Food & Drink: Favorite Weekend Drinks

After a long week, all we want to do is go home, mix up our favorite drinks, and relax. Sometimes, however, we are feeling a bit adventurous and want to try something new. Below are three recipes for our favorite drinks, along with nonalcoholic alternatives for each. Cheers!

1. Basic Bloody Mary

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Vodka
• 4 oz. Tomato juice (Clamato preferred for nonalcoholic version)
• Ice
• Tabasco sauce (to taste)
• Dash of Worcestershire sauce
• Fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wedge for garnish
• Fresh lime juice, plus lime wedge for garnish
• Salt
• Pepper
• Celery
• Green olives
• Skewers

Directions:

Add vodka, tomato juice, fresh lime juice, fresh lemon juice, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper into a cocktail shaker and mix well. Pour into ice-filled glass. Add a couple of celery stalks and skewer some olives, lime wedge, and lemon wedge and place on top of glass to garnish. To make it nonalcoholic, simply omit vodka and use Clamato brand tomato juice for more flavor without the alcohol.

2. Ouzo Citrus Spritzer

Ingredients:

• Splash of ouzo
• Fresh juice from citrus fruit of your choice (strained)
• Ice
• Mint leaves
• Sparkling water

Directions:

Mix ouzo, citrus juice, ice, and mint in a cocktail shaker. Pour into glass and add sparkling water until glass if full. Top off with a slice or two of citrus fruit, and garnish with a couple of mint leaves. To make it nonalcoholic, replace the ouzo with anise flavored syrup.

3. Prickly Pear Mint Mojito

Ingredients:

• Splash of white rum
• Sparkling water
• Ice
• Fresh lime juice, plus lime wedge for garnish
• Mint leaves
• Agave (to taste)
• 1 Prickly pear fruit

Directions:

Mix rum, ice, mint, lime juice, and agave in cocktail shaker and pour into glass. Mash the flesh part of the prickly pear with a few mint leaves and add to glass. Pour desired amount of sparkling water and garnish with lime slice and mint. To make it nonalcoholic, simply omit rum, or substitute rum and sparkling water with limeade flavored soda.