By Betha Merit
Entertaining friends and family often includes sharing a special drink, or making a toast. My friend, Tony, always has a new holiday drink to try with seasonal ingredients such as pumpkin for Thanksgiving, or watermelon for a 4th of July barbecue. He inspires.
So, I invited several friends and family to my house to concoct libations and tweak basic recipes, until they passed muster. Now they are “just right” for a cruise. Notable, most glassware is available in plastic versions for serving while in motion.
Dark & Stormy
Ingredients
- 4 ounces ginger beer
- 2 ounces dark rum
- Dash of bitters
- Lime slices for garnish
Directions
In a glass of ice, add rum, a dash of bitters, and fill with ginger beer. Garnish with lime wedge. For non-alcoholic version, serve plain ginger beer with a fresh lime squeeze.
High Seas Lemonade
Ingredients
- 2 ounces vodka, chilled
- 5 ounces lemonade, chilled
- 3-5 slices cucumber
- Meyer lemon wedges for garnish
Directions
Shake first three ingredients, pour into a tall glass and add lemon wedge. For non-alcoholic version, serve plain lemonade with cucumber wedges.
Espresso Martini
Ingredients
- 1 ounce vanilla vodka
- 2 ounces coffee flavored liqueur
- 1 ounce half and half
- 1 cup crushed ice
- Sugar and powdered espresso for rim
Combine sugar and powdered espresso on a plate, dip rim of glass in half and half, then sugar/espresso mixture and twirl until glass is garnished. Mix all other ingredients in a shaker; shake until chilled. Pour into glass.
