It’s pretty much a “yes” for me, if someone invites me over for a cocktail party, but when a group of over 50 bloggers gets together to celebrate the peak of summer and toast its bounty, I’m ALL IN. This is year two of #DRINKTHESUMMER, a virtual sipping soirée, hosting by Sherrie of With Food + Love, and I’m bringing a Tiki-inspired, sparkling pineapple shrub mocktail to the party.

Even though I’ve spied a few, fallen yellow leaves in the backyard and have been enjoying the recent cooler mornings, I’m holding onto summer, as much as I possibly can. Especially the seasonal cocktails, fruit-packed popsicles, and salads on repeat. Our tomatoes are chiming in with me, since many of them on the vine are still green. It seems we’re all trying to soak up a little extra sunshine and warmth.

I’ll take all that I can get.

Last week, I led my first cocktail workshop at my favorite kitchenware shop here in Denver, Hazel & Dewey. I was excitedly nervous, and, of course, had a ton of last-minute, loose ends to tie the day-of, but it went well and actually ended up selling out at 20 attendees! My sister-in-law showed up with an entire pack of her girlfriends, and a couple of my fellow blogger friends came out for the night, as well.

The hit of the night was the Pimm’s Cup we all made with seasonal fruit shrubs. Most of the attendees hadn’t tasted a shrub before, so it was an eye-opening experience for them to try these tart, concentrated, fruit-based “drinking vinegars.” I’ve talked about shrubs here on the site before, so if you need an introduction to one of my favorite cocktail additions, this post is a great place to start.

I usually make “cold-process” shrubs, which take a little longer to make than the hot versions but tend to taste a little brighter, as well. “Hot-process” shrubs are easy to make and are ready to enjoy almost immediately, unlike the cold versions, which take up to a week to fully macerate and develop. This recipe for a spiced pineapple shrub takes under 20 minutes to make and is delicious on its own with a splash of soda water or combined with a little rum.

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spiced pineapple shrub

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• 1 cup water
• 1 cup cane sugar
• 1 pound chopped pineapple {roughly 2 cups}
• 1/2 a cinnamon stick
• 2 or 3 cloves
• 1 cardamom pod, cracked
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil, stirring to fully dissolve.
2. Add the chopped pineapple, cinnamon stick, cloves, and cardamom pod and return to a slow simmer. Continue simmering for ten minutes, stirring and gently crushing the pineapple chunks, releasing the juices.
3. Remove from heat and add the apple cider vinegar, stirring well to incorporate.
4. Pour the mixture through a chinois or fine-mesh strainer, discarding the solids.
5. Store the finished shrub in the fridge for a few months.

• This recipe yields between 2 1/2 to 3 cups of drinking vinegar. Once you’ve made the recipe, it will only get better and more integrated flavors over the course of a few days.
• You can easily swap out any fruit for the pineapple and make a different seasonally inspired shrub, using this recipe. Just leave out the spices or even add an herb, like sage, to the mix. The ratio here works well with any in-season fruit.

Believe it or not, this is actually my very first non-boozy drink recipe here on the blog. Lately, I’ve been trying to taper my alcohol intake, while also decreasing my sugar consumption. It seems like I wake up with a fuzzy headache if I have even two glasses of wine. A fun bonus of this so-called “cleanse” has been coming up with interesting and delicious mocktails, er, fauxtails, if you prefer the term.

Drinking vinegars are the perfect answer for enjoying flavorful, non-alcoholic sips. In fact, I always keep a batch or two in the fridge. When I’m serving and sipping cocktails at a get-together, having a glass of sparkling water with a dash of drinking vinegar in between cocktails not only keeps me level, but it also keeps me hydrated. Win, win.

This Tiki-esque mocktail is inspired by Sherrie‘s master hand at mixology at the bloggers retreat she and Amanda hosted last month {more on that after the recipes!}. We made tea-based drinks, complemented with infused syrups and tart drinking vinegars, finished with sparkling water. So simple and so flavorful. This mocktail blends tropical pineapple with cozy baking spices, bright passion fruit juice, and sparkling coconut-flavored water. Because sometimes you just miss your Tiki cocktail addiction.

And I won’t judge you, if you toss a little rum in the mix, either. 😉

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“tiki on the wagon” | spiced pineapple shrub sparklers with black tea + coconut

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• 4 ounces strongly brewed black tea {see recipe notes}
• 1 1/2 ounces spiced pineapple shrub
• 1 1/2 ounces passion fruit juice
• ice
• Coconut La Croix
• sage sprig, for garnish

1. In a mixing tin, combine the tea, shrub, passion fruit juice, and ice.
2. Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass, filled with fresh ice.
3. Add a splash or so of Coconut La Croix and garnish with a sprig of freshly picked sage.

• To make the strongly brewed black tea, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Remove from heat and add four bags of black tea. Let cool to room temperature and strain off the bags.
• If you’re not a coconut person, I’m sure the Apricot La Croix would substitute just swimmingly.

I owe Sherrie and her stellar partner-in-crime, Amanda of Heartbeet Kitchen, the biggest, heartfelt thanks for brightening my summer {and the summers of seven other lady bosses!} by hosting the most memorable retreat last month in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. Sherrie and Amanda brought together ten beautiful, talented ladies – all fellow bloggers – and hosted us in a sprawling house on Lake Phalen with the most breathtaking views.

It was just like summer camp, complete with a flower crown-making class, late-night chats, a chance to play around in the Betty Crocker Test Kitchen at General Mills, and a DIY mocktail party the last night of our stay. In fact, the recipe in this post is inspired by the summery shrubs that Sherrie made that weekend.

I’ll close by sharing some captures from last month’s inspirational #BossBabeFestMSP retreat, but first, be sure to check out all of the fabulous, summer-inspired drink recipes, both boozy and non-alcoholic, for #DRINKTHESUMMER. You can view the entire list of over 50 drinks, via Sherrie’s post over at With Food + Love. I’m already crushing over a few.

CHEERS!! 

To drinking up the summer, to slowing down and savoring, and to cherishing friendships. Amanda, Alanna, Sarah, Liz, Shelly, Kristan, Renée, Emilie, and Sherrie, you all completely ROCK.

The evening that we made our own mocktails together was one of my favorite moments on the trip. The ten of us had returned from a flower crown-making workshop earlier that afternoon and were giddy, inspired, and hungry. We didn’t quite know what was in store for us that night. The chefs at Create Catering came to our lake house and prepared a six-course, vegetable tasting dinner for us, presented to us from our partner for the evening, La Croix. My favorite course? The mushrooms, which were foraged that morning, and served over smoked quinoa with a lemon-truffle vinaigrette, cauliflower, and crisp shallots.

The air was warm, the candles were lit, and the conversation flowed well into the night. Through laughter and over tears, we toasted the sisterhood we’d formed with some great wine. I had packed nine bottles in a sturdy, cardboard box and checked them with me on my flight. Thankfully, none of them broke, and I was able to pair them, along with a couple from Amanda’s collection, with the vegetable dishes we enjoyed.

Before we enjoyed that memorable farm-to-table dinner, Amanda drove the ten of us over to Willful Goods, where Araya toured us through her studio and led us in a flower crown-making workshop. We all let our guards down and let our creative energies flow. It was such a powerful reminder that acts of creativity can fuel our current projects and calm our minds.

A special thanks to Sarah for capturing Amanda in the photo below and to Shelly for catching me in action.

 

I know that another visit to Minnesota is in my future. My only wish is that the trip lasted longer than it did. I didn’t want to go home. We all reluctantly packed and said our goodbyes, leaving inspired and invigorated, supported and loved.

A super huge THANK YOU to all of the companies we partnered with, who made this beautiful weekend possible, especially to Vital Proteins, our official sponsor. Much gratitude to our other sponsors, as well: General Mills, La Croix, Bob’s Red Mill, Vital Farms, NOW Foods, Rodelle, and Udi’s Gluten-Free. The memories we made, and the friendships we forged will last a lifetime.

…now get after those DRANKSSSS!!

 

• With Food + Love | Basil Fig Vodka Smash
• A Little Saffron | Beach Bum’s Rum
• A Thought For Food | Tarragon Tequlia Swizzle
• Downshiftology | Limoncello Prosecco with Blueberries and Thyme
• Heart of a Baker | Green Tea Mint Cooler
• Hungry Girl por Vida | Whisky Peach Alexander
• The Green Life | Spiced Plum, Fig & Kombucha Cocktail
• Hummingbird High | Watermelon and Mint Agua Fresca
• Floating Kitchen | Peach Sun Tea and Bourbon Cocktail
• Beard and Bonnet | Melon Mojito
• EGD | Backyard Peach Sweet Tea
• Appeasing a Food Geek | Basil and Black Pepper Gin Sour
• Vegetarian Ventures | Garden Tonic Punch
• Nosh and Nourish | Mango Margaritas with Chile Lime Salted Rims
• Domesticate ME! | Watermelon-Basil Mezcal Margarita
• The Foodie Nurse | Husk Cherry Margarita
• my name is yeh | Choose Your Own Adventure Bloody Marys
• Sevengrams | Cucumber, Gin and Chartreuse Cocktail
• Wicked Spatula | Coconut Gin and Tonic
• Eat Boutique | Sbagliatos and Homemade Sweet Vermouth
• Nutritionist in the Kitch | Healthy Muddled Blackberry Pina Coladas
• Chocolate + Marrow | Pequito Verdecito
• The Solstice Table | Jalapeno Watermelon Cooler
• HonestlyYUM | Watermelon, Fresh Herbs, & Sotol Cocktail
• Seasonal Cravings | Strawberry Lime Gin Rickey
• Salted Plains | Frozen Honeydew Daiquiris
• The Broken Bread | Honeydew-Ginger Apricot Mojitos
• Fix Feast Flair | Ginger-Berry Splash Cocktail
• Turntable Kitchen | Summer Cooler Cocktails, Two Ways
• Foolproof Living | Blueberry, Dark Cherry and Calvados Cocktail
• Dessert for Two | Salty Melon Slush

• Heartbeet Kitchen | Salty Watermelon Shrub Elixir
• TENDING the TABLE | Raspberry and Fig Hibiscus Cooler
• Snixy Kitchen | Lavender Earl Gray Blackberry Ice Cream Floats
• Gratitude and Greens | Hong Kong Style Crushed Watermelon Ice
• My Heart Beets | Spiced Pistachio Shake
• rooting the sun | Strawberry Fennel Soda
• The Modern Proper | Vanilla Bean Plum Shrub
• Feed Me Phoebe | Watermelon-Cucumber Kombucha Coolers
• Gourmande in the Kitchen | Stone Fruit Thyme Shrub Soda
• dolly and oatmeal | Cold-Brewed Shiso & Hibiscus Tea Iced Latte
• happy hearted kitchen | Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho with Fennel, Orange + Cardamom
• I am a Food Blog | Cherry Vanilla Sodas
• Tasty Yummies | Fig Vanilla Bean Almond Milk
• Let’s talk evergreen | Iced Earl Grey Yuanyang With a Hint of Rose
• Kale & Caramel | Emerald Beaut Green Spritzer
• Earthy Feast | Watermelon Hibiscus Agua Fresca
• Now, Forager | Sparkling Plumcot and Purple Basil Shrubs
• The Pig & Quill | Brown Sugar Blueberry Pie Shakes
• Well and Full | Peach Bubble Tea
• Sweetish Co | The Best Frozen Hot Chocolate
• holly & flora | Spiced Pineapple Shrub Sparklers with Black Tea + Coconut

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