Summery Cocktails

I am heading up north this weekend for our annual family reunion. I have to say this is my favorite three days of the summer spending time with the bestest family in the whole entire world. Coming from a family that is 50% Irish and 50% German, you could say that we drink a little bit this weekend...

The ladies of the family like to craft up some summery drinks and I think I am going to bring the following to the table.


Cucumber Ginger Fizzies
Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Vodka
2 English Cucumbers, 1 peeles & coarsley chopped, 1 left whole
1 Lime, cut into 8 wedges
2 bottles of Sparkling Water
1/2 to 1 cup of Ginger Simple Syrup

Put vodka and chopped cucumber in a nonreactive container. Refrigerate 1 hour. Strain; discard cucumber. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to use, up to 2 days.
Using a vegetable peeler, shave the remaining cucumber lengthwise into wide strips; discard seeds.
Fill eight tumblers with ice. Add 3 cucumber strips and 3 tablespoons infused vodka to each glass. Squeeze, then drop, a lime wedge into each. Top with sparkling water; stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons syrup.


Pink Salty Dog
Ingredients:

Coarse salt, for rim of glass
Grapefruit slice, for garnish
1/3 cup freshly squeezed Pink Grapefruit Juice
2 tablespoons Vodka
1 tablespoon Campari Liqueur, or Grenadine
1 to 1/2 cups ice cubes

Place salt in a saucer. Moisten the rim of a glass with a grapefruit slice. Dip rim in salt. Combine juice and vodka with Campari or grenadine in the jar of a blender; blend. With the motor running, add ice until fully incorporated and slushy. Pour into prepared glass.

Yummmmmmm. What do you all have shaking for the weekend?

{photos & recipies courtesy of Martha Stewart}