These Boozy Strawberry Lemonade Slushies are perfect, perfect, perfect for summer, and even more perfect for summer parties (especially because you make them ahead of time – perfect!). No, you’re not seeing double – I did just say “summer” twice and “perfect” five times in one sentence. But speaking of seeing double – let me just say, please go lightly on these, my friends. Okay? Because they’re potent. PO-TENT.

I decided I needed an alcoholic slushie in my life after a recent stretch of unseasonably hot days, an overaccumulation of fresh strawberries, and the thought that I would like to try consuming my booze with a spoon in addition to the standard straw.

So I broke out my new blender (love that thing, though my toddler declares it “scawwy”) and started experimenting.

At first, I just added strawberries, some fresh lemon juice, a little simple syrup, and vodka (and plenty of it). After playing with the flavors – less sugar, more lemon, lots more strawberries, a little Cointreau liqueur added to the mix – into the freezer it went. But. But! This lush went a little too crazy with the booze. Booze doesn’t freeze, see, and so I just had cold liquid. Delicious cold liquid, but liquid nonetheless. So I added more water to the mix – just enough to make it slushy, but not enough to freeze into a solid, sad block.

These take a bit of time to freeze, so plan ahead at least half a day. I like to freeze it in a big glass bowl, then pull it out, scrape and break it up with a big fork, and scoop it into glasses.

Plop in a paper straw and a spoon and you’re golden. You’ll need to use the spoon at first, but as it melts, the straw will do you just fine.

Big lushin’, slurpin’ slushies.

Too much?

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Boozy Strawberry Lemonade Slushies

Love this icy summer cocktail recipe. Basically strawberry lemonade all boozed up, and then frozen into slushie form. Best served poolside!

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 6 -8 servings

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup water + 2 cups water
• 3 cups fresh strawberries hulls removed
• 3/4 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice from 6-8 large lemons
• 3/4 cup vodka
• 1/3 cup Cointreau liqueur
• Additional strawberries and lemon slices for garnish if desired

Instructions

• Add sugar and 1 cup water to a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and add remaining 2 cups water. Add to the pitcher of a blender along with strawberries, lemon juice, vodka, and Cointreau. Puree until completely smooth.
• Pour into a large freezer-safe container and seal with lid or plastic wrap. Carefully transfer to freezer. Freeze until solid, 4-6 hours.
• Remove from freezer. Scrape with a fork to loosen ice; stir with a spoon to mix ice and the rest of the ingredients back together if necessary. Spoon into glasses, decorate the glass with a strawberry and a lemon slice if desired, and serve with a decorative straw and a spoon.

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If you’ve been following my blog for awhile, you may have noticed that most of my recipes call for fairly whole foods – sometimes healthy, sometimes overly cheesy and definitely not so healthy – but almost always real.

And then there are recipes like this that I just can’t help but sprinkle into the mix every now and then. It’s not whole, it’s not real … but hey, it’s not cheesy. At least not cheese of the dairy variety. Silly cheesy, well. You got me there.

Hey, sometimes you’ve just gotta have fun with totally-wrong-for-you foods. Right?

Here’s how Candy Corn Infused Vodka came about. See, on a whim, I bought a bag of candy corn. And then I couldn’t control myself around it. So I squinted at the candy dish thoughtfully, eyed the mason jar next to it, and peered up at the liquor cabinet. Candy corn vodka. It was happening. I’d finally check “make a candy-infused liquor” off my bucket list, and I’d get those last few dastardly candy corns out of my sight (and tummy) for good.

I put 1/2 cup of candy corn in the jar, and poured in 1 1/2 cups of vodka. I sealed it up and put it in the cupboard, shaking it every day or two. After a couple of days, the candy corn was all but dissolved, but I let it sit for a full week. Then I strained it to get the remaining candy corn particles out of the mix, and chilled it. And then we drank it.

Candy corn vodka might be good mixed in with some other stuff (Halloween-themed Vodka Collins, perhaps? A Candy Corn Martini?), but we didn’t try that. We just served it straight up in shot glasses. But we didn’t just down our candy corn vodka, oh no no no. We sipped it, not unlike one would sip a fine dayglo liqueur.

It … well, I have to say it’s not vodka transformed or anything. It basically tastes like … vodka. And candy corn. Together. 50/50. Which is a pleasant combination, we think, but not life changing. But, hey, it’s totally fun to infuse candy with vodka, and it’s perfect for Halloween, and it really is the most awesome artificially-colored orange vodka I’ve ever seen.

So, you know. Every once in awhile – why not.

Note: I had to buy another bag of candy corn for the photo shoot. And now I have a darn stomach ache.

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Candy Corn Infused Vodka

Candy corn + vodka + one week = an oh-so classy (ha) liqueur that's perfect for the season. And also perfect for getting that dang hard-to-resist candy corn out of your sight.

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 2 cups

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup candy corn
• 1 1/2 cups vodka
• Equipment
• 1 16- ounce or larger mason jar or other airtight glass jar

Instructions

• Add candy corn to mason jar. Pour vodka over the top.
• Seal and place in a dark cupboard or pantry for one week, shaking occasionally to help distribute the solids.
• Pour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to discard any solids.
• Chill if desired and serve straight up, or any other way you dream up.

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This pumpkin pie martini is also a great example of one of the bummers of being a food blogger: learning that I’m really not as creative as I think I am. Usually, I’ve hardly had time to bask in the brilliance of an idea before I do the dreaded Google search and learn that many, many, many people before me have thought of it. Even Sandra frickin’ Lee, in this case! Argh!

Sometimes I’m all, fine! I won’t try to make a butternut squash slushie since Miss Brilliant Food Network Star over there thought of it two years ago!

And sometimes I’m already plenty attached to the idea, and it has to happen. Or I won’t be complete.

And so I created my own take on a pumpkin pie martini.

I started with the same syrup I make for my pumpkin spice iced coffee, then added whipped cream vodka (I, for one, like my pumpkin pie with lots of whipped cream). A good dose of half-and-half and a splash of both bourbon and vanilla add flavor to this festive fall drink; a generous dollop of whipped cream and an even more generous sprinkling of freshly ground nutmeg make it perfect.

And hey, even if it’s not a trailblazing creation, it’s still a delicious one.

(And yes, I did just Google “butternut squash slushie.” It’s never been done! Yes!)

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Pumpkin Pie Martini

A creamy pumpkin spice cocktail perfect for Thanksgiving or anytime a little pumpkin is in order. And when is pumpkin not in order?

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 2 drinks

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 2 ounces whipped cream vodka
• 2 ounces half-and-half
• 5 tablespoons pumpkin spice syrup recipe below
• 1 tablespoon bourbon
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Whipped cream and cinnamon sticks for garnish

Pumpkin Spice Syrup:

• 1 cup water
• ¾ cup dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
• 4 3- inch cinnamon sticks
• 1 whole nutmeg I like to use two or three nutmeg nubs - whole nutmegs I've grated down to a small size or 1 teaspoon ground
• ¾ teaspoon whole cloves
• ¾ teaspoon whole allspice

Instructions

Make pumpkin spice syrup:

• Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over low-medium heat. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not allow to boil. Remove from heat then let it cool to room temperature.
• Drain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the solids. Let cool.
• Keeps, refrigerated, for one month. Shake before using.

Make pumpkin pie martini:

• Pour all ingredients into a martini shaker filled with ice. Shake for about 15 seconds, then strain liquid into a martini glass. Top with whipped cream and a cinnamon stick. Serve.

The post Pumpkin Pie Martini appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

Floats are pretty much one of the best inventions ever. Yet somehow I always manage to let years pass in between enjoying them. Maybe not now, however. This Coke Float Cocktail isn’t actually a float, per se (it doesn’t have ice cream, and it does have vodka) but it certainly boasts all the flavors you remember.

Vanilla, cream, Coke, and whipped cream vodka. Served over ice. Slurped immediately.

The coolest thing about this drink, other than the fact that it’s delicious, of course, is that the Coke and the whipping cream, when combined, foam up just like the real thing.

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Coke Float Cocktail

A creamy, bubbly vodka cocktail with all the flavors of a Coke float.

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1 drink

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 ounces whipped cream vodka
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup Coca-Cola
• Ice

Instructions

• Fill a tall glass with ice. Pour in the heavy whipping cream, vodka, and vanilla extract. Stir. Carefully pour in Coca-Cola (mixture will foam up a bit).
• Stir and serve with a straw.

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How did this drink come about? Well, I’ll tell you. As of June 1 here in Washington State, liquor is officially available in grocery stores. No longer do we have to shop in dedicated, state-run liquor stores, feeling ever-so-slightly deviant as we duck in and duck out with our paper-bag-encased bottles. Now we can shop for our favorite libation at our neighborhood Safeway, if we like, our bottles tucked in alongside strawberries and French bread. This is way, way cooler than it ought to be.

So naturally, I had to buy a bottle of something on my first visit to a liquor-stocked grocery store. And so I came home with a bottle of Pinnacle Whipped Cream vodka, something I’d been wanting to try for awhile. And, because I am obsessed with iced coffee, I mixed some with Kahlua, added a nice heavy dose of half and half, and dipped the rim of the glass in a little Starbucks Via instant coffee for good measure.

And there you have it. Iced Coffeetini, thanks to Washington State voters and iced coffee’s wonderfulness.

It’s terrific, and like most drinks, great for a mixed-diet household like ours. After all, everyone loves a good cocktail.

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Iced Coffeetini

Whipped cream vodka, Kahlua, and half and half shaken until ice cold and poured into an instant-coffee-and-sugar-rimmed martini glass. It’s just as rich and creamy as its tamer, non-alcoholic namesake, just with less caffeine. And, you know, alcohol.

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1 drink

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 1 packet Starbucks Via instant iced coffee* to decorate the rim of the glass
• 2 ounces whipped cream vodka
• 2 ounces Kahlua
• 4 ounces half-and-half
• Ice
• Equipment
• Two saucers
• Cocktail shaker

Instructions

• Fill one saucer with a little water. Shake about half the packet of instant iced coffee into the other saucer. Carefully dip the rim of the martini glass, just barely, into the water, then dip and twist the rim in the saucer with the instant coffee until covered. Place glass right side up.
• Add whipped cream vodka, Kahlua, and half and half in a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice and top with the lid.
• Shake for about 20 seconds, then strain into the martini glass. Serve.

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