The "Raspberry Martini"

The Cove is a restaurant and bar located in Deerfield Beach. Since I live in Davie it was a little bit of a drive for me, but it was well worth it. The Cove is a nice, casual place where all different age groups are welcome. If you come after work for a drink with a group of coworkers or you come with friends to celebrate a birthday, The Cove is a nice place to spend happy hour. The Cove is located right on the water and the weather seems to always be nice there. The ambiance is calm and relaxed, and it is just a great place to come with friends or to meet new people.

While I was there, I tried their to-die-for Raspberry Martini. Normally I would not try anything Raspberry, not even on desserts. I never eat Raspberry anything, but when my cousin ordered this martini i decided to try it. While it may not be my favorite, all the members in our group loved it. They thought it was one of those unique drinks that you don't know if you are going to like, but then you enjoy them and end up getting a few for yourself.

The "Raspberry Martini" is made with

two ounces of raspberry vodka

half an ounce of DeKuyper Razzmatazz liqueur

one ounce of Sprite.

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Shake well and serve.

The Raspberry Martini can be made at home also. I followed these exact directions and the martini tasted just like it did in The Cove. I would recommend going to The Cove to try the Raspberry Martini just because you will be surround by good people and a really fun environment. If you like raspberries, even a little bit, then this will become your favorite martini.

For more information visit their website at: http://www.thecoverestaurant.com/

The "Mojito"

Dicey Riley's is an Irish pub in downtown Fort Lauderdale. It is owned by the same people that own Briny's Irish Pub. Dicey Riley's is very similar to Briny's in the sense that it is a pub style restaurant and they both have that relaxed environment. Last week we all were looking for somewhere new to eat and we decided to try Dicey Riley's. They have a wide variety of food and drinks available to their customers. One of their speciality drinks is a Mojito. They serve it in a long glass instead of the usual shorter glass.

The Mojito is a classic drink that everyone has tasted at one time or another. There are only a few variations to how you can make a Mojito, but this Mojito was extremely strong. Anya is the queen of Mojitos and she said that the Dicey Riley's Mojito is one of the best she has ever tasted. The ingredients that they use for the Mojito are high quality products.

The Mojito is made with:

Rum

mint muddled with lime

sugar

and a splash of club soda.

When you are downtown and you find yourself craving a Mojito come to Dicey Riley's and experience the best Mojito you have ever had. Come for the good company and the great drinks, but most importantly do not forget to try their famous Mojito.

For more information on Dicey Riley's visit their website: http://www.brinyirishpub.com/dicey_rileys_riverfront.html

The "Huckleberry Firefly Sweet Tea"

I made my boyfriend take me to go see the movie "Dear John." Needless to say he was not exactly thrilled about it, but because he is the best he took me anyway. We had dinner before the movie also; we decided to make it a date night. We went out to Outback Steakhouse because we both agreed on the food there. I think my boyfriend wanted to go there because he wanted to get one of his favorite cocktails.



I am not usually adventurous with cocktails, but my boyfriend is. Outback has such a wide variety of cocktails. They have a cocktail for everyone. Whether you want a specific type of beer, a frozen drink, a martini, or one of their speciality drinks they will have something for you. My boyfriend's drink of choice is the "Huckleberry Firefly Sweet Tea" drink. It definitely does not sound that great, but it is very good. It tastes just like you are drinking tea, not alcohol. The Huckleberry Firefly Sweet Tea Cocktail is made with:

Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka
Country Style Lemonade
with an added splash of Huckleberry flavor.

The Huckleberry Firefly Sweet Tea cocktail is one of the those drinks where you do not taste the alcohol at all. It seriously tastes as if you are just drinking tea. That is why my boyfriend likes it because he loves tea. I would recommend this drink to all tea lovers. If you want to have a little buzz, but not be able to feel yourself getting tipsy at all then this is the drink for you. You also get to choose between a red glass and a blue glass, little things like that make me happy so that made the drink taste much better to me. The Huckleberry Firefly Sweet Tea cocktail should be on your list of new drinks to try. These speciality cocktails are the drinks of the future and everyone should try this wonderful cocktail.


For more information visit the website: www.outbacksteakhouse.com

The "Vie en Rose"

Champagne is the drink of choice, at least in my opinion it is. There are so many varieties of Champagne and mixed cocktails with Champagne in them. I personally had never thought about having Champagne any other way than just having Champagne. I did not think Champagne could get any better. My best friend ordered a drink called "Vie en Rose." This cocktail was by far the best cocktail I have ever tasted. It tasted so extraordinary I can not even began to describe the taste. My best friend described it as "Heaven in a glass" that is a perfect way to describe this fantastic cocktail.

On one of the cold nights we were freezing, but my boyfriend convinced us all to go out for drinks anyway. We went to this NYC style place called Flute Champagne Lounge. They have a variety of over 100 Champagnes and Champagne cocktails. Monica had gotten the "Vie en Rose" cocktail. The presentation of this cocktail is nothing less than perfect. We must have taken 10 pictures with just this drink alone because it looks so elegant. This lounge definitely prides themselves on the presentation of their drinks.

The "Vie en Rose" cocktail is made with:

St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur

Sugar Cube

Peychaud Bitters

Brut Champagne

This lounge is a little nicer, fancier place. I would recommend going there for a birthday or an anniversary. It is not an everyday place because the prices are kind of steep. When you do pay the Flute Champagne Lounge a visit, definitely try their "Vie en Rose" cocktail. You will never think of Champagne the same way again.

For more information, visit their website: www.flutechampagnelounge.com

The "Bikini Martini"

There are so many great places to go and things to do in downtown Fort Lauderdale. One of the greatest things to do is to sit by the water, watch the boats go by, and spend time with your friends. Right on the water is this restaurant called "Briny's Irish Pub." This restaurant is very open and airy. It allows you to get fresh air and enjoy the scenery that is downtown Fort Lauderdale. Between the live band and the ambiance it is really a place that you can just kick back and enjoy yourself.

The fun thing about Briny's is that anything goes there. We can be loud and obnoxious and it is as if no one cares. At Briny's they have every different kind of drink you could imagine. One of the most original drinks that I have ever tasted has to be their "Bikini Martini." You could order this drink two different ways. It can be served in a martini glass or it could be served in a longer glass with ice. Jaimie introduced us all to this drink. The way she orders the "Bikini Martini" is in the long glass served with ice.

The "Bikini Martini" is made with:

Malibu coconut rum
Midori melon
pineapple juice
ice

This drink has a really distinct different taste to it and I think many people would agree that it is a fun, fruity drink. I would recommend having it in the larger glass with the ice because it tastes better chilled and it seems to last longer that way. When you are in downtown Fort Lauderdale and you feel like grabbing a drink with friends or coworkers while watching the water, stop at Briny's Irish Pub for a "Bikini Martini" and take in all the Fort Lauderdale has to offer.

To learn more about Briny's Irish Pub, visit their website at: http://www.brinyirishpub.com

The "Caribbean Blue Jello Shot"

It was my friend Adriana's 25th birthday this past weekend and we decided to make a weekend out of the momentous occasion. To mark her turning a quarter of a century we rented a hotel room at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood. The first night we hit the clubs that they have and of course had a blast, but for the second night we decided to stay in the room and make our own fun. We ate and danced by ourselves, we just had the best time being silly girls. Once it turned midnight that is when the real fun started. We made our own cocktails.

At first, the whole us making our own cocktail plan was not going too well, but after a while it all started to come together. We had tried to make everything from frozen drinks to our own signature shot (this did not turn out so well). We had jello in the room for us to snack on in case we got hungry and my friend Paola suggested we make jello shots. Immediately we thought we finally could make a drink that would actually taste good.

The jello shot that we made is called The "Caribbean Blue Jello Shot" and how we made it was with:

six ounces of Light rum
Six ounces of berry blue jello
16 oz of boiling water
10 oz cold water

Then we mixed the jello mix with the boiling water until the powder was fully dissolved and then we added the rest of the water and the alcohol. Finally we poured the mixture into pretty shot glasses and let them chill.

We made them this way because Adriana's boyfriend is a bartender and he advised us this is the best and easiest way to make jello shots. He knew that none of us had ever done this before so he wanted us to succeed so he talked us through step by step. Making your own "Caribbean Blue Jello Shot" is not hard and it is alot of fun. You can experiment with it and find out that you actually can make a really good cocktail. Gather up your friends and make a night of it. Staying in and making your own cocktails can be more fun than going out on the town.

The "Perfect Glass of Wine"

I come from a very old-fashioned Italian family. We are 100% Italian and we are pretty much your stereotypical Italian family. It is very hard to find restaurants that make food like grandma does, but somehow Carrabba's does it. Every time I go there I am never disappointed. I always have a glass of wine to complement my meal, but this time I went with my best friend and we decided to have a bottle of wine instead of just a glass. We have very different tastes, I am a white wine kinda a girl, while she is a red wine girl. We finally agreed to have a bottle of medium bodied Pinot Grigio.


This particular Pinot Grigio was imported from Lumina, Italy. Words cannot describe how good this wine was. For the two of us having such different tastes we both agreed that this is a wine we would definitely get again. Carrabba's has this wonderful special that every Wednesday is called "Wine Wednesday" this means that you can have any bottle of wine that you want and you will receive $10 dollars off. This special draws a different crowd and many people show up to take advantage of this great deal. We went on a Wednesday blissfully unaware that it was "Wine Wednesday" and it really does make a difference in the price of your bill to have $10 off for the bottle of wine. Everyone should go to Carrabba's for the great food and wonderful wine at a reasonable price.

To learn more about Carrabbas or to find a location near you, visit their website at: http://www.carrabbas.com

The "Strawberry Daiquri"

One of the best things about living in South Florida is being able to walk along the beach and experience all that it has to offer. Part of what South Florida has to offer is great weather, a great locations, and even better cocktails. There are new twists on old drinks all the time, but the great thing about having an oldie, but a goodie drink is that you always know that the drink is going to be fantastic. Anya, Jaimie, and myself decided to take a walk down by Riverfront and when we walked past Tarpon Bend we immediately wanted to go in. They play this different, but fun Caribbean type of music. We all decided to have some drinks and Anya decided on a Strawberry Daiquiri.



I must admit that I do like Strawberry Daiquiris also, but I was craving a different drink at the time. After tasting her Strawberry Daiquiri I definitely should have listened to her and gotten one. It is not only the taste of this drink, but the presentation is so fun. The shape of the glass is elegant, yet young and the distribution of the fruit on the rim of the glass is so cute. The difference between this Strawberry daiquiri and others is that it is made with real strawberries instead of frozen strawberries and you definitely notice the difference.

A Tarpon Bend Strawberry Daiquiri is made with:
two ounces of rum
one ounce of lime juice
six ice cubes
four strawberries
two tablespoons of sugar
Blend all together in blender until smooth.

I never thought that something as simple as using real strawberries instead of frozen strawberries would make such a huge difference, but it does. You have not had a perfect Strawberry Daiquiri until you have tried one at Tarpon Bend. Whenever you are down by Riverfront Fort Lauderdale, definitely stop in and try one of these fantastic drinks and I guarantee you will notice the difference in taste.

For more information about Tarpon Bend, visit their website: http://www.tarponbend.com/index-54854.php.html

The "Purple Jester Fishbowl"

If you want to have a completely fantastic time, you need to go to LuLu's Bait Shack. LuLu's Bait Shack is located in Beachplace in Fort Lauderdale. From the outside LuLu's looks a little trashy and it doesn't really look like the kind of place that many people would want to go to, but it is so much fun. It is a place that you can go to with your family, friends, or significant other to just have a great time with great food and drinks. LuLu's has amazing drink specials, so if cash is a little tight you can still have a drink of your choosing.



I recommend having one of their speciality drinks. LuLu's is known for having these enormous fishbowl drinks. You can get any kind of fishbowl that you desire. You can mix any juice and alcohol that you would like and they bring it to you in these really big, fun fishbowls. The fishbowl that I recommend would be the one that I tried and absolutely loved. This fishbowl is called "Purple Jester."

The Purple Jester is made with:
Bacardi Razz
Bacardi Grand Melon
Blue Curacao
Cranberry
Sour
151

This fishbowl is so much fun because they serve it with plenty of straws to share, but they also give you a little alligator to take home. I know it sounds silly, but there is something about having your own little alligator in your drink that makes it more enjoyable. This drink is not like any other drink you have ever had, so if you are somewhat adventurous and you are up for trying drinks that are out of your comfort zone. Then head over to LuLu's Bait Shack and try this Amazing fishbowl drink.

For more information on LuLu's Bait Shack, visit their website at: http://www.lulusbaitshack.com/index.html