The Weekend Cheers: Summer Rosé

Suffice to say, I love my cocktails but some days beckon for a glass of wine.  In early June, I read this WSJ article on rosé wine which convinced me to expand my wine selections and summer hasn't been the same since. There's a whole new world out there!  (But I tend to favor the French regions). And if you're wondering what makes rosé superior to white zinfandel, here's a quick read to get you in the know.

Are you a rosé drinker? If so, send me your favorites, pretty please. I love to curl up in this spot at the end of the day and enjoy a nice glass. Summer is far from over and the weekend is just beginning. Cheers to all my fellow peaches!

image source

Weekend Cheers: Spring Slim Down

Happy Friday! I know I was quiet here on the blog this week, but do not let that fool you. On Wednesday, I celebrated another birthday and am still hard at work on the Home Depot style challenge. The boys started baseball so that is consuming a lot of our Saturdays. I've also decided I must shut down my computer at a decent hour each night. It's difficult for me because I'm naturally a night owl but I'm realizing (with age) how important sleep really is when it comes to my daytime productivity. I also see a HUGE difference in my skin when I get more rest. It's not called beauty rest for nothing!

I mixed up the above elixir in an effort to brighten my skin and boost my metabolism for spring. I've always loved infusing my water but I specifically chose the ingredients for this recipe to be healing and detoxifying. Did you know cinnamon is believed to curb sugar cravings and lemon is a well known detoxifier, which means less swelling! For me personally, mint is a natural mood lifter and great for my sinuses and since allergy and pollen season is in full force here in Georgia, you better bet I'm stocking my garden with this stuff. For best results with this all-natural slim down drink, mix up a large batch each morning and sip it throughout the day. I recommend repeating this for 2-3 days in a row or until you feel the benefits. Three cheers for spring and feeling our best!

****Cinnamon-Lemon Slim Down Drink*****

//Ingredients//

32 oz. filtered cold water
1 lemon
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon*
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
Mint leaves for garnish

//Instructions//

In a large pitcher, combine water, the juice of one lemon, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Stir well until cinnamon is combined. Pour over ice and garnish with fresh mint leaves. Refrigerate as necessary.

*Photos and styling by Amy Mikkelsen

Captain's Table Challenge

Happy Friday friends! Usually I post a fun, hand-crafted cocktail recipe for you on Fridays but today I'm sharing a fun challenge with you. One of the main reasons I began this blog was to challenge myself creatively so when the Captain Morgan brand recently invited me to participate in their Captain's Table challenge, I gladly accepted.

Here's how it will work. Over the next several weeks I will dream up one fabulous cocktail recipe and one decadent food recipe for Thanksgiving, Christmas and the Super Bowl. Naturally these recipes will include the Captain Morgan brand and needless to say, I'm going to have a glorious time taste testing!

After the recipes are shared here, two things will happen. First, they will be judged by Hugh Acheson, a local Georgia favorite no doubt!  I'll be competing against 15 other blogger for a chance to win cash prizes with an additional grand prize trip to the Captain's Table US event in the spring where the winner will be joined by Hugh himself.

Secondly, and more importantly, Captain Morgan will donate $1 to the WhyHunger charity every time the hashtag #CaptainsTable is used across social media this holiday season. So if you see me obsessively using this hashtag, please know that I'm not just promoting my blog and the brand but also raising money for this wonderful charity.

There's just one last thing...I'm inviting you along for the ride. Share your own recipes and entertaining tips with the hashtag #CaptainsTable to help fight hunger too!

Wish me luck and happy weekend fellow peaches.

*Full Disclosure: Captain Morgan provided me with product samples, a bar tool set and a cash gift card to shop and prepare my recipes. Thank you Captain Morgan for the invitation.

image credit

Weekend Cheers: Pear and Honey Cocktail

The second weekend of November can only mean one thing. Festivities and lots of holiday cheer are just around the corner. I'm not sure I'm ready for all of it but it's coming. So to help get in the spirit, I've got a line-up of fun holiday libations to share over the coming weeks but first, this pear and honey cocktail. Several months ago,  I pinned something similar which inspired my own version. Some wild honey flavored vodka was all I needed to make this finally happen and wow, am I glad it happened.

Cheers to the weekend!


***** Honey and Pear cocktail *****

// Ingredients //

1 oz. Smirnoff Wild Honey vodka
2 oz. pear nectar (you can find cans of this in the juice aisle!)
1 oz. ginger ale
1/2 a vanilla bean, seeds scraped
fresh pear slice for garnish
scraped vanilla pod for garnish

// Instructions //

Mix vodka and pear nectar over ice. Then add vanilla seeds and ginger ale and stir. Garnish with a fresh pear slice and leftover vanilla pod.

*photography and styling by Amy Mikkelsen
** custom cocktail coasters from Society Social 

Weekend Cheers: Crown and Apple Ginger

This is one of my absolute favorite things to sip when the temperatures begin to drop. The Crown and ginger is a pretty simple cocktail so I couldn't resist adding a little something extra to celebrate apple season. I simply froze some apple nectar (you could also use apple juice or cider) and added these frozen goodies to my classic Crown and ginger for a little taste of fall. Cheers to the weekend!

// Ingredients //

1 oz. Crown Royal Canadian whiskey
2 oz. ginger ale
garnish with frozen apple ice cubes

// Instructions //

Fill a rocks glass with ice. Add the Crown Royal. Top with ginger ale and garnish with apple ice cubes.

Five Bourbons for Fall

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Tailgating season and fall temperatures seem to demand a good bourbon drink. I'm not a huge bourbon drinker unless there's a roaring fire and snow on the ground but Mr. Southern Peach keeps our bar stocked with his favorites year round. I asked my southern gent to help me round up a list to share with y'all for the approaching fall season. While he'll likely drink these mixed with a little Coca-Cola, I'm dreaming of spiking the apple cider and the eggnog. Have any of you bourbon drinkers tried these ice spheres? I'm thinking of picking up a few to surprise Mr. YSP for his birthday.

Cheers to the weekend!

Weekend Cheers with Madhouse

Who's ready for a holiday weekend? I'm completely prepared to spend the next few days soaking up the long weekend. I think a visit to the pool and a few cocktails are definitely in order.   The spread you see above is brought to you courtesy of my friends at Madhouse, a line of upscale, but affordable dinnerware and serverware collection designed by Michael Aram. Those gorgeous glasses up there are actually melamine! Can you believe it? Perfect for poolside imbibing and porch dining. They have a great weight to them which means a gust of wind isn't likely to take out your gin and tonic.  The fun print on the paper products and melamine tray is their Lemonwood collection which I think is uber chic. I also like the Fig Leaf pattern seen here which I've set aside for fall entertaining. A big thanks to Madhouse for sharing their practical and inspiring pieces for entertaining with style. Cheers to the weekend

*photography and styling by Amy Mikkelsen
*All opinions are my own

Weekend Cheers: Honey Lemonade Cocktail

Summertime isn't quite over and I've got the perfect cocktail for you to celebrate with this weekend. Lemonade is such a versatile mixer when it comes to summer drinks but this spiced rum combination is one of my favorites. And, if you've never experienced honey sticks, I highly recommend them for cocktails! They eliminate a lot of mess and add just the right touch of flavor. You can order Honeystix here and they come in a variety of flavors. They're also great in teas or to relieve sore throat. This honey lemonade cocktail makes a good transitional drink as we approach fall so keep this one around for a while. Cin cin y'all!

***** Honey Lemonade Cocktail *****

1 oz. spiced rum (I like Captain Morgan)
3 oz. lemonade
1 Honeystix, ends trimmed
Lemons for garnish

***** Mix It *****

Pour rum over ice. Then add lemonade and stir. Add honey stick and lemon slices and enjoy!

*I received no compensation from Honeystix or Captain Morgan for this post. I just really love them both! Captain Morgan did kindly supply me with a variety of rums to sample this summer which create awesome cocktails to share with you! 

Photography and styling by Amy Mikkelsen

Why Limit Happy?

My sentiments exactly! Hope y'all have a very happy weekend and cheers to all you fabulous dads out there!

Silver Tray // Coasters // Flamingo Stirrers

*photography and styling by Amy Mikkelsen

Weekend Cheers: Spiced Orange Cocktail

How are you fellow peaches?  I am over the moon that the weekend is here and am excited to share today's cocktail with you.  First let me preface by saying that I love rum.  It has a magical way of mentally taking me away to a tropical island where Bob Marley continually plays in the background.  Captain Morgan* spiced rum gets its amber color from being aged in charred white oak barrels and is widely popular for being paired with Coca-Cola.  As much as this Atlanta girl loves her Coca-Cola, I wanted to dress this up a bit and make it porch perfect.  Three cheers for the Captain and hope y'all enjoy your weekend!

***** Spiced Orange Cocktail *****

// Ingredients //

1 oz. Captain Morgan spiced rum
1/2 oz. Gran Gala orange liquor
2 oz. orange juice
Maraschino cherry and garden sage to garnish

// Mix it Up //

Combine all ingredients in a highball glass filled with ice.  Stir and garnish.

Photos by Amy Mikkelsen // Your Southern Peach

* I was not compensated for this post.  However, Captain Morgan kindly supplied me with an array of rums for the summer. Captain Morgan is a brand I already loved prior to this post.  For more Captain Morgan recipes, click here!

Strawberry Mint Julep and a Giveaway!

I've got a real treat for you today that involves bourbon and Southern Living!  Does it get any better than that? With the Kentucky Derby just around the corner, I couldn't resist mixing up a mint julep for this weeks installment of The Weekend Cheers. Strawberry season came early here in Atlanta so I took advantage of that as well as the mint that grows year round on my back deck.  And for those of you who are looking for more Kentucky Derby party inspiration, Southern Living asked me to share some fresh ideas for setting up a mint julep bar  via their new cookbook Southern Living Feel Good Food.  This cookbook is such a prize with approachable recipes, lovely photos and charming entertaining ideas.  Lucky for y'all I'm giving away a copy to one lucky reader.  But first let me share some recipes with y'all!

***** Strawberry Mint Julep ******

// Ingredients //

2 oz. bourbon

2 strawberries, chopped and stems removed

3 mint leaves

1/4 tsp. sugar

// Instructions //

In a small bowl, muddle strawberries, mint and sugar.  Then add them to a rocks glass and top with crushed ice.  Pour bourbon over ice and stir.  Garnish with mint sprig and fresh strawberries.

***** Julep Bar *****

from Southern Living Feel Good Food

Set up a mint julep bar with an assortment of flavored syrups at your next gathering.

mint syrup: Boil 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1 1/2 cups water, stirring often, 2 to 3 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat; add 15 fresh mint sprigs, and cool completely. Cover and chill 24 hours. Strain syrup; discard solids.

grapefruit-honey syrup: Prepare Mint Syrup as directed, reducing sugar to 1/2 cup and stirring 3⁄4 cup fresh grapefruit juice, . cup honey, 3 (2- x 4-inch) grapefruit rind strips, and rind from 1 lime, cut into strips, into sugar mixture with mint. For julep, muddle with 1 small grapefruit rind strip.

peach-basil syrup: Prepare Mint Syrup as directed, substituting basil for mint and stirring 2 (5.5-oz.) cans peach nectar and 1 split vanilla bean into sugar mixture with basil. For julep, muddle with 1 peach slice.

blackberry syrup: Prepare Mint Syrup as directed, adding 6 oz.fresh blackberries, halved, with mint. For julep, muddle with 2 fresh blackberries.

pineapple-lemongrass syrup: Prepare Mint Syrup as directed, reducing granulated sugar to 1 cup, adding . cup light brown sugar to granulated sugar and water, and stirring 1 cup pineapple juice, 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice, and 3 (3-inch) pieces fresh lemongrass into sugar mixture with mint after removing from heat. For julep, muddle with 1 small fresh pineapple chunk.

*This giveaway is now closed.  Thanks for entering! *

Now, let's give this book away! If you're anything like me, you can never have too many cookbooks.  All you have to do is leave a comment below and be sure to leave a way for me to contact you if you win whether it's your email, Twitter handle, etc.  I'll pick a winner on Monday at noon using random.org.  Due to shipping costs, this giveaway is only open to U.S. residents.  Good Luck and happy weekending everyone!

*Photo #1 by Amy Mikkelsen (YSP)
** I received no compensation for this post and all opinions are my own. 

Five Spring Cocktails

Pear Lemon Fizz

Lavender Champagne

Ginger Sparkler

Star Fruit cocktail

Grapefruit Mint Mojito

Daydreaming about these gorgeous cocktails from none other than the queen herself...Martha Stewart of course! Spring officially arrived a few days ago and while the weather isn't quite on board here in Georgia, I suspect that will soon change.  I love tinkering in the yard and the garden this time of year to see what is blooming and budding.  Unfortunately, the rainy weekend forecast has put a damper on any sort of outdoor activities.  Still, I will continue my indoor spring cleaning, getting the boys rooms back in order.  I'll also plan my Easter Day menu and perhaps try dyeing some eggs with the boys.

Enjoy the weekend!

*photos via Martha Stewart

Weekend Cheers: Cranberry Lemon Martini

I am so, so happy to be back to my Friday cocktail posts. Truly, I am.  The break was good for me but this is where I belong.  Not in a drunken stupor taste testing cocktails, but here.  Creating and playing with food.  I love it.  And for the record, I only took one sip of this delicious cocktail before I began photographing it at 2:37 pm in the afternoon.  And then my two year old ran over to me, knocking it all over the floor.  After cleaning up the mess, I had to pick up the six year old from school, host a playdate, fix dinner, bath children, rock a crying boy to sleep.....there's more, I promise.  I just couldn't let you think I sat around all day sipping cocktails.  After all, that's what the weekends are for.  

 *****Cranberry Lemon Martini*****

// Ingredients //

3 oz. vodka
1 oz. Limoncello
3 oz. pure cranberry juice
lemon slices for garnish

// Instructions //

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.  Pour vodka, Limoncello and cranberry juice over ice.  Stir and strain into a martini glass.  Garnish withe lemon.

*photos by Amy Mikkelsen

Movie and a Cocktail

It's that time again!  Does anyone else live for Fridays like I do?  I gotta tell you I couldn't have planned this series at a better time.  As much as I miss doing my cocktail photography for my Friday posts, there is no way I'd be able to do any taste testing right now.  Looking forward to another doctors appointment today to knock this mess out of me.  In the meantime, I'm daydreaming of lots of fun cocktails to roll out in March.  I've never seen this movie but it's definitely on my list to watch.  As a new Netflix customer, I'm doing some damage in the world of cinema.  Thoughts, feedback on this flick?  I always love a good classic.

Enjoy your weekend!

* cocktail image credit

Weekend Cheers: Bloody Shirley Temple

Happy Weekend! This popular month is coming to a close but not before we have one last spooky celebration.  Anyone going to a fun Halloween party this weekend?  My husband is a Halloween baby so over the years, we've thrown some pretty happenin' costume parties to celebrate his awesomeness.  (Insert fond memories of younger years here...referring to the parties just to be clear.)  Now that we're parents, our Halloween festivities are slightly different and truthfully, I enjoy it so much more with the kiddos.  Luke's been discussing his costume for weeks now and still doesn't know that we secretly bought him the Captain Rex costume he's been wishing for.  I can't wait to see the look on his face!  Little Jett will once again play the role of the dark side as Darth Vader  and has yet to see his costume either.  One other surprise I have up my sleeve for the boys.... these Bloody Shirley Temples.  This drink is fun for the whole family but if you are having an adult party, these grenadine filled syringes would make a great addition to your Halloween bar.  Hope y'all have a great weekend!

If you don't have syringes on hand or you're expecting a large crowd, you can order syringes here via Amazon. 

***** Bloody Shirley Temple *****

// Ingredients //

Sprite
Grenadine
Syringes

// Instructions //

Pour sprite over ice and garnish with a bloody (grenadine) syringe.

Weekend Cheers: Pumpkin Cocktail

pumpkin cocktail via

Cheers, it's the weekend! What are you doing this fabulous fall weekend?  Our agenda includes...

a sleepover with Grandma
watching It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
caramel popcorn
a pee wee football game
a quick and easy pumpkin cocktail (once the kids are asleep, of course!)
wearing my new striped tee (on sale!)

Hope yours is a good one too!

Weekend Cheers: S'mores Martini

Happy Friday fellow peaches!  I've been itching to share this cocktail with you all week long as part of our glamping series.  I've got my bags packed and am ready to hit the road with my favorite gal pals.  Thanks so much for reading this week and I can't tell you how much fun I have sharing this stuff with y'all.  Get your pen and paper ready...you're gonna want to write this recipe down.  Or, better yet,  just hit the "Pin it" button below the post.  (Be sure you're actually in the post and not just on the front page of my website!)  Gotta run...I've got a date with nature. 

S'mores Martini with Graham Cracker Rim

// Ingredients //

1 oz. Smirnoff marshmallow fluff vodka

1/2 oz, chocolate liqueur (a great investment in you bar for the holidays!)

1 oz. heavy cream

Graham cracker crumbs  ( I like Honey Maid by Nabisco)

Chocolate syrup

// Instructions //

Grab two plates.  On one plate place about 2 tbsp. of chocolate syrup in a circle.  On another plate, pour about 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs.

Gently dip rim of glass into chocolate syrup.  Then repeat in graham cracker crumbs.

In  a cocktail shaker, combine ice, vodka, chocolate liqueur, and heavy cream.  Shake and strain into cocktail glass.  

(If you want to add a layer of chocolate sauce to the bottom of the glass like I did, pour sauce carefully and slowly right in the middle of the drink, being careful not to disturb the liquid.  Do not stir once the sauce is in the bottom.  Just let it sit there and enjoy a nice treat at the end of your drink!)

Weekend Cheers

The Manhattan Suite

The Guilded Penthouse

The Outdoor Room

The Entertaining Wing

I adore the work of fashion illustrator Megan Hess and with clients ranging from Vanity Fair to Chanel, there's no doubt she's got mad talent!  I hope you enjoy these glamorous cocktail-imbibing ladies for the weekend cheers.  You want to know the best part?  You can purchase these tiny prints in the form of stationary at Lamington Drive.  Wouldn't they be adorable framed and displayed for everyday enjoyment?

Cheers to the weekend!  Hope you soak it all in.  No pun intended.