When it comes to brunch parties, I love having a Bloody Mary bar! Bloody Mary’s are difficult to perfect for each guest since everyone loves a little different variation in their Bloody Mary, so a DIY bar is a perfect way for guests to customize their drinks and interact a little more!
Huge thank you to Yankee Candle for sponsoring this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Here in the Haaf house, we’re doing everything we can to coax away the summer heat and welcome fall. And what better way to ring in the year’s penultimate season than by filling our home with autumnal aromas and serving Apple Cider Moscow Mules?!
Fall is the season I look forward to all year long – and Yankee Candle has come through with the perfect seasonal scents: Farmstand Festival, Dried Lavender & Oak, Golden Chestnut, Ciderhouse, Persimmon & Brown Sugar, and Sweet Maple Chai. Their new fragrances are centered on the basic tenants of the pleasant pre-winter season – picked fruits, home-baked treats and general coziness… The beauty really is in the simplicity!
Apple cider is one of my favorite treats year-round, but especially when harvest season arrives, so it’s no surprise that I’m swooning over the Ciderhouse creation in Yankee Candle’s Farmers Market Collection. The Farmstand Festival is also a fave because it takes me back to the smell of one of my grandmother’s Yankee Candles burning in the house after a day playing in the leaves.
With fall fragrances filling our home, the natural reaction is to immediately whip up an apple pie and batch of Apple Cider Moscow Mules because the only thing better than apple cider is boozy apple cider. The apple cider mule is an amazing seasonal take on a vintage and versatile cocktail!
Be sure to check out the full Farmers Market Collection here and our favorite Apple Cider Moscow Mule recipe below to create the perfect Fall gathering this season!
Apple Cider Moscow Mule
2019-07-31 10:49:24
Serves 1
Total Time
5 min
Ingredients
- 2 oz Ginger beer
- 1.5 oz Caramel Vodka
- 2 oz Apple Cider
- 0.5 oz Lime juice, fresh squeezed
- Ice
- Apple slices and/or cinnamon sticks for garnish
Instructions
- Squeeze the lime into the copper mugs.
- Fill with ice and pour in caramel vodka, apple cider, and ginger beer.
- Stir to mix and top with apple slices or cinnamon sticks.
- Cheers!
The Everyday Hostess https://www.theeverydayhostess.com/
Thank you again to Yankee Candle for sponsoring this post! Cheers and happy Fall!
This Cranberry Pomegranate Mimosa is literally the easiest and most festive cocktail out there! It’s absolutely perfect for the Christmas holidays but even better as a Valentine’s Day spritzer!
This two ingredient beverage will definitely be making an appearance at our Valentine’s Day brunch this weekend! With so many different dishes to be made and coordinated, this little gem is a life saver! Just fill each champagne glass halfway with Cascade Ice Cranberry Pomegranate Sparkling Water, top with champagne, and Voila! A beautiful and bright Cranberry Pomegranate Mimosa!
Cheers!
Cranberry Pomegranate Mimosa
2016-02-10 21:15:04
Yields 1
Ingredients
- 2 oz. Cascade Ice Cranberry Pomegranate Sparkling Water
- 2 oz. Champagne
- 1-2 Raspberries for garnish
Instructions
- Add equal parts of Cranberry Pomegranate Sparkling Water and Champange in a champagne glass.
- Garnish with raspberries.
The Everyday Hostess https://www.theeverydayhostess.com/
The Christmas countdown is on! All of our focus is on the final details of pulling together the perfect Christmas celebration – wrapping those final gifts, touching up the Christmas tree, and setting the table for your Christmas feast.
But don’t forget! New Year’s Eve is just around the corner as well, and we need to find the perfect gift for the hostess of your upcoming NYE party!
You’re in luck and we’ve done all the heavy lifting for you and found the absolute PERFECT hostess gift – Le Grand Courtage Blanc de Blancs Brut Bedazzled Bottle!
Let’s be real. Whether it’s for general levity or to get you through that awkward politics discussion with your uncle, there are plenty of reasons to have a drink around Christmas time.
But, if your family is like mine, that family time often includes little kiddos running around. Couple that with the fact that we here at The Everyday Hostess run a family-friendly operation, there can’t always be Bailey’s in the hot cocoa or rum in the eggnog.
So we’ve channeled our inner bartender and thought up some drink recipes that can be easily adult-ified (I’ll have one, please and thank you) or toned down for the munchkins.
“Reindeer bubbles”
Raise your hand if you like champagne! Whether it’s Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s, or a random Tuesday evening on the couch — oops, did I just say that out loud? — it’s never a bad time for some bubbly.
When it comes to an Old Fashioned, it’s always 5 o’clock somewhere in our household! These have been my husband’s cocktail of choice lately and even as a non-bourbon drinker, I have found my self enjoying more than a sip or two of his as well. Plus, I can never pass up a drink with a maraschino cherry in it!
Between all of our cocktail books and favorite food blogger’s recipes, we’ve tried our fair share of versions of this classic beverage and have found this recipe to be our favorite.
With just a few simple ingredients, this timeless and sophisticated cocktail is always at your finger tips and is the perfect drink to have on hand for your guests. Enjoy!
Pro tip: If you really want to treat your guests and give your cocktail that extra classy feel, use these Tovolo molds to create spherical ice cubes for your glasses. My husband likes to have a dozen or so on hand so he’s always prepared!
Shop some of our favorite Old Fashioned accessories:
This Cranberry Ginger Cocktail will completely change your life, especially this holiday season! The sweetness of the cranberry juice paired with the sparkling ginger ale is the perfect bubbly fusion! And then add that pop from the vodka, and bam! Ladies and gentelmen, we have a showstopping cocktail! Whip out this baby at your next Christmas party and you will have all your guests talking!
And of course, for all those youngsters, just leave out the vodka and you have a tasty mocktail and they will never know what they are missing!
My Texas followers already know this, but for any readers up north who may be unaware… margaritas are a big deal in these parts. They’re the crown jewel of summer libations that help us get through 100-degree stretches with smiles on our faces.
But we’re in the dog days of autumn, so what’s a girl to do?! That’s right, you fall-ify that wonderful drink that is so near and dear to us and our neighbors to the south!
This concoction is just as easy to make as it is delicious… Watch the short video above and follow these simple steps to take your autumn festivities to the next level!
Apple Cider Margarita
2016-11-22 18:27:16
Yields 1
Total Time
5 min
Ingredients
- 1/2 ounce Grand Marnier
- 1/2 ounce gold tequila
- 3 ounces sweet apple cider
- Apple slices
- Cinnamon and cane sugar
- Cinnamon sticks for garnish
Instructions
- 1. Add a few spoonfuls of cane sugar and cinnamon to a small plate.
- 2. Run an apple segment around the edge of the glass and then coat the rim of the glass by pressing it into the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- 3. Add a few apple slices and ice in the bottom of the glass.
- 4. Add the Grand Marnier, tequila and apple cider and stir to mix.
- 5. Garnish with apple slices and cinnamon sticks. Enjoy!
The Everyday Hostess https://www.theeverydayhostess.com/
This smoking blackberry margarita recipe is scary good for Halloween!
But don’t worry, it won’t spook your tastebuds — it’s the perfect potion to enjoy after the kiddos are done trick-or-treating!
The best thing about this drink is that it only takes eight ingredients and it’s easy to make. Check out the video above and learn how to whip up this tasty beverage this Halloween!
Smoking Blackberry Margarita
2016-10-23 18:44:27
Yields 1
Prep Time
10 min
Ingredients
- 8 blackberries
- 4 sage leaves
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 2 oz tequila
- 1 oz lemon juice
- 1 oz Grand Marnier
- 1 dash orange bitters
- 1 chunk of dry ice
- Cocktail shaker and muddler needed
Instructions
- Put blackberries, sage leaves and sugar in cocktail shaker and muddle together (if you don’t have a muddler, a large spoon will suffice… the idea is to crush the berries and leaves to get the juices out)
- Add lemon juice, Grand Marnier, bitters and tequila
- Shake well
- Place chunk of dry ice in a glass (a little goes a long way here, and use tongs to grab the dry ice! You’ll regret touching it with your bare skin)
- Pour mixture over dry ice for smoking effect
- Serve with a straw and enjoy!
The Everyday Hostess https://www.theeverydayhostess.com/
This Red, White, and Blue Sangria is the perfect refreshing cocktail to serve at any patriotic gathering this summer! It’s light, it’s fresh, and most importantly, it’s sweet!
With the Olympics in full swing, this fruity beverage has been a staple in our household and is perfect for your Olympic parties this week! Plus it is super simple to make!
Just pour Chardonnay, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and white grape juice in a large pitcher and chill for 2 hours. If you want your beverage to really have the USA written all over it, cut an apple into thin slices and use a star shaped cookie cutter to add little stars to your cocktail. I found my baby cookie cutter at Sur la Table but most cooking specialty stores will carry them. Then when you are ready to serve just stir in the champagne and apple slices!
Voila! The most American spirited cocktail there is!
Cheers!
Red, White, and Blue Sangria
2016-08-13 14:02:11
Serves 10
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
2 hr
Ingredients
- 1 Bottle of Chardonnay
- 1 Cup of Fresh Raspberries
- 2 Cups of Blueberries
- 1 Pound of Fresh Strawberries, Hulled and Sliced
- 1 ½ Cups of White Grape Juice
- 1 Bottle of Champagne or Prosecco (Chilled)
- 3 Apples, thinly sliced
Instructions
- In a large pitcher, add Chardonnay, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and white grape juice. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Optional: While chilling cut the thin apple slices into a star using a small star shaped cookie cutter.
- When you are ready to serve, stir in the champagne and apple slices. Pour over ice and serve immediately. Enjoy!
The Everyday Hostess https://www.theeverydayhostess.com/