Spotted Dick w/ Boozy Custard Sauce inspired by Logan | #XMenu

*light spoilers*

This film takes place in 2029, and we see that Logan is deteriorating, both inside and out, and is pretty dependent on alcohol. He and Caliban are taking care of Dr. Xavier in a deserted building in Texas, while Logan saves money to buy a Sunseeker, so that they can sail away from everything.

Lemon-Lime Margarita Creamsicles

This one's for all the adults out there, doing their best to survive the hot summer sun. Whether you're having a cook-out, relaxing by the pool, or doing some sweaty yard work, you deserve a little frozen glory on a stick that's made just for you.

In case you're wondering what "frozen glory on a stick" is, well...it's an icy cold popsicle that is sweet and creamy and tangy and boozy ALL AT THE SAME TIME! Kids shouldn't be the only ones running around with sticky chins, hands, arms and permagrins without a care in the world. You know, for at least a solid five minutes...because that's about how long it takes before those cares come rushing back full-force. It's a magnificent five minutes, though.

These boozy pops feature the new Sandra Lee Cocktail Time™ Margaritas. What are these margaritas I speak of? Well, after doing her research (aka testing all of the pre-made and ready-to-serve margaritas and cocktails on the market) and finding it hard to name one that consistently tasted great, Sandra Lee decided to develop her own line. Available in key lime and strawberry flavors, they are infused with real fruit, pure cane sugar, premium blue agave silver tequila, triple sec liqueur, and other natural flavors.

Grilled Pineapple Whisky Smash

Grilled pineapple lends this whisky smash a distinctive summer twist. Thank you to thebar.com for helping me share this cocktail with you.

Although it may not say it on the calendar, summer seems to have officially set in. Bright, sunny days that beg for lake excursions, pool parties, impromptu sessions around the grill, and often beating a path to the nearest shade tree. What's one thing that can enhance each one of these options? A cold drink, glass sweating right alongside you in the heat.

But do you think whisky when you think summer cocktails? Perhaps not. I'd say it's most often considered a warming drink. I admit to wanting a nip of whisky to warm my bones on a cold day. But it also goes really well over ice, which opens it up and invites a host of flavors to drop by for a summer get-together.

Today I'm sharing a whisky cocktail made using George Dickel NO. 12® Tennessee Whisky. George Dickel chills their whisky before they filter it through sugar-maple charcoal, which filters out oils and acids, because they believe that whisky made in the winter is smoother than whisky made in the summer. No. 12 is aged longer than their Classic No. 8 blend, resulting in richer oak flavors. With subtle hints of vanilla, maple, and smoke, the resulting whisky is somewhat sweet and extremely easy to drink.

Sunrise Rum Punch

This post is sponsored by CAPTAIN MORGAN®.

I've been fantasizing about a tropical vacation for as long as I can remember. In my mind, it's white sand beaches, turquoise blue water, and palm trees. It's brilliant sunshine, fresh fish and seafood, tropical fruit out the wazoo, and cocktails from dusk 'til dawn...'til dusk again. It's not worrying about bills or schedules or deadlines. Who's with me?

So, when the Captain Morgan team challenged me to create an original Rum Punch recipe using one of the three new Captain Morgan Flavors – Grapefruit, Pineapple and Coconut, as part of their #SunsOutRumsOut campaign, I'll bet you can guess which direction I headed. Mmm hmm—to those white sand beaches.

Sparkling Pineapple Mojitos

Please tell me I'm not the only one who thinks that brunch and cocktails go hand-in-hand. I usually wind up with a full plate in one hand, a sweaty glass in the other, and all eyes peeled for a good place to lay out my bounty. I don't mind (at all) the usual brunch drink offerings. I'm all in for a Bloody Mary, several Mimosas, or a Bellini bar. But it's kind of fun to switch things up every now and again.

Last week, I shared a lovely Mother's Day brunch cocktail option that spoke to me of spring. Today I'm thinking warm and sunny with a pitcher of sparkling, grapefruit and mint-infused pitcher of mojitos! Why yes, I am in need of a vacation, thank you very much. I think I've earned a week of brunch on the beach. At least a day.

Rose Collins, a Mother's Day cocktail

Are you looking for a cocktail to add to your Mother's Day Brunch menu? This one is infused with something we all associate with Mother's Day - flowers! Thank you to thebar.com for helping me share this cocktail with you.

When you think "Mother's Day", what pops into your head? I think spring gardens, flowers, breezy get-togethers, brunch on a balmy late Sunday morning, light cocktails. I bet a lot of people have similar associations. Perhaps it's a regional thing, though. You see, living in my part of the Midwest*, Mother's Day usually signals the time to start turning over the earth and reviving  your garden because the threat of frost has passed. I can recall many a Mother's Day weekend spent strolling my grandma's flower beds.

Of course, it's not just the shoots and vines coming from our own back yards. According to Statistic Brain, $1.9 billion is spent on flowers for mom on Mother's Day. So apparently, most people have flowers in hand when they drop by to help mom celebrate her special day.

Don Draper's Old Fashioned | Mad Men

MAD MEN

A term coined in the late 1950's to describe the advertising executives of Madison Avenue.

They coined it.

Ready or not, the final season of Mad Men kicks off in just over a week. Me? I only have a handful of episodes under my belt. You see, back when Mad Men first started, we were not yet living in the land of cable television. Crazy, right? I don't know what I'd do without it now. They were already into season twp by the time we did finally crawl out from under our rock. And can I just tell you, I hate walking into a show once it's already begun; much like starting a book series at the second or third book—I just can't do it. So, I put it off and put it off and...yeah...I put it off.

I would catch moments here and there, but I'd be sure to flip the channel before I gave myself any spoilers for my future binge-watching sessions. Now that the final season is getting ready to begin, I've finally started watching it. I did the same thing with Breaking Bad. I didn't watch a single episode, but then caught a marathon on a few weeks before the final season was going to begin. I was hooked. Let's just say that Netflix was on my tablet, which I carried with me everywhere I went, until I caught myself up. I did that in approximately four days. I know I probably shouldn't admit that, but it's truth.

So, I started Mad Men a few days ago, competely clueless to the fact that this show has a boat-load of food and drinks in it. Maybe somebody whose mind isn't trained to spot food inspiration at every corner wouldn't even notice, but really—it's almost all that catches my eye. The show itself opens with the handsome Don Draper scribbling on some bar napkins, trying to figure out his next great ad pitch, empty glass next to him. When the waiter asks him if he can get him another drink, he says:

Irish Goodbye Cocktail

So, have you ever been at a party, bar, social gathering, what-have-you...and just wanted to leave? You don't want to get caught up in the 30-minute goodbye, so you quietly duck out the side door (the back door or the front door will work, too). Yeah, me too. Apparently there's a name for this—several, actually: ghosting, the French exit, and the Irish Goodbye.

In honor of the upcoming St. Paddy's Day festivities, Smirnoff has created a cocktail inspired by the tradition called (you guessed it), the Irish Goodbye. Intrigued by the two simple ingredients, I was delighted to mix one up for myself when Smirnoff sent a bottle of their Kissed Caramel flavored vodka for me to experiment with.

This caramel-kissed glass of hard cider definitely lives up to its name. It's fun and refreshing, and since it's incredibly easy to drink, it's got some mad sneaking abilities—so enjoy with care!

Caramelized Grapefruit Margarita

Guess what day it is! No, not hump day. It's National Margarita Day! Since it's always more fun to raise your glass with friends, that's exactly what I'm doing. I've once again asked some of my food-blogging friends to conjure up a little margarita magic to share. It's selfish, really. I'm always looking for new cocktail inspiration, be it in the glass or on a plate, and this delivers that straight to my door, so to speak.

So, when I was trying to decide what kind of margarita I wanted to celebrate with, I started by looking around the kitchen. I really didn't want to brave the blindingly white outdoors. Fortunately, I had a huge pile of grapefruit just begging to be turned into that (unfrozen) concoction that helps me hang on.

Since I'd originally thought I was going to coat them in sugar and stick them under the broiler anyway, I figured I still would. A little deep caramel flavor never hurt anybody. So, brown sugar, a flame, and a few minutes later, I had some lovely grapefruit juice that was sweetened to taste like that popular breakfast treat.