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vodka

Watermelon Mint Vodka Splash

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Everyone loves a cocktail that is crisp, refreshing, and oh-so-delicious. Watermelon Mint Vodka Splash is like that friend you’re always happy to see. It brings good vibes to an occasion!

The best part of sipping this cocktail? It delivers a light fruity flavor without that overpowering syrupy after-taste from cocktail recipes made with high-sugar mixes. Smirnoff’s Zero Sugar Watermelon & Mint Vodka is infused with natural flavors and is gluten-free. It’s easy drinking, so let this be your warning.

I grow fresh mint in my raised garden bed during spring and summer, so I always have it on hand for recipes like this one. Why not save money on buying herbs by growing them yourself? Consider ordering mint plant seeds online to add to your herb garden or a container pot for a sunny spot on your deck. Mint is a hardy plant that will continue to produce new leaves as long as you pinch it back now and then.

watermelon mint vodka cocktail

Watermelon Mint Vodka Splash is your go-to drink when you want to mix a cocktail for an afternoon by the pool or have your toes in the sand by the lake. Oh, and consider the possibilities of blending the watermelon and ice together and then adding the rest of the ingredients. Irresistible!

If you’re ready to mix this cocktail recipe, you may also appreciate my recipe for its cousin cocktail, Cucumber Lime Vodka Splash. It’s the MOST POPULAR recipe on my blog, hands down. Grab a couple of glasses and make each one!

Die-hard watermelon fans searching for bonus recipes also love my recipes for Watermelon Berry Slushie, Watermelon Blueberry Feta Salad with Mint, and Spiked Watermelon Lemon-Lime Cocktail.

Watermelon Mint Vodka Splash

One Delightful Life
This watermelon mint vodka cocktail is refreshing – perfect for drinking poolside or by the lake. Make it in less than 10 minutes!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 oz. Smirnoff Zero Infusions Watermelon & Mint vodka
  • Ice cubes
  • 1/2 can lime flavored sparkling water
  • Garnish with a watermelon slice and mint sprig

Instructions
 

  • Add ice to glass.
  • Add remaining ingredients.
  • Stir gently.
  • Garnish glass with a watermelon slice and mint sprig.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

You could swap another flavor of sparkling water for a variation on this recipe. I also like the Spindrift Sparkling Water, 4 Flavor Variety Pack. 

Watermelon Mint Vodka Splash

 

Cucumber Lime Vodka Splash

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Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I may earn commissions from qualifying purchases from Amazon.com.

Refreshing. Bubbly. Tasty! This cocktail is perfect for those days when you want a boozy drink and you’re craving something light and refreshing. Cucumber Lime Vodka Splash, made with only three ingredients, is a cocktail you (and your friends!) will love. Grab a glass, and let’s get started!

To make this cocktail a delightful one, you must start with its base: Smirnoff Cucumber Zero Sugar Infusions Cucumber & Lime Vodka. I discovered this flavored vodka when strolling the aisles of my neighborhood liquor store in search of something flavorful but less heavy in sugar than rum.

I added LaCroix Lime Sparkling Water, fresh cucumber, and garnished with fresh lime and mint leaves.

To make my Cucumber Lime Vodka Splash, follow the simple steps in the recipe card below. I promise you’ll appreciate this drink’s flavor profile so much you’ll want to share it with friends at your next get-together. Cheers!

Cucumber Lime Vodka Splash

One Delightful Life
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 1 glass

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 oz Smirnoff Cucumber Zero Sugar Infusions Cucumber & Lime
  • Juice of a lime wedge
  • Ice cubes
  • 1/2 can LaCroix Sparkling Lime Water
  • Garnish with a cucumber slice and mint garnish

Instructions
 

  • Add ice to glass.
  • Add remaining ingredients.
  • Stir gently.
  • Garnish glass with cucumber and mint.
  • Serve.

Notes

You can also swap another La Croix flavored water instead of the lime version or use Spindrift Sparkling Water Grapefruit. 

If you’ve read this far, you love cucumbers. Check out other flavorful recipes on the blog, including Cucumber Mint Raspberry Detox Water, or try making my Asian Cucumber Salad, the perfect sidekick to Hibachi Steak Lettuce Wraps.

cucumber lime vodka splash

4 Reasons to Visit Four Fights Distilling in Corning, New York

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After a return visit to Upstate New York and the Corning area, I decided to add an adventure we had never included on our itinerary before – a tour of a local distillery! Four Fights Distilling should be a must-stop for any traveler who appreciates locally crafted spirits.

Operating for the last five years from their location in “Extended Corning,” Matt and Donna Bowers craft spirits one small batch at a time. Every hand-sealed, labeled bottled.

We were fortunate enough to have our tasting room experience and tour sponsored by the Bowers and went behind-the-scenes to learn more about the distilling process. Why should you visit? I have 4 great reasons to add a visit to Four Fights Distilling to your travel plans!

1.) You’re supporting a local business. The Bowers are some of the friendliest and hospitable people you’ll ever meet. Matt makes the booze while Donna mixes the drinks! The couple is incredibly welcoming. You’ll appreciate hearing their story of the distillery’s origination and learn how they manage to do it all themselves.

2.) They know their stuff. From the science behind creating the spirits (and there’s a lot to learn) to the branding, the Bowers do an excellent job. During your tour, you’ll learn that Matt’s knowledge of spirits is vast (he’s self-taught!), and that there a lot involved in producing each spirit.

Four Fights Distilling gets their corn from a local farmer and then the mash goes back to a pig farm to complete the cycle. According to Matt, the water in Corning is “limestone water similar to Kentucky enzyme water” aiding in the distilling process.

3.) Four Fights Distilling’s spirits could compete with some of the well known brands on the market. Matt does his homework and continues to push boundaries when developing ideas. While I appreciate a smooth vodka, I was surprised to find that I also like Four Fights’ Bourbon. In fact, upon sipping it I exclaimed, “Wow! I don’t normally care for Bourbon, but that’s one I like!” Everything we tasted was fantastic. Their top sellers continue to be the Four Fights Bourbon, Suite 101 Gin, Emperial Apple Pie, and Emperial Cinamoon.

4.) Learning about the process of creating booze makes you love it that much more. Over the years, the more I discover about the craft of creating something, the more I appreciate it. You’ll never look at a bottle of aged bourbon or distilled vodka the same way either.

Visitors can enjoy sipping on craft cocktails Thursday-Sunday during select hours. (I recommend trying The Corning Mule or Crystal City Cosmo.) Cocktails range from $7-$11 each or you can try a Spirits Flight made of four tasters for $6. Interested in learning more about Four Fights Distilling? Visit their site or follow them on Facebook or Instagram!

Know that you’re going to visit Corning, New York soon? View my complete post highlighting the best of the Crystal City here.

Fizzy Grapefruit Sparkler

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The citrus flavors of summer fruit are delicious so I couldn’t resist adding this bubbly grapefruit cocktail to my lineup of all-star seasonal cocktails. Loaded with grapefruit and lime flavor, Fizzy Grapefruit Sparkler is incredibly simple to make using ingredients that are easy to locate at your grocery store.

When you need to serve guests a fun drink this summer at your poolside party or before dining al fresca on the deck, consider my Fizzy Grapefruit Sparkler! Packed with citrus punch, it gets its sweetness from a bit of added Stevia and the fizziness and tanginess from the Izze® Grapefruit Beverage. It would be great served alongside warm crostini topped with feta and herbs or figs as an appetizer! Let’s toast to that!

Fizzy Grapefruit Sparkler

One Delightful Life
This tangy drink is both sweet and sparkly - perfect for a cooling down from the summer heat!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 1 glass

Ingredients
  

  • 2 oz. Burnett's Orange Vodka
  • 1 squeeze of lime wedge
  • 1 squeeze of a large wedge of grapefruit about 1/4 of a grapefruit minus the seeds
  • 1/2 tsp. Stevia
  • Crushed ice
  • 1 can IZZE® Sparkling Grapefruit Beverage

Instructions
 

  • Pour the first four ingredients in a glass and stir gently with a straw.
  • Add crushed ice to fill glass.
  • Top with IZZE® Sparkling Grapefruit Beverage.
  • Add mint and/or grapefruit slice for garnish.

Blackberry Mint Fizzy Cocktail

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Of all of the seasons to make cocktails, summer is my favorite! A cool drink with the fresh flavors of muddled fruit and mint is refreshing and bright in flavors and colors. My Blackberry Mint Fizzy Cocktail is a drink you can make for one or as a big batch for guests, if you triple the ingredients!

The best part of a serving a muddled cocktail is that it looks as if it required a ton of effort to make, but that’s simply not true. If you don’t own a mortar and pestle, you can use a wooden spoon inside of a tall glass to smash the blackberries for this drink.

I would recommend wearing an apron or coving the mortar with your other hand when muddling the blackberries to prevent stains on your shirt.

Once the blackberries are completely smashed, scoop the fruit goop (that’s a yummy word!) into the cocktail glass. (Instead of muddling the mint leaves, I tore them into super small pieces with my hands releasing their herbal aromatic flavor before dropping them into the glass.) Then add the sugar.

Next, add the juice of one lime wedge.

Summer drinks are made so much better tasting because of citrus from an orange, lime or lemon.

Now, add the vodka – yes, please!

You’re almost done! All you need to do is top off the glass with crushed ice and bubbly club soda to the rim.

:: Wishing I had Sonic ice for this right now ::

No need to transfer this cocktail to another glass to try to shake up the ingredients. Simply add colorful straws and stir the drink gently.

Garnish the glass with a sprig of fresh mint, a lime wedge, more blackberries, and colorful straws before serving! Cheers my dears!

You could easily swap blackberries for strawberries, blueberries, or another fruit of your choice.

Have a muddle cocktail recipe that you think I’d love? Please share the recipe in the comments! Happy Summer Drinking, friends!

Blackberry Mint Fizzy Cocktail

onedelightfullife.com
This bubbly summer cocktail is a balance of tart and sweet and will remind you of a mojito but better!
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 1 cocktail

Ingredients
  

  • 4-5 blackberries
  • 4-5 mint leaves
  • 1 tsp sugar.
  • 1/2 cup vodka
  • Crushed ice
  • Lime juice of one lime wedge
  • 1/2 cup club soda
  • 1-2 blackberries and a mint sprig for garnish.

Instructions
 

  • Muddle 4-5 blackberries.
  • Tear 4-5 mint leaves. Add blackberries and mint into a cocktail glass.
  • Add 1 tsp sugar.
  • Add 1/2 cup vodka.
  • Fill cocktail glass halfway with crushed ice.
  • Lime juice squeezed from one small lime wedge.
  • Fill glass nearly full with crushed ice.
  • Fill remaining space in glass with club soda about 1/2 cup.
  • Stir cocktail with straw and top with fresh blackberries and a mint sprig for garnish.

Notes

You could easily substitute vodka for rum or silver tequila. Looking for a non-alcoholic cooler? Take out the booze!

5 Ways to Use Leftover Orange Peels to Improve Your Home

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Call me thrifty. I love to repurpose stuff. I save money and get to use something “new.”

If you’re like me, you appreciate finding new purposes for old household items. It comes as no surprise that I would think, “hmmm, how can someone re-use orange peels?” and then create post just for you. Random? Maybe. Awesome? Definitely. Most people just discard the peel, which is a waste literally and figuratively.

AS A ROOM FRESHENER

Fill a small pot with water. Add several orange peels, a cinnamon stick, and sliced apples to this stovetop potpourri (simmer on low) and your home is smelling phenomenal in no time. If you prefer the smell in cinnamon in fall and it’s July, add orange peels to a essential oil diffuser with a spring scent.

Orange Peel StovetopUSE THE ORANGE ESSENCE AS PART OF A CLEANING SOLUTION

Add the peels of 2-3 large oranges to a mason jar. Fill half way with white distilled vinegar. Secure lid and store in a dark place (like your pantry or cabinet) for at least two weeks. Strain the orange-infused vinegar and pour using a funnel into an empty spray bottle. Top off with water and you’re good to go! Spray countertops or the inside of the sink to clean it and add a pleasant orange smell.

Orange Peel Cleaning SolutionREFRESH YOUR GARBAGE DISPOSAL

Use the old orange peels that you strained from the cleaning solution you made and put them down the drain. Run the disposal. Ahhhh the sweet smell of orange!

INFUSE VODKA

Add orange peels to a vodka bottle in your liquor cabinet, secure lid, and store unopened for a a few days to a week. It’s martini time. Yes, that improves your home! You deserve a martini after all that house cleaning, right? I like Chef Jamie Oliver’s how-to recipe post for Homemade Citrus-Infused Vodka. 

Infused with Orange Peels

STORE IN YOUR BROWN SUGAR

Don’t you hate it when your nearly full bag of brown sugar becomes rock hard because it wasn’t an airtight seal? Adding orange peels to your brown sugar will keep it soft and add a subtle orange flavor. You only need one or two peels for a bag of brown sugar.

You’ll never be able to toss an orange peel in the trash again! You’ve got the tools to make your house a citrus-happy home. Now, orange you glad?

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