3-2-1 Frozen Margarita Recipe

We have been making so much vegetarian food lately, and the majority of it has been Mexican food. So since we had a few limes in the fridge, we invited our friend Chris over to create his favorite cocktail for us. He styled it really well and it tasted awesome. I loved the lighter flavor, and this recipe is amazing because it will give you a substitution for traditional margarita mix that is so high in acid and calories that I avoid it all together! 

Here is a delicious and traditional 3-2-1 Margarita, which I hope you enjoy! When you read through the ingredients, you will see that it's 3 parts tequila to 2 parts triple sec, to 1 part lime juice. Because this is a higher gravity margarita than if you were using a store bought mixer, it's best blended with ice to tone it down a bit (but that's totally up to you!).

Ingredients (serves 1, or serves a pitcher if scaled up)

• 3 parts tequila (6 ounces for example)
• 2 parts orange liqueur triple sec, Grand Marnier or Cointreau (4 ounces for example)
• 1 part fresh lime juice (2 ounces for example)
• Simple syrup or agave nectar to taste (4 Tablespoons)
• Kosher salt for rims of glasses
• Fresh lime slices (keep as circular slice) for garnish
• Optional: zest of lime, and cilantro for final garnish
• ice: add 3-4 cups, optional

Instructions

• In your blender, add ice, tequila, triple sec, lime juice, and agave nectar. Blend thoroughly until all ice pieces are fully blended. 

• Use spent lime to apply lime juice around rim of glass. Dip into bowl full of salt to apply to rim.

• Fill glasses with 3-2-1 Margarita. Use a spoon to help serve from blender.

• Garnish with lime slice and optional cilantro and enjoy! 

Mocha Meringue Cocktail With Sprinkles

Love iced coffee? Looking for a tasty, new cocktail recipe that is so easy to make and tastes delicious? This recipe can be made as a single drink, or make it for a party! Topped with meringue cookies, and covered in sprinkles, this drink makes for such a festive drink for any occasion!

A little while back, I was browsing Instagram, and came upon this awesome company, Gypsy Vodka. I loved the free-spirited attitude they convey, and since my blog is called Lily The Wandering Gypsy, I figured I would reach out and see if they wanted to send me anything. They loved the idea, and sent me the prettiest bottle of vodka I have ever seen. The artwork is so pretty, and the bottle shape is super unique. Gypsy Vodka was founded in Michigan, and is very proud of that fact! #LetLoveConquer

HOW TO MAKE THE DRINK:

1.) Prepare your sprinkles. Have you seen those cute designer sprinkle websites, that sell colorful, cheerful mixes of sprinkles at super high prices? Well, I am definitely inspired by them, but I sure didn't have the time to order offline, so I created my own! Here, I mixed some colorful star-shaped sprinkles from the dollar baskets at Target, and a few other sprinkles I had from the grocery store, and I love how they turned out! Below, you will see that I mixed white ball sprinkles, those itty-bitty multi colored ball sprinkles, and also the longer, more primary-colored sprinkles together. At first, I was unsure about how it would look, but I think the more textures and colors, the better for this one. Sprinkles are NOT an option here, friends!

2.) Melt chocolate and put into a shallow, round, glass jar or Pyrex/plastic container. One that is wider than your glasses, but not too deep. Dip the rim of each glass (shot glasses would also be adorable!!!), scrape off excess chocolate with a utensil, and dip the chocolate rim into the sprinkles. I used my hand to push sprinkles anywhere they did not get from the dipping process. Let these cool and let's mix the cocktail!

3.) Mix your favorite pre-made mocha coffee with 1 shot of Gypsy Vodka over ice, or use this recipe:

1 part coffee liquor

 1/2 part chocolate liquor

1 part vanilla vodka

1/2 - 1 part heavy cream

Ice

HERE'S ANOTHER RECIPE:

2 oz. expresso or strong coffee

1 oz. vodka

1 oz coffee liquor

1/2 oz. simple syrup

HOW TO:

Combine espresso, vodka, coffee liqueur, and simple syrup into a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake well and strain into a chilled glass. Garnish as desired.

Gypsy Vodka is naturally gluten free!

"We had only been out of college for a few months, working as consultants, and we had already grown unsatisfied with the 9-5 work life. We headed west to Breckenridge Colorado in search of inspiration and a new perspective. While in Colorado we met a whiskey distiller who lived nearby, and after talking to him, and feeling his passion for his craft, we set out to learn as much as we could about the art of distilling.  It wasn’t long before we too, were hooked, and Gypsy was born.  We didn’t just want to make vodka; we wanted to build a brand for young, free-spirited explorers like ourselves. 

The name Gypsy represents our lifestyle and reflects the way we live. Whether climbing the peaks of Colorado looking for the perfect sunset, or finding new family at a music festival, we were taught long before we graduated college that living the life you want is within your grasp.  We owe so much to the people who have shown us this, and Gypsy is as much theirs as it is ours.

The road to this point has not been easy. We have dedicated ourselves to our brand, spending long nights living out of our van and tent, seeking investors, and working too many odd jobs to count.  From festivals and ski shops, to party promotion and landscaping, we were able to muster up enough cash to turn our dream into a reality.

After exploring 50 different formulas and hosting countless taste tests, we believe Gypsy is the best tasting, smoothest vodka on the market. Gypsy is distilled with corn six times using only reverse osmosis treated water. Our specially selected American-grown corn brings out naturally sweet tones and subtle earthy notes that make the Gypsy experience like nothing else.

Cheers to your Gypsy Soul"

Find Gypsy Vodka online, on Facebook, and on Instagram. 

Share Your Passions + A Watermelon Keg Drink Recipe With Rémy Martin Cognac

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. The following content is intended for readers who are 21 or older.

#passiondefinedremyrefined #CollectiveBias #StLouisSweepstakes

I listen to music every single day. I much prefer music to television, and because I work from home I include music in my daily life. I am always looking for new music to love, or I will play something from one of my many favorite musicians. I love listening as I am crafting, which is one of my many talents. Recently, I have been creating beautiful dreamcatchers as party items for entertaining. Listening to music and combining my talents of crafting make for a relaxing and productive day. I created a fun and inspiring Girly Boho Summer Festival Themed Party décor item, which is a dreamcatcher. I created this while listening to my favorite tunes. You can see later in this post how to create these for yourself.

In honor of music festival season, and tons of great concerts happening in the St. Louis area, I also created a delightfully refreshing Watermelon Cognac Summer Sip Recipe - and then served it out of a watermelon keg! Everything turned out so well, so I hope you get a chance to try this drink recipe with friends while listening to good music.

Also going on this summer, you can enter to win a mentor for a YEAR (!!!), or meet Jhené Aiko! Read along to find out more. And, check out updates on Twitter.

Learn more about this amazing opportunity on Twitter

Or visit their website!

First, I wanted to start off by telling you a bit more about the mentorship that Rémy Martin Cognac is offering up.

To enter the sweepstakes, the Entrant must log on to his/her Twitter account and (i) follow @RemyRefined (if he/she does not already), and (ii) Tweet an image of Entrant showing their life passion and including the hashtags #RemyRefined and either #ChicagoSweepstakes, #DetroitSweepstakes, or #StLouisSweepstakes, depending on Entrant’s state of residence.

○      Grand Prize (1): The grand prize winner will receive a mentor for one (1) year to help winner live out his/her passion and a check for $5,000 (“Grand Prize”).

○      First Prize (15 [five (5) per location]): Each first prize winner will receive two (2) tickets to a Jhené Aiko concert on either August 12, 2016 for Michigan winners, August 16, 2016 for Illinois winners, or August 17, 2016 for Missouri winners, a meet and greet with Jhené Aiko, and a Rémy Martin gift bag (“First Prize”).

○      Second Prize (30 [ten (10) per location]): Each second prize winner will receive two (2) tickets to a Jhené Aiko concert on either August 12, 2016 for Michigan winners, August 16, 2016 for Illinois winners, or August 17, 2016 for Missouri winners (“Second Prize’).

No Purch. Nec. Ends 8/31/16. 21+, IL, MI, MO only, Rules: RemyRefined.com

DREAMCATCHER INSTRUCTIONS:

MATERIALS:

Lace Fabric

Wooden Embroidery Hoop (I used a smaller one)

Ribbon, Beads, Feathers, and Embroidery Floss

Hot Glue & Hot Glue Gun

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.) Heat up your glue gun and let’s get started!

Cut a long strip of lace, which will be wrapped around the outer circle part of the embroidery hoop.

Glue one short side of the strip to the inside of the circle, then wrap the lace around the entire circle, glueing whenever you see fit.

2.) Now, cut a circle of lace a little bit bigger than the interior circle, and stretch the lace around the inner circle, glueing on one side, then glue straight across, then evenly stretch out the rest of the lace on the circle. (See Figure 2)

3.) Now, we will add the pretty decorations. Cut lengths of ribbon, and glue them inside the outer circle. Then, double over your embroidery floss, and tie it to the circle. Glue everything in place.

4.) I used a big needle on the embroidery floss to get the beads onto the string. I also glued marabou feathers to the ends of the string, then wrapped and glued more ribbon around it.

5.) I also tied embroidery floss around the glasses (tapered glasses would have been way easier), then added elephant charms and more beads. I love how everything turned out!

Read on to see how I made the watermelon keg and to get the drink recipe!!!

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DRINK RECIPE / WATERMELON KEG INSTRUCTIONS:

MATERIALS:

2 Watermelons

Rémy Martin 1738 or Rémy Martin VSOP

Blender or food processor for watermelon

Large spoon to scoop out watermelon

knife to cut watermelon

Mint (optional)

Large Mason Jars (to mix drink)

Watermelon Keg Tapper

For The Keg Stand:

Cake Stand

Bowl To Hold Watermelo

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INSTRUCTIONS:

1.) Cut a couple of inches off the top of your watermelon. I used painters tape to try and get a straighter cut.

2.) Scoop out insides of watermelon and blend the insides until it’s juice. Transfer to several mason jars (or other large container with a lid).

3.) For every quart of watermelon juice, add 2-3 shots of Rémy Martin.

4.) You can also add some mint and lime, if that’s your style! And to add even more summer flavor, this would be so tasty!

5.) MAKE THE KEG - Open your watermelon keg tapping kit, and follow instructions to create the keg.

6.) Set your new watermelon creation into the bowl, and set it all onto the cake stand.

7.) Fill the watermelon with your drink recipe, turn on some good tunes, and sample your new drink! Enjoy!

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Rémy Martin 1738

Rémy Martin 1738® Accord Royal is the signature blend from the luxury House of Rémy Martin. Made from the most sought after grapes of Fine Champagne Cognac, 1738® is a tribute to almost 300 years of passionate commitment to time, tradition and respect of the land.

1738 Accord Royal is aged up to 20 years in French toasted oak casks to reveal a rich range of aromas and exceptionally round texture.

Rémy Martin VSOP

The world’s first and favorite Fine Champagne cognac

#1 V.S.O.P in the US

The art of blending hundreds of eaux-de-vie to renew the same taste every year and reveal the same signature style since it’s creation in 1927

Dominant notes of vanilla thanks to aging in large grain oak barrels. Fruity notes of ripe apricots, baked apple and elegant floral notes.

Organic Mint Julep Cocktail Recipe

We styled up this gorgeous and organic mint julep just in time for Derby weekend. I wound up finding an organic mint plant for less than $5.00 at my local Co-Op. I replanted it after making this recipe, and it's growing like a champ :) Have you ever had a Mint Julep? They're so fresh!

INGREDIENTS (adapted from this recipe): 

10 organic mint leaves, plus a sprig for garnish
1 1/2 teaspoons organic cane sugar
Water
Crushed ice
2 1/2 ounces Kentucky bourbon whiskey

INSTRUCTIONS:

Place the mint leaves in the bottom of acute  glass and top with the sugar. Muddle these together until the leaves begin to break down. Add a splash of filtered or seltzer water, fill the glass 3/4 full with crushed ice, and add the bourbon. Top with another splash of seltzer, stir, and garnish with a sprig of mint. Serve immediately.

Natural Grapefruit Cocktail Recipe + Winter Citrus

These drinks tasted really incredible. This was one of the first drinks I have ever sweetened with Agave, and it was perfect.

We juiced the 2 types of grapefruits (by hand, without a juicer!). One was a "normal color, orangey on the outside, and fruity pink inside, and another type that looked like a giant lemon when you cut it open. Also, after adding just a little bit of the agave nectar, the flavors were balanced perfectly! The sugar around the rim is a fun flavor addition as well. I always love sweet and tart together. 

You can drink the juice by itself, or add a little bit of sparkling wine or gin if you wanted to. 

INGREDIENTS:

1 part grapefruit juice (we used 1 1/2 C.)

1 part sparkling wine (dry and less sweet would be better) or sparkling water

2 tsp. organic agave nectar

Jars or fancy glasses of your choice

Organic Cane Sugar for Rims

INSTRUCTIONS:

- Mix grapefruit juice, sparkling wine, and agave in a pitcher or similar. 

- Grab your jars or glasses, and add sugar to the rim. To do this, I put some water onto a plate, and dipped the glasses in the sugar. I love the way the sugar helped add even more sweetness to a tart citrus flavor. 

- Fill glass a bit over half with ice. Pour the grapefruit juice mixture over the ice, and garnish with a wedge of grapefruit. Love the color of these drinks! 

Fun Fact: Citrus is a great way to help boost your immune system! 

"This large subtropical fruit known for its slightly bitter and sour taste is called a grapefruit as it grows in clusters like grapes. High in enzymes, water content and having less sodium, grapefruit helps accelerate weight loss. It also helps in cancer prevention, boosts immune levels and aids digestion. It is rich in vitamin B, magnesium, iron, folic acids, manganese, calcium and potassium." - StyleCraze

DIY Super Easy Champagne Flutes

I had a blast working on this fun tutorial! I thought these would be adorable for a party of just about any sort. Whether you actually put champagne or sparkling wine in these glasses, or if you decide to create mocktails, suitable for all ages, these would be great. This of how cute these would be if you made them for a bridal or baby shower, holidays, birthdays, and just fun days you want to be more fancy than usual! You could also find monogram stickers and use those as fun gifts as well. Check out the full New Year's post Here. 

So, this project is one of the easiest ones I have ever created. So great that they wound up looking so great on top of being So easy! I wound up finding these amazing sticker/decals at Hobby Lobby. Of course, I couldn't find the exact stickers that I used online, but I used Stick-A-Bilities for this project. They were about $2.49 for the package, and I like the little bits of gold, pale pink, and mint in these stickers. They are kins of retro while still looking elegant and modern! The circle stickers ranged from about 2"-2.5" across, to give you an idea of what worked so well.

I found the plastic party champagne flutes for about $1.00 each at Party City. Here is the link to the cups in Clear and Gold. Whatever you wind up using, just make sure the plastic glasses have straight sides so the stickers fit best. 

It's so simple, just make sure you stick the stickers to the flute glasses as straight as possible, and without any bubbles. 

Until next time, have a happy and healthy 2016!!!

New Year's Resolution Cocktails {Roundup}

I thought it would be fun to put together a list of cocktails inspired by common New Year's Resolutions. 

If you want a classic cocktail that just might inspire you to read a new novel or two, this Earnest Hemingway Daiquiri by Gabriel Cabrera, would be a good fit.  

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We could all use a little bit more of the green variety in our diets, so here is a rather unusual Spicy BLT Green Bloody Mary by Heather Christo. 

If you are making it a top priority to make date night more fun this year, this Chocolate Stout and Raspberry Cocktail by Drool Worthy Daily may be a great addition to a meaningful evening. 

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I always believe that wine and sparkling wine are great, mood-boosting options when getting together with girlfriends. This Apple Pear Cocktail by Julie Blanner would be a great choice! 

If you feel like booze just makes you sleepy, try something mixed with coffee! Here is a fun Creamy Coconut Rum Iced Coffee by Heather Christo.

They say that one way to get the creative juices flowing is to drink absinthe. I guess the taste alone is almost unbearable, but hey, let's try this mixed drink and see if we can't get a bit creative. Here is the Sleepy Hollow Cocktail by The Jewels Of NY.

If travel is top on your list for 2016, try this Modern Mai Tai with Hibiscus + Thyme by With Food And Love, maybe it will inspire you to make plans to head somewhere warm, Hawaii for instance?!

If one of your goals for the new year is to stop and smell the roses, then this Cardamom Rose Gin & Tonic by The Baking Bird may be perfect for you! 

Why not learn how to infuse your drinks with new flavors, by learning how to Make Your Own Bitters, with this nice tutorial by How Sweet It Is. 

This Low-Cal Cocktail by Waiting On Martha, would be one of the drinks with the lowest calories, in my mind. Instead of using anything pre-mixed, opt for fresh ingredients! 

Red Cocktail Recipes

I wanted to share a few cocktail recipes with you today in honor of the holidays! 

NAUGHTY ROUDOLPH

1/4 cup Mario cherries, pretzels, 1 C. Ginger Ale, 2 Cups Ice, 3 oz. Vanilla Vodka

HOLIDAY SANGRIA

Cut up fruit (Apple, Orange, and Strawberries). Mix 1/2 C. Brandy, 1 Bottle Dry Red Table Wine, 1/4 Cup Sugar, and 1/4 C. Water. Add cut up fruit and enjoy! 

STRAWBERRY HOLIDAY PUNCH

Mix together Equal Parts Ginger Ale and Cranberry Juice. Next, add a few scoops of raspberry sorbet, and some fresh raspberries, and optional alcohol. Enjoy!