Sipping with Samantha: Easy-to-Make Cocktail Recipes
Updated: Nov 9, 2020
It's pretty hard to believe we went into quarantine 20 weeks ago. I don't think I will ever forget the feelings of uncertainty, panic, sadness, and stress. My fiance, Andrew, and I were living pretty social lives at that point. Always going somewhere, meeting friends, traveling - it was the time of our lives! We would religiously go to dinner on Friday nights. It was our permanent date night and the chance to unwind after an always long week of work. We even joked that it made sense that we were getting married on a Friday night, because it would be the best date night of our lives. Then COVID-19 hit.
Among all the emotions and uncertainty happening around us, we wondered how would we continue our Friday fun? We couldn't go anywhere. We were too scared to pick-up takeout. And frankly, we were bored.
It was then that I had an idea (the same one many of you probably had), 'lets make cocktails!' Did I know what I was doing - not entirely. But was I ready to learn - absolutely!
So that's when I started to learn how to make cocktails! And being that I enjoy creating content for my Instagram, I figured out a way to share it with my followers.
For the past 20 weeks I've been posting weekly videos to my Instagram Stories on Friday evenings and it's been a blast! I've done everything from testing out new recipes, creating my own, sharing brands I newly discover, and promoting the ones I love.
What once seemed like a foreign language now feels natural. Ingredients that once intimidated me, now feel inviting. I've learned how to mix, blend, measure, shake, and stir - and hopefully those who have been tuning in have learned some skills too! So below, I have rounded up every single recipe I have made so far. My goal is update this post on a regular basis as I continue to create, so make sure to bookmark this page :) I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I have enjoyed making them. Happy sipping!
Grapefruit Wine Spritzer
1 part grapefruit juice
2 parts dry white wine
Top with Prosecco
Serve over ice with grapefruit wedge
French Martini
2 oz vodka
1 oz pineapple juice
1/4 oz Chambord liqueur
1 drop of vanilla
Shake, strain, and enjoy!
Fizzy Pineapple
2 oz pineapple vodka or rum
3 oz pineapple juice
Top with Sprite
Pour over ice, stir and enjoy!
Red Citrus Sangria
2 parts sweet red wine
1 part fresh squeezed orange juice
Top with blood orange sparkling juice
Combine over ice. Add fresh fruit and enjoy!
Mango Margarita
1 oz tequila
2 oz Cointreau
1 oz mango puree
1 oz lime juice
Shake, strain over fresh ice and enjoy with salt and lime!
French 75
1 oz gin or cognac
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp simple syrup
Champagne
Combine gin/cognac, lemon juice, simple syrup in shaker over ice. Shake, pour and top with champagne.
Frozé
1 (750 ml) bottle rosé
3 oz grapefruit juice
1 cup simple syrup
2 cups strawberries
Pour rosé into shallow container and freeze for 6 hours. Scrape rosé into blender and add grapefruit juice, simple syrup and strawberries. Blend until smooth, pour and enjoy!
*makes 4-6 servings.
Piña Colada
2 oz Malibu rum
1 oz coconut cream
2 oz pineapple juice
In a shaker or blender with ice combine all ingredients.
Rose Colored Spritzer
1 part St. Germain Liquer
2 parts dry rose
Top with Prosecco
Combine all ingredients in champagne glass and enjoy!
Classic Cosmopolitan
2 oz vodka
.75 oz Cointreau
.75 oz lime juice
.25 oz cranberry juice
.5 oz simple syrup
Combine, shake, strain and enjoy chilled with a twist!
Mango Peach Sangria
Single Serving:
1/4 bottle dry white wine
1 oz peach schnapps
1 oz peach-mango puree
Full Batch:
1 bottle dry white wine
1/2 cup peach schnapps
1 cup peach-mango puree
Cointreau Crush
1 oz vodka
1 oz Cointreau
Juice of 1 orange
1 oz sparkling orange juice
Combine vodka, Cointreau, fresh squeezed orange juice in shaker. Strain over fresh ice and top with sparkling orange juice.
Stars & Stripes
1 oz white rum
.5 oz peach schnapps
.5 oz grenadine OR blue curacao
Top with Sprite
Combine in glass over ice, stir and enjoy!
Seacrets Passion
2 oz passion fruit vodka
1 oz pineapple juice
1 oz orange juice
Splash of grenadine Combine over ice or blend it up!
Aperol Spritz
2 oz Aperol
3 oz Prosecco
Splash of orange juice
Combine over ice with an orange wedge.
Paloma
2 oz silver tequila
2 oz fresh grapefruit juice
1 oz grapefruit soda/seltzer
1/2 oz lime juice
Shake, strain, and enjoy over ice with salt and grapefruit wedge.
This page will be updated regularly, so make sure to bookmark this post.
Cheers!
-Samantha