Happy Hour: Royal 61

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz gin
- juice of half lime
- 1 oz creme de cassis
- 1 oz watermelon syrup*
- Champagne
- sugar for rimming (optional)

Mix all ingredients except in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass rimmed with sugar (optional). Top with Champagne.

Watermelon Syrup
To make watermelon syrup, mix 4 cups pureed seedless watermelon and 1 cup granulated sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and stir while bringing to a simmer. Adjust the heat to maintain a simmer. Stirring occasionally, simmer until the mixture has reduced by one half in volume and becomes syrupy. Remove from heat to cool and then place in a glass bowl or jar, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Keeps 5 days in the refrigerator. Makes 2 cups. (Watermelon syrup recipe and photo by National Watermelon Board, cocktail recipe by Yuri Kato) {Source: Cocktail Times}

Happy Hour: The Tot (non-alcoholic)

Ingredients
6 large strawberries
1 scoop of ice
1 ounce simple syrup
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/2 ounce fresh orange juice
1/2 ounce grape juice

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth consistency.

2. Pour over cubes in a highball glass.

3. Garnish with candy or fresh berries.

Source: Colin Cowie

Happy Hour: Courvoisierpolitan

In the mid to late 1990s, the Cosmopolitan became the drink of choice among hip, savvy urbanites—or anyone who aspired to that status. Here’s a variation on the Cosmo with Courvoisier instead of the usual vodka—call it a Courvoisierpolitan, or CV Cosmo, for ­short.

Ingredients
4 ounces ­Courvoisier
4 ounces Triple ­Sec
4 ounces cranberry ­juice
6 ounces lime ­juice
Slices of orange peel, for ­garnish

Instructions
1. Chill 6 martini ­glasses.

2. Pour all the liquid ingredients in a shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously, then strain into the glasses. Garnish each with a slice of orange ­peel.

Source: Colin Cowie

Happy Hour: Blueberry Cosmopolitan

Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces Ketel One Vodka
1/2 ounce Cointreau
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
3/4 ounce runny honey
3/4 ounce blueberry juice

Instructions

1. Pour all ingredients into shaker. Shake and strain into martini glass.

2. Garnish with an orange twist soaked in Cointreau.

Source: Colin Cowie

Happy Hour: Tall Cool Blonde

Ingredients
5 tulip petals
1 part Grenadine
2 parts Lemoncello
2 egg whites
Confectioner’s sugar
4 parts Stolichnaya® elit™ vodka
Sparkling water

Instructions

1. Pack a tall Collins glass with ice and tulip petals.

2. Pour Grenadine into bottom of glass, followed by Lemoncello and let settle. Whip egg whites and dash of confectioner’s sugar in blender.

3. Pour Stolichnaya® elit™ into glass, and top with sparkling water. Spoon egg white meringue on top.

Source: Colin Cowie

Happy Hour: Ruby Margarita

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 ounces Gran Centenario Reposado tequila
• 1/2 ounce Cointreau
• 1/2 ounce Grand Marnier
• 3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
• 1/2 ounce Pom Wonderful pomegranate juice or a couple dozen pomegranate seeds

Instructions

1. Shake all ingredients well with ice and strain into a chilled margarita glass.

2. Garnish with a thin lime wheel.

Source: Colin Cowie

Happy Hour: Madras

Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces 1800 Reposado Tequila
2 ounce cranberry juice
1 ounce orange juice

Instructions

1. Pour the 1800 into a highball glass with ice and then add cranberry, orange, and lime juice. Stir well.

2. If desired, garnish with an orange slice.

Source: Colin Cowie

Happy Hour: Watermelon Martini

Ingredients

• 1/4 large seedless watermelon
• 12 ounces vodka
• Juice of 1 lime
• Splash of Simple Syrup (see below)
• 6 watermelon balls, scooped out with a melon baller, for garnish
• 1 lime, thinly sliced, for garnish

Instructions

1. Chill 6 martini glasses (see below).

2. Pulse the watermelon in a blender to create a purée (you should have about 1 1/2 cups). Pour the vodka, lime juice, and Simple Syrup into a shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously, then strain into the chilled glasses. Garnish with a watermelon ball on the rim of the glass and float a slice of lime in the center.

Simple Syrup: This cocktail sweetener can be made of varying thickness; thin is 3 parts water to 1 part sugar, medium is 2:1, and thick is 1:1. Simply bring the sugar and water to a boil, then remove from the heat immediately and set aside to cool. Store in a jar in the refrigerator for as long as you like.

Source: Colin Cowie

Happy Hour: Blakberi Blues

Ingredients

• 2 parts Stoli Blakberi™
• 1 part Stoli Blueberi™
• 1 part cranberry juice
• 1 part simple syrup
• Splash of raspberry liqueur
• Squeeze of lemon
• Sage to taste

Instructions

1. Muddle sage. Combine with ingredients, shake vigorously over ice, and strain into a cocktail glass.

2. Garnish with one blueberry, one blackberry, and sage.

Source: Colin Cowie

Real Wedding Inspiration: Pieter & Jeanine

Photography: Lizelle Lotter Photography