If on Halloween you and your guests want to ingest more than candy and cocktails, here are some tasty Halloween recipes.

Dessert
Halloween Cake Balls

Brain Cupcakes

Caramel Apples

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Light appetizers
Screaming Hot Peanuts

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Chipotle Deviled Eggs

Eyeball Caprese 

Savory Pumpkin Puffs

Heavy Appetizers/Main Course
Pumpkin Stuffed with Bread and Cheese

Pumpkin Gratin

Pumpkin Curry

Halloween cocktail and punch recipes

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Dry Ice turns an ordinary party punch into a spooky Halloween brew.

Start with 2 punch bowls of different sizes. The smaller bowl will hold the actual punch while the larger bowl will hold the smaller bowl and the dry ice.

With tongs or gloved hands (dry ice can freeze your skin) , place chunks of dry ice in the bigger container. Place the smaller bowl on top of the dry ice.

There is no need to add extra ice to the punch as the dry ice will cool the punch nicely.

Just before serving, pour some hot water over the dry ice. Continue to add hot water and dry ice as needed.

Be very careful when using dry ice! Handle only with tongs or heavy gloves!

Do NOT put the dry ice directly in the punch or touch it with bare skin. It Will Burn! Dry Ice should also NOT be ingested.

Halloween Punch Recipes

Finally! Season 3 of “Mad Men” premieres August 16. And it’s just not “Mad Men” without booze.

Who can forget when Sally Draper mixed a Tom Collins for the grown-ups? Or when Don Draper wooed Rachel Menken with one of the prettiest Mai Tais I’ve ever seen? And of course there was Freddy Rumson’s … incident in the office after one Screwdriver too many.

So what better way to celebrate the start of this new season than with a 1960s Mad Men cocktail party!

Here are a few cocktails we’ve seen characters order, plus some additional suggestions appropriate for the era.

Old Fashioned (Don Draper)

1 sugar cube
1 dash bitters
1 tsp. water
2 oz. rye whiskey

Muddle the sugar cube, bitters and water in an old-fashioned glass. Add rye and stir. Add ice plus a twist of lemon peel. (Don’t leave the peel in the glass) Garnish with an orange slice.

Vodka Gimlet (Betty Draper)

1 oz. lime juice
1 tsp. simple syrup
1.5 oz. vodka

Shake with ice then strain into a cocktail glass.

Gibson (Roger Sterling)

2.5 oz. gin
1/2 oz. dry vermouth

Stir with ice, then strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a cocktail onion.

Brandy Alexander (Peggy Olson)

1/2 oz. Creme de Cacao
1/2 oz. brandy
1/2 oz. heavy cream

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

Other 1960s cocktails:

Greyhound
Moscow Mule
Bloody Mary
Negroni

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Independence Day is coming up, and what better way to celebrate it than to serve up some red, white and blue cocktails at your barbecue or block party?

Serve these cocktails (at least one from each “color”) and show your patriotic side!

Red

Americano — Refreshing, sparkling cocktail that include Campari and sweet vermouth

Strawberry Ginger Martini — Fruity vodka cocktail with a bit of spice from ginger liqueur

Raspberry Margarita — Fresh raspberries add a summer touch to the margarita

White

Snowball — Gin and anise liqueur cocktail with great herbal flavor

Pina Colada — Rum, pineapple and coconut cocktail to beat the heat

Funky Monkey – Refreshing rum shot with a tropical flair

Blue

Blue Hawaii –  Vodka, blue curacao and creme de coconut cocktail honoring our 50th state

Electric Martini — Vodka martini, with a touch of blue

Blueberry Mojito — Rum, mint, blueberries … yum

More 4th of July Independence Day cocktails

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One way to show your Mom she raised you right is to treat her to a homemade brunch!

Here are some wonderful brunch and champagne cocktail recipes to show your Mom that you love her.

Celebrate your Mom with a champagne toast and tasty meal.
Happy Mother’s Day!

Champagne Cocktail Recipes

Blackberry Champagne Cocktail
The Happy Mom
Mimosa
Kir Royale
Orangecello Champagne Cocktail
Blood Orange Bellini
French Revolution
Malibu Sparkler
Mama’s Malibu Martini
Ultimate Indulgence
Mumitini

and for some fun - Hollywood MILFs & the cocktails that love them

Mother’s Day Brunch Recipes

Eggs Benedict
Apple Baked French Toast
Pear and Ricotta Blintzes
Melon Sorbet
Strawberry Honey-Mascarpone Tart

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With the Kentucky Derby coming up May 2, thoughts are turning to the mint julep. This cocktail has been the signature drink of Churchill Downs since 1938, when they started serving the mint julep in souvenir glasses for 75 cents each.

If you don’t think the word “julep” sounds particularly Southern, you’re right. The cocktail, known as “julab,” originated in Arabia centuries ago. Eventually, it made its way to the U.S. — with little changes along the way. The addition of bourbon is what really made the cocktail what it is today.

So as you prepare to enjoy Derby Day, here are some bourbon suggestions. Picking a bourbon is an important task.

You want a quality bourbon that mixes well and doesn’t break the bank. Oh, and of course it has to be from Kentucky.

Evan Williams Black Label Bourbon: For under $20, you won’t feel bad using it in a cocktail. However, don’t let the price tag fool you. It’s a very highly rated bourbon with a rich flavor that stands on its own.

Maker’s Mark: There’s a reason this is the go-to bourbon for cocktails. It mixes very well — the sweet and spicy notes go with a lot of mixers. Also, you can usually pick it up for around $20.

Buffalo Trace: This bourbon has the right amount of brown sugar flavor and oak to make a very balanced and truly Southern mint julep. You can generally pick this up for around $25.

Woodford Reserve: I think this is one of the best values out there in bourbon. It’s smooth with layered flavors. This one will make a mean mint julep and also please those who want their bourbon straight instead. Great for a party. Typically, you can find it around $30.

Mixology Monday XXXVIII is being hosted over at the Wild Drink Blog and the theme is “Superior Twists.” The idea is add a twist to a classic cocktail that sends it over the top of cocktail goodness.

Marcia got the idea for this drink at a BBQ last summer when the hostess served Watermelon Basil Mojitos (more on that later). It being Spring, strawberries are plentiful and they are really yummy in cocktails.

So why not a A Spring twist on the classic mojito? The strawberries and basil go amazingly well together, each complementing each other’s sweetness.

In Marcia’s words “making this [cocktail] perfect for sipping on the porch!”

Strawberry Basil Mojito

3 fresh strawberries
3-5 fresh basil leaves
2 oz. simple syrup
2 oz. white rum
crushed ice
club soda

Slice the strawberries and place at the bottom of a tall glass along with the basil leaves. Pour in the simple syrup and muddle the mixture. Stir in the rum and top with crushed ice. Top off with club soda and garnish with strawberry slices.

Mixology Monday XXXVIII - the Wild Drink Blog

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