitting by the pool, relaxing, relishing in your accomplishments drink.

The recipe can easily be doubled, tripled, etc. because, let me tell ya, if you have friends over, they’re also going to want a glass…or seven.

Tart Cherry Lime Elixir

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 4 cups

Serving Size: 1 cup

Tart Cherry Lime Elixir

This sweet & sour cocktail has all the flavor of a refreshing cherry limeade, spiked with cherry vodka and filled with recovery-boosting 100% tart cherry juice.

Ingredients

For the simple syrup:

1 cup water
¾ cup sugar

For the cocktail:

1 batch simple syrup
1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 cup water
1 cup 100% tart cherry juice
4 shots cherry vodka (or plain vodka)
1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions

To make the simple syrup, combine water and sugar in a medium pot. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar has dissolved. Remove and cool completely.
To make the cocktail, whisk together simple syrup, lime juice, water, tart cherry juice, vodka and salt. Serve immediately over ice or store in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Notes

This is also delicious as a nonalcoholic drink! If you are making it for kids or don't feel like drinking, just leave out the vodka and it will be equally refreshing and delicious!

https://arismenu.com/tart-cherry-lime-elixir/

To learn more about tart cherries and their benefits, check out ChooseCherries.com, or follow their Facebook / Twitter /Pinterest / YouTube!