Homemade Sour Mix is so easy to make, and is so much better than the neon green store bought stuff.

I’m telling you, sour mix is so easy to make at home. It’s totally worth the little bit of effort that it takes to whip this up.

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Making your own sour mix requires only a few ingredients and steps!

Just like it says above: this mix is super easy to make. This recipe involves very few, very easy steps. You’ll start out by making a simple syrup. We’ve done this before. It’s, well, simple.

Next, you’ll squeeze some (okay, a lot of) fresh citrus. Lemons and limes, to be exact. Stir the fresh squeezed juice into the cooled simple syrup and boom. You’re done. Stash it in the fridge and break it out whenever you feel like whipping up a cocktail.

I’ve found that the quantity of sour mix made with this recipe fits perfectly in a quart mason jar.

Please don’t give in to temptation and buy a bottle of pre-made sour mix.

I know that it might be tempting to just buy a bottle of pre-made mix from the store. I get it. It’s right there, and it’s ready to go. But trust me. With how easy AND how much more delicious this is, you’d be a fool to buy some.

There are no weird preservatives and no overabundance of food coloring. Just 4 simple ingredients (one of them is water!). You really can’t beat it.

5 from 1 vote

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Homemade Sour Mix

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

15 mins

 

Course: Beverage, Drinks

Cuisine: American

Servings: 3 cups

Author: Lauren Pacek

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 3/4 cups lime juice, freshly squeezed

Instructions

1. The first thing you're going to do is make a simple syrup. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar and water.  Stirring occasionally, heat the mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved.  

2. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool completely. Once cooled, pour the simple syrup into the container in which you'll be storing the sour mix.

3. Add the lemon and lime juices to the simple syrup. Give everything a shake until well combined. Seal the container and store the sour mix in the fridge.

Want to know how to put this sour mix to good use?

Check out my recipe for The Palace Cafe Cocktail! It uses this mix AND the Rosemary Infused Vodka that I shared recently. It’s perfect for warm weather sipping!

You could also make a classic whiskey or amaretto sour!

 Pin it for later!

This Rosemary Infused Vodka is full of herbaceous flavor, embarrassingly easy to make, and makes the perfect addition to (summery) cocktails.

Before (above) and after (below).

This infused vodka is so easy to make. It only requires a little forethought and patience (~5 days). It’s really fragrant and flavorful, and makes a great addition to cocktails.

You can remove the rosemary from the container, or not. The flavor will continue to intensify the longer it’s left in the vodka. You can store the vodka right in the container in which it was infused and stash it wherever you keep your booze. I keep mine in our pantry.

Stay tuned for a recipe for Homemade Sour Mix + a cocktail to make using it AND this vodka!

These Orange Creamsicle Crush cocktails are super refreshing and taste just like… get this… a creamsicle!

The weather is warming up again, and that invariably puts me in the mood for a Crush. They’re refreshing, lightly sweet, and can be made in a variety of flavors. For example, I’ve shared Grapefruit Crushes with you before.

Thanks to the combination of fresh orange juice, triple sec, and whipped cream vodka, these Crushes taste just like an orange creamsicle.

Looking for more warm weather cocktails? Check these out, too:

• Lemongrass and Thai Basil Mojitos
• Coconut Mojitos
• Blackberry Lime Vodka Fizz
• Grapefruit Crush

The Moscow Mule is a delicious classic cocktail made up of vodka, spicy ginger beer, and lime juice. Bonus points if you serve it in a copper mug!

Powell & Mahoney provided products to me free of charge. All opinions are my own.

The good folks at Powell and Mahoney reached out to me recently, asking if I’d be interested in trying some of their cocktail mixer products. Unable to say no to a good cocktail, I said yes!

It’s no secret that I love a good Moscow Mule. Like, really love. So it seemed like a no brainer to make one with one of Powell and Mahoney’s products!

One of the products I received was Old Ballycastle Ginger. It’s a mixer that is basically ginger beer, minus the bubbles. The mixer is spicy, but not overwhelmingly so, and sweet.

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Moscow Mule

Prep Time

2 mins

 

Course: Beverage, Cocktail

Cuisine: American

Servings: 1 cocktail

Author: Lauren Pacek

Ingredients

• 2 oz vodka
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 4 oz. Old Ballycastle Ginger, see notes
• sparkling water
• lime wedge, for garnish

Instructions

1. Fill a copper mug with crushed ice. Add the vodka, lime juice, and Old Ballycastle Ginger.

2. Top with sparkling water. Add a lime wedge for garnish. 

Recipe Notes

Notes:

• Old Ballycastle Ginger can be purchased here
• You could use a good quality ginger beer in place of the Old Ballycastle Ginger and sparkling water

In search of more Mules? You definitely came to the right place. If you want more vodka-based mules, check out the Cranberry Vanilla, Caramel Apple, and Pomegranate Champagne Moscow Mules (bonus: it also has champagne, obvi).

If bourbon is booze of choice, try the Old Kentucky Mule, Bourbon Moscow Mule, or Maple Bourbon Moscow Mule.

Last, but not least, there’s the Mexican Moscow Mule and Holiday Gin Moscow Mule!

This Lemongrass and Thai Basil Mojito is sweet, fizzy, and just a little bit exotic.

I recently received a couple of bunches of Thai basil, but initially wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. You can thank the good folks of Reddit for this cocktail recipe. I posted in the cocktails subreddit asking for help, and this is what was suggested!

To start, you’ll want to make the lemongrass simple syrup. This is something you’ll want to do ahead of time, either earlier in the day or the day before you want to make cocktails. We’ve done simple syrup before. It’s, well, simple.

This recipe is slightly modified from the one from The Kitchn.

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Lemongrass and Thai Basil Mojito

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

2 hrs

Total Time

2 hrs 20 mins

 

Course: Beverage, Cocktail

Cuisine: American, Cuban

Servings: 1 cocktail

Ingredients

For the lemongrass simple syrup (makes 1 cup)

• 3 stalks lemongrass
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup water

For the cocktail (makes 1)

• 1 thin slice of lime
• 4 leaves fresh Thai basil
• 2 oz white rum
• 2 oz lemongrass simple syrup
• ice
• Coconut LaCroix or club soda

Instructions

To make the lemongrass simple syrup

1. Start by cutting your stalks of lemongrass into 1-inch sections. Bruise them with a meat mallet/rolling pin/mortar and pestle. Set them aside for a moment.
2. Add the sugar and water to a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the sugar is entirely dissolved. Allow it to come to a boil, then turn off the heat. Add the lemongrass and allow it to steep for 2 hours.
3. Strain the syrup, pressing down on the lemongrass to extract all of the flavor. This simple syrup will keep in the fridge for about 4 weeks.

To make the cocktail

1. Add the slice of lime and basil leaves to the bottom of a glass. Muddle them together. 

2. Add the rum, simple syrup, and ice. Top off with some Coconut Lacroix or club soda.

Recipe Notes

Notes: The method for making simple syrup can be found here

Need more fizzy summer cocktails in your life? I strongly suggest you try a Coconut Mojito.  You’ll thank me later.  Still need more fizzy La Croix-based drinks?  The Grapefruit Crush and Orange Creamsicle Crush are delightful, as is a Blackberry Lime Vodka Fizz.

This Blackberry Lime Vodka Fizz combines sweet berries, tart lime juice, vodka, and fizzy water to make a summery and refreshing cocktail.

It’s Monday, it’s hot, and a drink wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world right now. Anyone else in a similar mental place?

It’s my first full summer in Durham, and dang. It is hot. I know it’s only going to get worse, too, with August right around the corner. Cold, fizzy drinks are very necessary.

Muddle up some super ripe berries, add some tart lime juice, booze, and top it all off with something bubbly. Couldn’t be easier. Or more refreshing.

Looking for some more very refreshing summer cocktail?  Check out these Coconut Mojitos (also made with LaCroix!), Salty Dogs, Orange Creamsicle Crushes, and Grapefruit Crushes!

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Blackberry Lime Vodka Fizz

Prep Time

5 mins

 

Course: Beverage, Cocktail

Cuisine: American

Servings: 1 cocktail

Author: Lauren Pacek

Ingredients

• 5-6 very ripe blackberries
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 1.5 oz vodka
• LaCroix Curaté Muré Pepino (blackberry cucumber)
• fresh blackberries and thin wheels of lime, for garnish

Instructions

1. Drop the blackberries into the bottom of a tall glass. Squeeze half of a lime on top. Gently muddle the blackberries.

2. Fill the glass most of the way with ice. Add the vodka and top with LaCroix. 

3. Garnish with fresh blackberries and slices of lime.

A Salty Dog Cocktail is simple to make, bright and fresh, and versatile. Make it with vodka or gin, whatever floats your boat. I used vodka.

Grapefruit juice + vodka or gin = a Greyhound

Grapefruit juice + vodka or gin + a salted rim = a Salty Dog

Get it? Cute, right?

These cocktails are super refreshing, full of bright flavor, and so simple to put together.

I enjoyed one in the middle of the afternoon after taking pictures, but imagine it would be a lovely brunch cocktail, as well.

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Salty Dog Cocktail

Prep Time

5 mins

 

Course: Beverage, Cocktail

Cuisine: American

Servings: 1 cocktail

Author: Lauren Pacek

Ingredients

• kosher salt
• 1.5 oz vodka or gin
• 3 oz fresh grapefruit juice
• grapefruit wedge, for garnish

Instructions

1. Rim a rocks or highball glass with kosher salt. 

2. Fill the glass with ice.

3. Add the vodka or gin and top with grapefruit juice. 

4. Garnish with a grapefruit wedge.

Want more grapefruit goodness? Try this Grapefruit Crush or a healthy Broiled Grapefruit!