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I have to close my eyes when I go to the craft store, because I’m in no mood for scarecrows. I want Sangria, Frose, and all the summer drinks I can manage, but there are a few cocktails that you could drink all year and a few that ease us into the Fall and Winter gracefully.

Summer Cocktails that Work All Year include the Gin Basil Smash with Lemon Simple Syrup

More reasons to grow your own basil. If you  find lemon basil, even better! Lemon Thyme would be another great garnish. Gin Basil Smash Recipe Here.

Summer Cocktails with Multi-Purposes: Elderflower Gin Cocktail

The color comes from Concord grapes which always make me think of Autumn. So good! This might be considered a girlie drink, so be sure to bookmark this for your next shower or Galentine’s party. Elderflower Gin Cocktail here.

Summer Cocktails often have fruit like this Blueberry Old Fashioned 

Light Enough for Summer, substantial enough for Fall. When winter rolls around, make this Cara Cara Orange Old Fashioned.

Blueberry Old Fashioned Recipe Here

Rose Summer Cocktails like Frosé Works All Year, Especially at Holiday Brunches

Frosé is a cocktail you can make all year long using frozen strawberries and you’ll want to have at your holiday brunches. I have these coupe glasses from Libby (Amazon).

Summer Cocktails that Roll into Autumn with Ease

Roasted Butternut Squash Infused Vodka with Sage Garnish

You will need to make your vodka in advance by a week, but trust me, this is so good and especially nice passed around at a holiday dinner in small glasses like these.

Summer Cocktails that Roll into Winter Festivities

When the watermelon is gone, the pomegranates arrive and you can make this Pomegranate Vodka Cocktail drink or this Cranberry Cocktail.

Cheers to the Cocktail Hour. What’s your favorite Summer into Fall/Winter cocktail?

More Cocktails from Spinach Tiger

This sight contains affiliate links, most items I own and use frequently. Spinach Tiger shares these ideas with you and earns a small commission, but your price does not change. Much appreciated. 

The post Five Summer Cocktails that Will Take You into Fall appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

How to Make a Bailey’s Salted Caramel Martini

I found myself making a Salted Caramel Martini when I was in the middle of making caramel frosting for a St. Patrick’s Day party. I found some Bailey’s Irish Cream with a hint of caramel in the fridge and my whole day changed.

Next thing I knew, I was grating chocolate and dipping a martini glass into some salted caramel.

This is not really a martini in the true martini sense, but it’s luscious and pretty, so I’m not going to dicker with words. You could mix Irish cream with vodka, but I like it just the way it is.

Bailey’s Caramel Irish cream has everything you need to drink it straight, but when you add a little salt, and a little chocolate, you’ve got an easy salted caramel martini.

We once used Irish Cream to make milk shakes for a very adult party the same day we had these chocolate salted caramel cupcakes. One day, I plan to use it in macarons.

Simple pour some caramel Bailey’s in a shaker of ice and get it really cold. Rim a glass with caramel, sea salt, and shaved chocolate. Just top with a little extra caramel. You can find out how to make caramel here. 

So tell me, do you have any good Irish Cream recipes?

Please connect with me on instagram. I’d love to see you there, and check out hashtag spinachtiger.

Have a happy, safe St. Patrick’s Day, and if you’re looking for something green, let me suggest this avocado margarita.

Recipes You May Like for St. Patrick’s Day

• Irish Stew with Oven Baked Soda Bread
• Stove Top Soda Bread
• Avocado Margarita
• Sauteed Cabbage with Bacon

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Irish Cream Salted Caramel Martini

Bailey’s Irish Cream Cocktail

Course Cocktail

Cuisine Irish

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 minute minute

Total Time 11 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons grated chocolate
• sea salt
• 2 tablespoons caramel sauce
• 6 ounces Bailey’s Caramel Irish Cream

Instructions

• Grate chocolate with cheese grated and place in circle larger than glass on a piece of parchment.
• Add a dash of salt to the chocolate.
• On another piece of parchment put a circle of caramel sauce.
• Dip glass into caramel, then dip into chocolate.
• Refrigerate glass to chill.
• Pour Bailey’s Caramel flavored Irish Cream into shaker with ice to chill.
• Pour into cold glasses. Serve

The post Salted Caramel Martini with Bailey’s Irish Cream appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Sometimes you get a recipe just right the first try, and this is one of those times.

I knew I needed to make a peach simple syrup (sugar free option) that didn’t have sugar because I didn’t want to purchase or use a peach liquor. I wanted to use fresh peaches for my peach sangria.

I wasn’t sure what white wine I wanted to use, and found a chenin blanc in the refrigerator that was rather special. I didn’t mind using it, though, because I’m a firm believer in always using wine that is great by itself to either cook with or to embellish.

I also made some ice cubes out of peach simple syrup because I didn’t want anything watering down the white peach sangria recipe. You can make this sugar free using erythritol or allulose.

The ice cubes were so perfect, as well as some frozen raspberries to keep the sangria cold. I also added in a small amount of St. Germaine (elderflower liquor.). If you have some elderflower cordial, that would work too.

It’s important to refrigerate for several hours to overnight to meld the flavors and allow the fruit to give more flavor.

Serve ice cold with peachy ice cubes, frozen raspberries.

More Summer Recipes

• Frosè
• White Sangri with Mango
• Peach Simple Syrup
• Blueberry Simple Syrup
• Low Carb Peach Muffins
• Pork Chops with Peaches

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Peach Sangria with a Sugar Free Option

Refreshing Peach Sangria with a sugar free option.

Course Cocktail

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 hours hours

Total Time 12 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 to 3 peaches sliced
• 1 cups peach simple syrup see recipe here
• 1 bottle white wine
• peach ice cubes
• 1/4 cup St. Germaine optional
• Pineapple Sage, Mint, or Basil for Garnish

Instructions

• Make Simple Syrup
• Make peach simple syrup icecubes. You can mix in some water if need be.
• I used a small ice cube mold.
• Slice Peaches with skin on
• Freeze Raspberries.
• Mix 1 cup peach simple syrup, wine, St. Germain, sliced peaches.
• Refrigerate for 24 hours.
• Serve with Peach ice cubes and Frozen raspberries.
• Add garnish.

The post Make White Peach Sangria Recipe with Peach Ice Cubes appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Summer Cocktail Drinks: Sangria

White Peach Sangria

Strawberry Sangria with Lime and Basil

White Sangria with Mango, Pineapple and Basil

Grab your fresh herbs from the garden and make this tropical sangria.

Blackberry Sangria

Blackberries and wine go together!

Frozen Summer Cocktail Drinks

Frosé is one of the easiest sure to please libations.

Get out the blender and make the easiest frose.

Classic Summer Cocktail Drinks

Strawberry Martini

Is there anything more classic than a summer martini made with strawberry simple syrup. 

Gin Basil Smash

Easy and not too girly….pleasing for anyone.

Best Citrus Margarita

Taking notes on a classic from a restaurant known for their citrus margarita, this is classic and perfectly balanced. Try with this lime margarita salt.

Blueberry Old Fashioned

We are old fashioned fans and this summer spin on the classic is divine.

Blackberry Mint Julep

We make blackberry everything in my house, so why not a cocktail?

. Any of the simple syrups can be made with a sweetener substitute such as Swerve.

Simple Syrups 

You can’t make cocktails without simple syrup. Make your simple syrup sugar free using Swerve. It’s just as good. I do it all the time.

• Strawberry Simple Syrup
• Blueberry Simple Syrup
• Peach Simple Syrup
• Lemon Simple Syrup

Go HERE to see my personal bar set up in my Amazon Store.

The post Refreshing Summer Cocktail Drinks appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

There are many variations for frosé,  but we think we nailed this one on the first try. I used a not too sweet, deeply colored rosè to start with, added frozen strawberries, a small amount of lemon simple syrup, and an even smaller amount (tablespoon) of raspberry syrup.  You could use also strawberry simple syrup, but I would still add in some lemon juice.

To make simple syrup, boil equal amounts of sugar and water until sugar is dissolved. I squeezed half of a lemon into this to make the simple syrup.  Keep in mind about 1/4 cup simple syrup is all I used, because we’re not making punch or sangria. We want to keep the rosé flavors and not make it too sweet. I used the frozen strawberries because I did not want to add in any ice to water it down. NO ICE!

When I put this on instagram, people asked how it became so red. It was a surprise to me too, but I think it was the strawberries and my deep red raspberry syrup. You could add one or two tablespoons of grenadine instead.

The Strawberry Frosé Process

Pour the rosé into a large 13 x 9 baking pan. Freeze for a minimum of six hours. It will not freeze completely due to the alcohol.

Freeze 2 cups of organic strawberries. You will start with one cup and add as you taste.

Make simple syrup. 1/2 cup water to 1/2 cup sugar (can use swerve or any brand erythritol sweetener) with juice of 1/2 lemon. Simmer until sugar is dissolved. Cool. (see recipe notes for sugar free version).

We had purchased some raspberry syrup at a speciality shop and added that. You could use this raspberry syrup. (amazon).

I used the Vitamix (amazon) and blended until the strawberries were fully processes.

I use Libby coupe glasses (amazon) for serving strawberry rosé. I love these vintage coupe glasses. They are nice looking and affordable.

These are so cute, especially with these striped straws, which would be perfect for summer holidays

More Cocktail Drinks from Spinach Tiger

• White Peach Sangria
• Strawberry Martini
• Gin Basil Smash
• Best Citrus Margarita
• White Sangria with Mango, Pineapple and Basil
• Blackberry Sangria
• Blueberry Old Fashioned
• Blackberry Mint Julep
• Strawberry Sangria with Lime and Basil

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Frosê, the Perfect Party Adult Slushie

Frozen Rose becomes Frosé

Course Cocktails

Cuisine American

Prep Time 6 hours hours

Cook Time 1 minute minute

Total Time 6 hours hours 1 minute minute

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 bottle rosé
• 1/4 cup lemon simple syrup see notes
• 10 large frozen strawberries
• 2 tablespoons raspberry simple syrup Order Here
• basil for garnish

Instructions

• Freeze rosé in 9 x 13 baking pan for at least 6 hours. It will not freeze completely.
• Make simple syrup by bringing 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar with juice of one lemon to a boil. Simmer until sugar is completely dissolved. Cool completely.
• Place slushy rosé, simple syrup, frozen strawberries and raspberry syrup in blender until you have the strawberries are blended. It may be more like a frozen soft sorbet at this time.
• Pour or spoon into glasses or jars and serve immediately.
• Makes 4 large servings or 8 mini jar servings.
• garnish with fresh herbs (I used lemon basil)

Notes

I kept this almost sugar free making the simple syrup with Swerve (powdered erythritol).
Use half cup water with only 1/4 cup erythritol.

The post Frosê, Frozen Rosé, the Perfect Party Slushie appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

The strawberry martini recipe is perfect for any holiday or fun time.

We came home with so many I almost didn’t know what to do. Almost. Quickly, I made a strawberry sauce, perfect for this recent post for strawberry sundaes.  I then made this strawberry simple syrup, thinking cocktails. These fresh berries made a deep, flavorful strawberry syrup.

How to Make the Perfect Strawberry Martini Recipe

I experimented at 10:00 in the morning, and this is the strawberry martini recipe that won the day. I tried adding lemon juice and we didn’t like that. We tried regular vodka and mandarin vodka, and opted for the Mandarin. If you only have regular vodka, add a tiny squeeze of orange (not much or skip it). We used even amounts of vodka and simple syrup and a splash of dry vermouth. I wanted to add fresh basil, but it’s too newly planted, so keep that in mind.

You could use the strawberry simple syrup to make all sorts of fun cocktails, including this strawberry sangria.

More Cocktails from Spinach Tiger

Elderberry Pink Cocktail

Strawberry Sangria

Cranberry Vodka Cocktail

Tira Misu Martini

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Strawberry Martini Recipe

Strawberry martini is the perfect spring and summer cocktail, using freshly made strawberry syrup.

Course Cocktail

Cuisine American

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 ounces vodka Mandarin Vodka or regular
• 2 ounces strawberry simple syrup
• splash of dry vermouth
• ice
• fresh strawberries and basil for garnish

Instructions

• Put vodka, strawberry simple syrup, dry vermouth and ice into shaker.
• Serve iced cold.
• Garnish with strawberry and basil leaf.

The post Strawberry Martini Recipe appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Every July I get super excited to get in my car and drive two minutes round the corner to the blueberry farm. We feel we are quite the blueberry picking experts, assembling our ladders and getting to work. The funniest thing though is that the twins are blue/red color blind and can’t see the difference between the blue ripe berry and the red ripe berry.

We generally get right to work baking like this blueberry crumb pie or these blueberry thyme biscuits.

This year was different.

We put the baking off for a day and decided instead to make some blueberry simple syrup, which is good for many things, but especially for beverages. You can add to lemonade. Blueberries and lemons, go so well together.

I looked at my strawberry simple syrup recipe, but realized this would be a little different, actually a little easier.

You simply boil blueberries, sugar and water together. The blueberries will burst and there is no chopping or pureeing involved.  You will have to press the mixture through a sieve to avoid any skins.

You can keep in the refrigerator for a week, but I’ve read that adding a tablespoon of vodka will prolong the life of the syrup.

You might also like our recipe for blueberry sauce  (also can be a pie filling) which makes the best ice cream. 

You could also freeze the syrup (like ice cubes) having it at the ready for your next great cocktail.

We made a blueberry old fashioned which may seem a bit heavy for summer. While we love them, I’ve made a list of blueberry cocktails you might also enjoy.

Sugar Free Option for Blueberry Syrup

If you want a sugar free blueberry syrup, I recommend using granulated swerve, a powdered erythritol. I make syrups, purees and compotes all the time using the Swerve and no one knows the difference. I tend to start with half the amount of Swerve to what I normally would use for sugar. You can adjust accordingly.

Read here why I use Swerve.

The Blueberry Martini

Blueberry Moscow Mule

Blueberry Gin Sour

Blackberry Mint Julep

Blueberry Lemonade

Blueberry Margarita

More Cocktail Recipes from Spinach Tiger

More Blueberry Recipes from Spinach Tiger

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How to Make Blueberry Simple Syrup for Blueberry Cocktails

Blueberry simple syrup for beverages, cocktails.

Course Syrup

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 cups blueberries can use frozen
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup sugar can use 1/2 cup swerve or stevia for no-sugar option
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Instructions

• Mix all ingredients together in sauce pan.
• Bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to low and cook until you reach the consistency you desire. 15 minutes for a thinner consistency, longer for a thicker sauce.

Notes

You may see recipes with a ratio of 1 cup sugar to one cup blueberries. I found that to be too sweet. You can adjust to your own taste.

The post How to Make Blueberry Simple Syrup for Blueberry Cocktails (sugar free option) appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

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We were out of tequila for the longest time, and that’s about to happen again. We bought this tequila and ventured out to make the best margarita we could find. We bought mixers, even expensive ones, and, while they weren’t bad, we decided we needed to make our own.

What’s the secret to a good margarita? Is it the tequila? Yes. Is it the orange liquor? Yes. Is it the salt? A little bit. Is it the lemon lime mix? Of course.

Best Margarita Recipe starts with good tequila and an orange liqueur.

Tequila: We love Còa de Jima Reposado, good enough to be a sipping tequila, priced low enough to make several batches for parties.

Orange Liqueur: We love Gran Gala, an Italian brandy based triple orange liqueur, which I wrote about here.

We have a friend who hosts the wine tastings at our neighborhood wine and liquor store, and he said “if you want to make the very best margarita, use fresh citrus only, lemons, lime, and orange.

We couldn’t agree more.

I most recently had a very orange-centric margarita at a place called Fisher’s in Orange Beach, Alabama.
It was the best margarita I ever had in a restaurant, as it was topped with a saltwater foam.
They used homemade orange bitters, another ingredient making its way into margaritas lately.

This recipe is very similar (minus the bitters) and sea salt foam. We used fresh squeezes of orange; you could use a splash of orange juice.

The Best Margarita has fresh Citrus and is served on the rocks

We think the best margarita recipe is served on the rocks with big piece of ice, which melts slowly and is poured into a salt rimmed glass.



Below you’ll find the best margarita recipe for one, but in the notes, I’ve made a batch for eight.

You will need a citrus squeezer and  a cocktail shaker.

Taste your margarita and make adjustments. You may want it less sweet, so add sweetener a little at a time. You may want more or less orange, as different orange liqueurs have their own flavor.

I just discovered this citrus peeler which gives you a big sweeping piece of citrus with no pith.

You may also want to try this avocado margarita, and soon I’ll be bringing you a strawberry margarita with homemade strawberry simple syrup.

These would go so well with Doug’s famous guacamole, or our pork carnitas.

So tell me, how do you like your margarita? Do you have a favorite tequila? Follow me on instagram where all my kitchen and dining out pictures appear. I’d love to connect with you.

All Mexican Recipes from Spinach Tiger

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The Best Margarita Recipe

The best margarita recipe made with Gran Gala liqueur and lots of fresh citrus in addition to a good sipping resposado tequila.

Course Cocktails

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 ounces Tequila
• 1 ounce Orange Liqueur
• 1 teaspoon simple syrup or agave nectar
• juice of one lime
• juice of half lemon
• 1 squeeze fresh orange or splash orange juice
• salt for rim
• lime for garnish
• 
  Kitchen Tools for this Recipe
• Cocktail Shaker
• Citrus Squeezer
• Citrus Peeler
• Square Ice Cube Tray

Instructions

• Makes one margarita. See notes for making a batch.
• Mix all liquids together in cocktail shaker with ice.
• Use lime wedge to wet rim of glass.
• Salt Glass.
• Pour into glass

Notes

Batch of Margaritas to serve 8

16 ounces tequila (2 cups)
8 ounces orange liqueur (1 cup)
juice of 8 limes
juice of 4 lemons
juice of two oranges (or 1/2 glass orange juice, or more to taste)
3 tablespoons agave nectar or simple syrup

The post The Best Margarita Recipe with Fresh Citrus appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Use Peach Simple Syrup for cocktails, drinks, teas, cakes. I like to take flavored simple syrup and brush in on cake that comes out of the oven.  My most popular simple syrup is a strawberry simple syrup which people use for cocktails like the strawberrysangria.

It all started with my desire for a refreshing Peach Sangria.

Peach Simple syrup will turn  my favorite winter drink (an old fashioned) into a summery splash.

How to Make Peach Simple Syrup (with sugar free option)

The key to peach sangria is ripe peaches, which aids to extra flavor and sweetness.

Typically, for a simple syrup I use a one to one ratio, meaning one cup sugar to one cup water.  If I’m making it sugar free using a powdered erythritol, I use one cup water with about 1/2 cup of the of Swerve. I give you recipes for both. I add in one peach per one cup water, but it must be a very ripe peach. I cut the peach in half and squeeze in the juice and place the remaining peach, skins and seed.

Bring to boil and then simmer for about 30 minutes. It will reduce,  thicken and gain flavor. It’s ready for cocktails or baking.

You can play around by adding in fresh herbs at the end and allowing them to seep for ten minutes. Basil works well, but this year I found lemon basil and lime basil, which are currently growing in my garden and are so nice for garnishing.

Cool and store in refrigerator in jars like these. (affiliate).

If I’m using this for drinks, I’ll take some of it to make ice cubes.

Disclosure: This site has affiliate links which earn a small commission, but does not increase prices.

More Peach Recipes from Spinach Tiger

How to Freeze Peaches and My Favorite Peach Recipes

How to Peel Peaches

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Peach Simple Syrup with Sugar Free Option

Peach Simple Syrup, easy and so good for cocktails or baking.

Course Simple Syrup

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 1 cup

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 extra large or 4 very ripe peaches or nectarines
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups sugar or 1 cup powdered erythritol for a sugar free version

Instructions

• Cut peaches in half and squeeze juice into the water.
• Put all remaining parts of peach and sugar into the water.
• Bring to boil. As the fruit is heating up, smash with fork to extract more flavor.
• Simmer for 30 minutes until thick and flavorful.
• Remove the fruit, strain, Cool.
• Store in refrigerator in mason jar.

Notes

You can cut this recipe in half, but I make double to make ice cubes.

The post How to Make Peach Simple Syrup with Sugar Free Option appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

The holiday season started today, and while this is so not like me, our house was fully decorated for Christmas before Thanksgiving. This put me in the mood for a cocktail to match my already Christmas mood without being too heavy.

We also think every party should have a signature house cocktail of the moment, which needs to please guests that don’t like a heavy dose of booze and please those who do! I always think of a few of my girlfriends and my husband. If they both like it (having very different tastes) it’s a win for a party. As for me, I want a festive look, and that’s where unsweetened cranberry juice comes in.

Simple Cocktail Recipe for the Holidays with Dixie Vodka

That calls for a vodka cocktail. I was recently sent a bottle of  Dixie Vodka, which had me smiling the minute I opened the package because the inside of the bottle is an artwork display.

Mr. Spinach Tiger is the mixologist around here and he’s really good at it. When I received a bottle of Dixie Vodka in the mail, I asked him to make me a cocktail that had Christmas flavors, although you could make this cocktail for anytime.

Only distributed in the southeast, Dixie Vodka is distilled six times from non-GMO American corn and packaged using 100% American materials. They utilize an innovative process called TerrePURE to strip out additional impurities post-distillation. It makes for a smoother vodka, perfect for sipping neat or on the rocks.

This Holiday Cocktail is Gluten Free

Dixie Vodka is completely gluten free and that is not true of all vodkas. You will need to check for the orange liqueur you use. Grand Marnier says they are gluten free.

It took a few tries to get the balance we were both looking for. We didn’t want the drink too sweet. The vodka doesn’t deserve it, and we like the sweet to be subtle.

We both don’t typically drink juice with our vodka, and this drink had to still have an earthy beat to it and a holiday feel. We added a cinnamon stick and orange to create the perfect holiday cheer.

More Cocktails from Spinach Tiger

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Simple Cocktail Recipe for the Holidays, Dixie Black Pepper Vodka

Cranberry Orange Vodka Cocktail

Course Cocktail

Cuisine American

Prep Time 2 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 ounces Dixie Vodka or Vodka of your choice
• 1 tablespoon simple syrup
• 1 ounce unsweetened cranberry juice
• 1/2 ounce orange liqueur prefer Grand Marnier
• Orange Peel
• ice
• Cinnamon stick for garnish
• Cranberries for garnish

Instructions

• Add vodka, simple syrup, cranberry juice, orange liqueur in shaker. Mix well.
• Pour into glass.
• Warm an orange peel with a lighter and put into the drink.
• Add cinnamon stick and cranberries for garnish.

The post Cranberry Orange Vodka Christmas Cocktail appeared first on Spinach Tiger.