Homemade Moscow Mule Cocktails

This cocktail recipe is so simple and delicious. I made the mistake of presuming ginger beer was alcoholic so I couldn't find it in the grocery store only to find out it's not alcoholic and can be found in the same aisle as all the sodas such as Coke etc.

Serving size: 1 cocktail

Ingredients:
Ice cubes
2 oz. Vodka

6 oz. Ginger Beer
1/2 oz. lime juice
1 lime wedge (for garnish)

What To Do:
Fill cup with ice cubes and pour vodka and lime juice over ice. Then add ginger beer and stir well. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Most restaurants serve Moscow Mules in a copper mug. Either way they're delicious with a nice combination of sweet and spicy flavors. Here are some fun variations of this recipe that I found on Pinterest (titles are clickable):

The Angry Mule

The Apple Pie Moscow Mule

Strawberry Basil Moscow Mules

Moscow Mule Margarita

Blackberry Moscow Mule

Joining the gals over at The Sequin Notebook for their monthly cocktail linkup.

Rocksbox Holiday Jewels

A friend of mine gifted me a Rocksbox subscription for my birthday and I received my first box of goodies right before Christmas which included a beautiful pair of Kendra Scott earrings, a statement necklace and a dainty silver ring. I used to have a subscription over a year ago and was always quite happy with the pieces they sent me but I eventually decided to cancel it since it wasn't a necessity for my wardrobe. I posted about my previous boxes here, here, and here.

Kendra Scott Elle Earrings

Perry Street Noelle Necklace

Sophie Harper Pavé X Ring

 

I absolutely love the earrings and necklace and while I really like the ring as well, it came a bit tarnished so it looks quite worn.

From this box I decided to purchase the earrings and I'm still deciding whether I want to purchase the necklace or not. Overall I'm really happy with the pieces they sent despite being slightly disappointed with the ring.

What do you think about the necklace? I wish I had taken a photo from when I wore it on Christmas night. #badblogger

Hosting Brunch at Home

It's no secret I'm a big fan of brunch food and luckily Orlando has some amazing brunch spots to chose from when we have a free Sunday. It's also a great time to reconnect with friends and end the weekend with some good food. I've never hosted brunch at home but I think 2016 is the year to finally make it happen. Here's some great brunch menu food and drink recipes that would make a great Sunday Brunch spread for entertaining guests.

Baked Eggs in Prosciutto filled Portobello Mushrooms

French Toast Sticks

Breakfast Pizza

Poppy Seed Pancakes

Ham & Cheese Spinach Puffs

Brussel Sprout Hash with Soft Poached Eggs

Petite Crust-less Quiche

Cantaloupe and Raspberry Yogurt Parfait

And some delicious drink ideas for Sunday brunch.

Cranberry Brunch Punch

The Ultimate Blood Mary

Mimosa Bar

And some strawberry infused water for rehydration.

NYE Weekend in Ft Lauderdale

Happy new year everyone! I hope 2016 is off to a great start for you.

I had a very eventful weekend in Ft Lauderdale ringing in NYE with friends. On Thursday I had the day off of work so we took the 3 hour drive to south Florida to check in to our hotel by Ft Lauderdale beach. While driving there the hotel called to say they overbooked and wanted to give us an upgraded room at their sister hotel only a block away and also gave us a small discount for the inconvenience. Fine by me! It was a cute boutique hotel called Tranquilo which was a short walk to the beach.

After getting settled we went out for dinner at Casablanca Cafe along the beach with a girl friend and enjoyed some escargot, baked brie, beef carpaccio and a strawberry mojito. Everything was amazing and the outdoor patio overlooking the beach was a nice vibe.

After dinner we went out for some adult beverages and then watched the annual ball drop along Ft Lauderdale beach at midnight. It was a fun night out with friends exploring a new town.

On Friday we went to visit one of my best friend's from childhood and spend some quality time with her three kids at their house on the water. We brought Lola along so the kids could play with her.

After a few hours of bestie and kiddie time and whining children, we were starving so we went with K's friend from high school to G&B Oyster Bar for some amazing oysters and stone crab.

On Saturday morning we slept in and then checked out of hotel to make the trek back to Orlando. Before hitting the highway, we stopped at La Granja Peruvian restaurant for an amazing seafood ceviche for lunch.

The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing and doing errands. Overall it was an amazing weekend with good friends, amazing food and a nice change of scenery for a couple days in sunny south Florida.

How did you ring in the new year?

Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekending linkup.

Happy 2016

I hope everyone had a great time ringing in the new year last night and maybe enjoyed some champagne or an adult beverage of some sort while watching the fireworks. I'm in Ft Lauderdale for the weekend visiting friends and enjoying the summer-like weather on the beach. You can follow my adventures on Instagram and sometimes SnapChat (emilyalisonb) when I remember to actually use it.

I posted part 1 and part 2 of my 2015 year recap recently which goes to show it was a fantastic year spent keeping very busy with traveling and celebrating all the little (and big) things in life. 

A new year is here so cheers to many more adventures and the making of fabulous memories in 2016!