While we all love a little boozin’ and schmoozin’, there are times when liquor isn’t appropriate. Try this quick & easy mango mocktail. It’s great for big kids and little kids.

Mango Peach Mocktini

Ingredients:

• Vanilla flavored seltzer water or club soda
• Ginger ale (optional)
• Mango nectar (Goya® brand is great)
• Peach nectar
• Maraschino cherries
• Pineapple cubes

Into a large pitcher with lots of ice cubes, pour in 4 parts ginger ale, 2 parts vanilla seltzer

Add 1/2 cup mango nectar and 1/2 cup peach nectar

Stir, pour into cute martini glasses and garnish with pineapple cubes and maraschino cherries

Serve it up!

Are you in the mood for a light and fruity drink, without feeling guilty consuming all that sugar? Why not try this easy to make Low Sugar Blueberry Sangria recipe, with agave nectar!

Ingredients:

1 bottle of your favorite red or white wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Shiraz, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay)

1 lime, 1 lemon, and 1 orange cut into wedges

1 cup fresh blueberries

2/3 cups Agave nectar

2 oz. brandy or rum (optional for those with a sweeter tooth!)

2 cups sparkling water or club soda (optional)

Instructions:

Pour wine in the pitcher and squeeze the juice from the wedges into the wine. Add blueberries and agave nectar. Add brandy or rum for a richer—and stronger— drink. Chill overnight.  For a little spritz, add sparkling water or club soda just before serving.

You will have plenty to share, so invite the girlfriends over and start the night off with this delicious concoction!

Cheers

Kathryn Smith, one of our resident personal trainers, sure knows how to make healthy lifestyle choices (check out her fitness videos on our homepage).

Yet she also, of course, knows how to have a little fun when the occasion calls for it! Here’s her family’s recipe for rum punch that’ll have you puckerin’ with pleasure. What’s packed into it? A little sweet, a little sour and a whole lot of sass. It’s a hot summer getaway in a glass…for all of us girls and guys who can’t really afford to hop a flight to the islands.

Simply Refreshing Barbados Rum Punch

• to make 56 oz:
• Sour  – 9 oz  Lime juice  (Rose’s sweetened lime juice)
• Sweet – 19 oz  Liquid Sugar (simple syrup)
• Mount Gay Rum  – 28 oz
• Crushed Ice

Garnish with a wedge of lime and one or two maraschino cherries
2 dashes of Angostora Bitters (optional)
grated nutmeg (optional)

Photo credit: www.villavillas.com

Whether you are having a party or wanting to head out to a traditional pub, St. Patrick’s Day doesn’t always have to be about beer. Try a few specialty cocktails from Raglan Road Irish Pub from the Walt Disney World Resort to mix up your celebration.

A little Irish Tradition

Irish Coffee – whiskey, sugar, coffee & cream. It was invented in Foynes, Ireland when a captain from a flying boat came in for a pit stop on the way to fight World War II in Germany. The captain asked for some whiskey to take the edge off his nerves. To compliment the flavor the bartender then added cream, and then the Irish Coffee was born.

Hot Whiskey – whiskey, brown sugar, hot water, lemon & cloves. Seen as a medicinal drink for those who have a cold or flu. It’s also popular during cold Irish winters.

Irish Martinis

Celtic Martini – Irish Mist, Don Q Limon Rum, Pineapple juice, and a squeeze of citrus & Sprite. Irish Mist is a sweet whiskey that was made for women in particular. Its sweet maple flavor complements the citrus flavors of this tinny.

Very Berry Blueberry Martini – Smirnoff Blueberry Vodka, Chambord, Triple Sec & Cranberry juice. Just when you thought that cosmos were getting old!

An Irish twist on Happy Hour Favorites

Jay’Gail Sangria – Cider, Blackberry Brandy, Peach Schnapps, orange juice, and squeeze of lemon & lime juice. A sweet, refreshing drink with a little bubble for your bite.

Aran Island Tea – Sweet Tea Vodka, Rangpur Gin, Myers Platinum Rum, Sour and a splash of Sprite. You don’t have to step off Long Island to get to here.

One for the Road – Ciroc Vodka, Midori Melon, orange & pineapple juice. This refreshing blend has a light green color that goes perfectly with your shamrock glasses.

Dessert Libations

Bailey’s Shake – Ice Cream, Bailey’s, & Coffee Liquor. Blend these together with ice as a dessert alternative.

Iced Irish – Bailey’s Caramel Irish Cream, Butterscotch Schnapps, Bushmills & Coffee topped off with fresh cream. It’s a beverage like Starbucks with a boozy twist.

*Visit Raglandroadirishpub.com for more information.

Photo credit: Flickr Creative Commons User “Vic Lic” – Victoria Rachitzky

Photo courtesy of "mbm941," www.flickr.com

Sugar and spice and everything nice—that’s what little girls are made of.

But when little girls grow up, where does that sugar and spice go? The only logical answer is into some delicious autumn-inspired cocktails worth drooling over!

Caramel Apple Martini
2 oz. Vodka (Apple Vodka works great here too!)
1 oz. Sour Apple Pucker
1/2 oz. Buttershots

Shake, shake, shake up the ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass.
Garnish with a fresh or dried slice of apple.

I’ve got another drink that will send shivers down your stirrups. It’s that good. Remember the wise words of Carrie Underwood in her hit song ‘Before He Cheats’? Well, while he’s “buying her some fruity little drink cause she can’t shoot whiskey,” you can stay comforted knowing that you can shun jack-asses and drink Jack Daniels. This drink is for all the ladies who like a little kick in the glass. It can be served warm or chilled, depending on the temperature (and your taste).

Hard Apple Cider
2 oz. Jack Daniels (or your favorite whiskey)
5 oz. farm-fresh apple cider
Dash of cinnamon

If serving chilled, shake vigorously and serve either on the rocks or strained.
If serving warm, heat both over medium heat and serve in an Irish coffee glass.

Stay tuned for more cocktail recipes by Alesia Papastavros, a.k.a. The Cocktail Queen.

Illustration copyright Danielle Travali

Get into a fight with your menopausal mother, crack a mirror, fall on your ass in the supermarket parking lot and find out your boyfriend is in love with a guy…all in one day? Are you irritable enough about life that you’re on the verge of throwing your microwave, TV or other large object out the window? Nothing a little martini can’t fix. This one’s EFFEN good.