Hey, strangers! I’m sorry I disappeared on you this week. It’s been a hectic few days, to say the least. A bad system of storms rolled through Indiana Wednesday and I headed north to Kokomo to cover the aftermath. Dozens of homes were destroyed but, miraculously, no one was seriously injured. I had a late night putting together some stories and then had another late night the next day seeing the Dixie Chicks in concert in Indy. I was exhausted, but it was so worth it! They put on an absolutely amazing show. I’ve always loved their music and have had it on repeat since seeing them live.

Now we’re spending our Saturday getting ready to host our first party in our house! We’ve been working really hard to make the place feel put together and cozy and we can’t wait to break it in by having our friends over for food and drinks. I spent last night prepping to make today a little bit easier. We’ll have lots of appetizers, pineapple mint sangria, craft beer and this boozy lemonade.

This is by no means a light drink, but it’s easy to throw together and serves a crowd. And it’s the perfect cocktail to sip on humid summer nights. My mother-in-law gave me the recipe a couple of years ago, but I completely forgot about it until this week. I have a feeling it will be a hit with our guests!

The recipe calls for a can of beer and I would highly suggest using 21st Amendment Brewery’s Hell or High Watermelon if you can. It’s the hint of watermelon takes the flavor up a notch!

This lemonade can be served two ways: on the rocks or frozen. I think it’s great both ways! If you prefer a slushie, just pull the lemonade out of the freezer 20 minutes before serving and let it sit on the counter to thaw slightly.

Boozy Lemonade

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 12 oz. frozen lemonade concentrate
• 12 oz. vodka
• 12 oz. can wheat beer
• 2 liters lemon-lime soda
  [/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Combine all ingredients in an oversized pitcher or large punch bowl. Refrigerate and serve on the rocks or freeze for boozy lemonade slushies.

[/directions]

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And, they may soon turn me into a gin girl, too.

Cardinal Spirits is a small distillery that recently opened in Bloomington, right along the B-Line Trail. I’ve visited a couple of times and have always been blown away by the drinks. The distillery itself is beautiful with lots of windows, funky decor and a giant patio I can’t wait to take advantage of this summer.

The bartenders at this place are amazingly talented. They can make any cocktail you request and the drinks on the menu never disappoint. I especially love going for “Tiki Tuesday,” when they serve up island-themed, tropical cocktails.

On Saturday, we decided to stop by for brunch. While Cardinal Spirits only has a few light appetizers on its menu, they have an amazing food truck in the parking lot on weekend called La Poblano. It serves up super fresh, authentic tacos, burritos, tortas and tamales. I ordered the chorizo burrito and a Cardinal Sling (vodka, vermouth, bitters and bubbles) to wash it down.

Both were so, so delicious.

We also sampled Cardinal Spirits’ gin for the first time, which was being released that day. I’m not a huge gin fan, but I really like Cardinal Spirits’ batch. It doesn’t taste like a Christmas tree and has more citrus tones to it, which I love. I’m excited to go back and try some of their mixed drinks featuring gin.

During a free tour of the distillery, our guide mentioned they plan to roll out a new product every month. Next up is coffee liqueur and I have no doubt it will be delicious!

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