Drinks Recipes

Happy Saturday!

A glass of wine in the late afternoon light is what summer dreams are made of. My father’s side of the family is Italian, and I grew up spending summers in the town my grandmother grew up in. This little town called Filetto is southeast of Rome up in the mountains near the coast. What you can find in this quaint little town is old world charm, a culture of community and a strict adherence to the afternoon siesta schedule. You’ll also find acres and acres of grape vines.

I grew up with a love and appreciation of wine, how it’s made, and how it’s best enjoyed. My grandfather has been growing his own grapes and making his own wine his whole life. Even after moving to the states, he has kept the tradition alive. While wine is something my family believes can be consumed year round, I am especially found of the light summer whites and rosés that cool you down on a hot day.

Now, growing up surrounded by some of the best wines, I can be a bit particular in my choices; however, I’m firm in my belief that good wine can be found in any region and at any price point. I’m also a gal on a budget, so the wines I’ll be sharing today are all budget friendly, and of course, delicious!

Ruby Red Blood Orange Rosé

I found this slightly sweet rosé at my local liquor store, but you can check it out here. I like that its light, fruity, and refreshing. I’ve also tried the grapefruit version as well, which I also love. The flavor of both is unique and I almost feel like would go great in a sangria or homemade cocktail concoction!

Voga Italia Pinot Grigio

I love a good pinot (Grigio and noir) and as soon as summer rolls around it quickly becomes my drink of choice. This one is another local liquor store find that has quickly become a staple. I love how light it is, it’s really no wonder it’s award winning!

Strawberry & Raspberry Rossini

This wine tastes like a Bellini in a bottle. It’s prefect all day long, from brunch to dinner, just pick up a bottle at your local Trader Joe’s. It is very sweet, so if that’s not your thing then maybe stick to the plain Prosecco. I, however, have a wicked sweet tooth and can’t get enough of this fruity drink.

The Delicious Monster

Another great Trader Joe’s find, this wine is from South Africa. I’m not going to lie, I base most of my wine trying decisions based off the label. I know they say not to judge a book by its cover, but before you taste that first sip, I find it’s pretty hard to go by much else. I love the palm print of this wine, but honestly I love the wine itself even more! Even better, it’s under $10, it’s a wine-win-win!

Anything from Chloe Wines

Unfortunately, I was fresh out of my favorite wine brand for this shoot – I literally cannot seem to keep a bottle in my house for a week without it disappearing – but here’s a fun throwback from last summer when Luca was a bitty baby pup. Some of my favorites are the Pinot Grigio, Rosé, and Prosecco. They’re all amazing and can be found at your local liquor store for under $15!

If you guys try any of these let me know what you think! I’m also always looking for new ones to try, so comment your favorites below!

Hi guys,

It’s time to share October’s mix with you. This month’s drink is similar to September in that it’s a fun twist on a popular cocktail. When I think October I immediately think of colorful leaves, fall spices, and pumpkin of course. These very best parts of fall inspired October’s drink: a Pumpkin Spice Moscow Mule. After adding pumpkin flavor to almost every aspect of my diet and lifestyle, a cocktail felt like the natural next step in the progression of my pumpkin addiction.

When walking through the kitchen section of Homegoods, I saw a variety of pumpkin flavor syrups. These are meant to add a little flavor to coffees but I wondered what else they could do. Trying to imagine what this would pair well with, I decided vodka was probably one of my best bets. I also love classic Moscow Mules and figured the ginger beer would be a nice paring with the pumpkin spice.

I was a little weary at first because one of my favorite flavors in drinks is lime, so I was nervous that eliminating that from the recipe would ruin it – but I was fairly certain pumpkin and lime wouldn’t be the best combination of flavors. Eliminating this, I sought to add something else to the mix to bring out the spice and help to cut down the sweetness. Cinnamon did just the trick, but I think nutmeg could be a yummy spice to throw into the mix as well!

This recipe did take a little trial and error, and I even had it reviewed my BSB’s very own cocktail expert, aka my mom. I underestimated how strong the pumpkin spice flavoring was. I initially used 2 oz, but it was so overpowering it was hard to notice any of the other flavors at all. Eventually we settled on an ideal mix which you can find below!