Thursday Cocktailing // The Kook-a-lou

Our stunning and amazing dear friend Jess got married last month, and the Kook-a-Lou was one of the signature drinks served. This drink went over quite well with the crowd needless to say -- but this cocktail comes with a warning...if you have more than 2 or 3 you're guaranteed to be "kook-a-lou'd" for the rest of the night...just like our husbands Andrew & Micah.

XOXO,

Lauren & Amber

P.S. View our other past cocktail recipes, here!

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Thursday Cocktailing // The Orange Crush

The Orange Crush is a quintessential Maryland summer drink made famous by beach bars such as The Tiki Bar in Solomons Island, MD, Starboard in Dewey Beach, DE, and Harborside in Ocean City, MD.  Amber even used it as the signature drink at her bridal shower.  An Orange Crush is good at happy hour, on a boat, even at brunch - an industrial juicer is necessary if you are making these for a crowd. We recommend serving them up in mason jars with these striped straws!  Amber will be having one of these delicious drinks this tonight - look for a pic on our instagram!

XOXO,

Lauren & Amber

P.S. View our other past cocktail recipes, here!

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Thursday Cocktailing // The Lemon Lover

This week, I'm sharing a favorite of mine, The Lemon Lover.

A few years ago, I discovered this drink at a local restaurant in town, but since it's no longer on the menu, I knew I had to figure out the recipe and recreate it somehow-- let's just say it's been a fun trial & error to say to the least!

Sadly, this isn't one of those drinks you can have while you're dieting, because trust me, it's impossible to stop at one, but if you are able to indulge, just make a big batch and serve it in my favorite infusion pitcher.  I've yet to meet someone who doesn't love this drink, it's that good!!

XOXO,

Lauren & Amber

P.S. View our other past cocktail recipes, here!

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Thursday Cocktailing // The Gin & Tonic

To me, a Gin & Tonic is the epitome of an "oldie, but goodie" cocktail.  Whenever I'm looking for an easy to make, refreshing drink in the summer, this is usually my go-to...

Gin & Tonic:

-Fill a glass half way with ice
-Add 2 ounces of your favorite Gin
(New Amsterdam is a quality, yet affordable pick, but for special occasions, I prefer Bombay Sapphire and Amber loves Hendrick's)
-Fill the rest of glass with tonic water (I use Polar's Diet Lime Tonic Water) but any tonic water will do.
-Squeeze in juice from at least two lime wedges. 

Stir it up, garnish with a fresh lime wedge, and enjoy!

XOXO,

Lauren & Amber

P.S. View our other past cocktail recipes, here!

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[ G&T image via]

Thursday Cocktailing // The Mint Julep

As soon as May arrives, we're always looking forward to the first Saturday of the month because that means it's Derby Day! The Kentucky Derby is one of our favorite sporting events because the race is only a few minutes long, you never know who will win (with the ever-changing, crazy odds) and it even has an official drink, The Mint Julip!  Here's how we make ours...

The Mint Julip

-Fill a glass or ideally a Mint Julep cup full of crushed ice

-Add 2 tablespoons of homemade mint simple syrup

(Boil equal parts sugar & water, remove from heat and gently muddle mint leaves, let cool.)

-Add 2 1/2 ounces of your favorite Kentucky bourbon (we like Jim Beam's Devil's Cut for a reasonably-priced choice)

Garnish with a mint sprig or two & enjoy!

Don't forget Sunday is Cinco de Mayo – another Chic & Awe favorite holiday!  It's the perfect excuse to try our Margarita or Tequila Sunrise recipes!

XOXO,

Lauren & Amber

P.S. View our other past cocktail recipes, here!

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[image via]

Thursday Cocktailing // Tequila Sunrise

It’s only fitting to feature a tequila-based cocktail this week since we’re en route to the Riviera Maya as we speak. We already featured our amazing margarita recipe last month, so this week we have a Tequila Sunrise for you! Never having made one before, we couldn't get over how straightforward, simple, and most importantly, delicious it is!

The Tequila Sunrise

-Fill a highball glass with ice

-Add 4 ounces of Orange Juice

-Add 2 ounces of Tequila

-Next slowly pour a 1/2 ounce of grenadine (in a straight line, don't swirl it)

Wait a few minute as the grenadine slowly falls to the bottom.

Garnish with an orange slice and maraschino cherries and enjoy!

XOXO,

Lauren & Amber

P.S. View our past cocktail recipes, here!

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Thursday Cocktailing // Pink Lady Punch

At our friend Jess's bridal shower, we were tasked with making the punch.  We reviewed a few recipes, looked at the ingredients on hand, and thought, let's just wing it!

Here's our Pink Lady Punch concoction - perfectly suited for any fabulous afternoon soiree!

Pink Lady Punch

Fill a punch bowl with:

-1 cup Raspberry Vodka (or flavored vodka of your choice)

-1 cup Pineapple Juice

-1 liter Club Soda

-2 cups Cranberry Juice

-1 cup of Triple Sec

-1 liter of Sparking Lemonade

-1 bottle of Champagne

When ready to serve, top the bowl with ice or an ice ring and enjoy!

XOXO,

Lauren & Amber

P.S. View our past cocktail recipes, here!

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Thursday Cocktailing // The Kumquat Kooler

If you're looking for a refreshing drink to kick the weekend off in style, this is it! The kumquat is a popular Asian citrus fruit which roughly translates to "Gold Orange." November to March are ideal growing months so they are popping up in groceries stores across the country now.

The Spiegels have been taking full advantage of kumquat season and are always down for whisky, hence today's cocktail, The Kumquat Kooler!

The Kumquat Kooler

-Muddle 5 kumquats and a few sprigs of mint

-Add 1 shot of Maker's Mark

-Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice

-Pour into a highball glass and top with Ginger Ale (we use Diet)

This is the perfect drink to sip with the recent warm weather!  Enjoy!

XOXO,

Lauren & Amber

P.S. View our past Thursday Cocktails here!

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Thursday Cocktailing // The Rio Fizz

I spent the evening with my in-laws a few weeks ago and Micah's uncle made the most fabulous drink for us.  He has a place in Brazil so he has the amazing hook up on Absolut Rio vodka which is a blend of tropical fruit flavors of mango, passion fruit, and orange.  The bottle was designed by Osklen designer Oskar Metsavaht and the Absolut company donates part of the profits to the Brazilian Coast Recovery Project!

The Rio Fizz

-1 part Absolut Rio Vodka

-2 parts Champagne

-Finish with Blood Orange Italian Soda

This is a perfect, easy drink to serve at brunch or a summer night on the deck!

XOXO,

Lauren & Amber

P.S. View our past cocktails here!

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Thursday Cocktailing // Must-have Margaritas!

Alright party people, it’s time for our second installment of Thursday Cocktailing and this week we have a gooood one for you.  So good in fact, Lauren passed out at 8 p.m. Sunday night testing it out and woke up Monday morning with a substantial hangover.  What a way to start the week!  So stick to drinking this delish marg on Fridays & Saturdays, ok? (Or don’t say we didn’t warn you!)

If there’s one thing the Chic & Awe cocktail-lovin’ duo can always get behind it’s Mexican! The chips, the guac, and of course, the margaritas!  We’re not talking about sketchy neon green margaritas with suspect ingredients either! This recipe comes from Andrew, Lauren’s husband, who is a master cocktail maker – you’d marry him too with the drinks he can bust out. FOR REALS. He’s typically a non-measurer, but we made him nail down his special recipe just for our Chic & Awe readers!  You’re welcome ;-)

The Must-Have Margarita

-Fill a large cocktail shaker half full with ice (our shaker is on the bigger side, it’s 11” tall and holds 28 oz.)

-Add 4 shots/6 ounces of tequila (we use Sauza Gold on the regular)

-1 cup of Limeade

-1/4 cup Orange Juice

-1/4 cup Triple Sec

-Fresh squeezed juice from two limes

-1/8 cup simple syrup (it's so easy, definitely make your own!)

Shake it up and serve over ice with rimming salt! Don’t forget to garnish with a lime wedge or two.

This should make 4 margaritas, or 2 if you’re the Egurens ;-)

XOXO,

Lauren & Amber

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Thursday Cocktailing // Master the Mimosa

It's no secret the Chic & Awe duo love to indulge in a fabulous drink or four (who's with us?!) so every Thursday, we'll be sharing our favorite cocktail concoctions with you!

First up is a brunch staple -- the mimosa.  We like to spice ours up because sometimes just orange juice and Champagne won't do!

To make the perfect mimosa, we add equal parts orange juice and pineapple juice, then layer equal parts brut Champagne and peach sparkling wine in the glass. Top it off with a dash of Triple Sec (or Grand Marnier), garnish, and enjoy!  Trust us, this is amazing!

XOXO,

Lauren & Amber

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Chic & Awe are serving you UP!

Aren’t these cocktail napkins to die for!?!?!  They are most appropriate for our group!

After placing one of these darling naps on your lap, we would serve you a Hendrick's & Tonic with cucumber:

In a white wine glass, add several cucumber slices cut into quarters.  Gently muddle to release the juice.  Fill with ice.  Pour Hendrick's Gin - about an inch's worth into glass and top with tonic.  Quickly stir and garnish with a cucumber slice.    

We are quickly becoming big fans of Hendrick’s Gin and are looking forward to trying other recipes like this one on our Cocktails Pinterest Board.

We also would serve you the perfect cocktail munchie -- warm Rosemary Cashews served in this bowl, of course!

XOXO,

Lauren & Amber

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