made at home: raspberry lemonade cocktail

Raspberry Lemonade Honey Cocktail 

• 2 oz. of gin
• 1 1/2 oz. of  fresh raspberry lemonade*
• 1 teaspoon of honey
• 1 oz. of club soda

   Combine all ingredients into a medium sized glass, or cocktail shaker, and shake until combined. Stir after shaking to make sure the honey is mixed with the rest of the mixture. Fill after glass half-way with ice, pour the mixed drink in, and garnish with lemon slices and raspberries. 

*Raspberry Lemonade 

• 2 cups of cold water
• 1 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 cup of pureed raspberries 
• 2/3 cup of sugar 

   In a medium-large pitcher, stir together the water, lemon juice, and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. After pureeing (I used my blender) and straining the raspberry puree, add to the pitcher and stir. Keep chilled. 

  I'll be the first to admit, I've been on this lemonade obsession kick lately. I am usually trying to add some sort of "unusual" herb or ingredient to the lemonade recipes I create, but I decided to keep it simple to be paired for this cocktail recipe. Also I'll admit, I am not the biggest fan of cocktails (I usually am found drinking an ale, I suppose I take after my dad on that note), but since it's summer time I felt the need to experiment. I mean, you cannot make beer look cute. These drinks are perfect for porch sits and a weekend afternoon when you want something fruity and you can drink through a little paper straw.