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Nothing beats a refreshing beverage on a fiery summer afternoon!

Right now I am sincerely loving the simplicity of making fruit flavored and/or infused ice cubes to add a little Zing! to those average summer cocktails....

How about Pomegranate Ice cubes thrown into a fresh Vodka- Lemonade?  
 
 At the moment I am sipping on some crisp cold club soda, and I'm thinking to myself what could be nicer than gorgeous plump summer Blackberries frozen into ice cubes and mixing it up with some fresh mint leaves?  Yum!!! 

Everyone knows about adding  a dash of Chambord to a sparkling Prosecco or a bubbly Spanish Cava, but I'm thinking to add a more exciting Pop to your punch, scoot over to your local fruit stand and grab some fresh Raspberries or delicious Black Cherries and freeze those babies up to add color and excitement to your next bubbly adventure.

Or how about throwing some ripe summer Peach and Mango ice cubes into your standard Sweet Tea or Arnold Palmer??  Turn on some Zac Brown Band and hit the front porch!

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I'm also in love with the idea of using up this morning's leftover coffee and adding coffee ice cubes to a Kahlúa or Baileys for an after dinner night cap! 
Maybe stick with the decaf though...

All this talk is making me thirsty.
It's 5 o'clock somewhere! :)

Cheers!
Michaila

 
 
Not until recently did I begin to understand the term 'dog days of summer.'  You see, in the Midwest we experienced something called 'cabin fever' which happened sometime in January/February when the cold, snowy weather had kept you cooped up in the house. Summertime in the midwest was so short and mild compared to this incredible Southern summer we are experiencing now.  So here are a few suggestions to beat the heat and keep your guests comfortable.
  • Offer a cold beverage as soon as they arrive.  If hosting a wedding or larger party, set up a help-yourself drink station at the entrance to the party with lemonade, tea, flavored water.
  • Ceremony outside?  Choose a shady spot, or create shade with market umbrellas, parasols, sail-shades.  Still warm, then offer your guests mini-fans to stay cool.
  • Time it well, choose earlier in the day or later in the evening when the heat has cooled off....even if the event is indoors, consider your guests travel time.
  • Be specific with dress code, if you really want your guests to be comfortable then opt for something other than black tie.  Encourage them to dress 'beachy', 'country-club casual'
 
 
We're visiting my in-laws right now and my MIL loves ginger beer.  In fact I think she's been on a silent crusade to find ginger beer as good as what she grew up drinking.  Last summer, while at the beach I bought her Jamacian Ginger Beer...nope, was too sweet.  Well, I think I scored this time, I was purusing the aisles of World Market and came upon an Australian Ginger Beer.  She loved it.  Now tonight I'm going to make her a Moscow Mule and really see what she thinks!

Moscow Mule Cocktail
Use a highball glass and drop in some ice cubes, take a lime wedge and squeeze into glass, then drop spent wedge into bottom.  Pour 2 oz of vodka, swirl glass to cool vodka.  Then 8 oz of Ginger Beer.  Use swirl stick to mix and enjoy.