Are you ready for Galentine’s Day?  With busy schedules, it can be a challenge to connect with your gal pals. But Galentine’s is all about celebrating your girlfriends and letting them know how much they mean to you. Good friends are hard to come by, and if you have some that are there for you when times are tough and when things are great, consider yourself blessed! I know I do.

Galentine’s Day has gained in popularity over the years thanks to Leslie Knope and Parks & Recreation. Just go on Pinterest and you’ll find a slew of ideas from gifts to entertaining.  In true TKL fashion, “Galentine’s season” as I like to call it, is the perfect excuse to call the crew over and shake things up with some delicious Galentine’s Day cocktails. I was so excited to collaborate with my friends Aimee at Mimosas & Mexico and Liz at Liz Zimbelman Photography to celebrate early and put together this fun post for you featuring recipes for a Grapefruit Gin + Tonic, Strawberry-Basil Smash with vodka, and a French 75. These are SO GOOD (trust me, I had to drink them all), and are surprisingly light. Guilt-Free Galentine’s day cocktails? There’s another reason to toast!

 

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Grapefruit Gin & Tonic

A classic with a unique spin. I usually make my gin + tonic’s with lime, but the grapefruit adds a little bit of sweetness with the tart taste, a few more antioxidants, and c’mon, the wheel looks fantastic in the glass!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz. Gin (We used J.J. Pfister Organic Gin…remember when I went to their distillery?)
• appx. 3 oz. Tonic Water
• 1/2 oz. Grapefruit juice

Garnish:

• Sage
• Grapefruit wheel

Directions:

1. Add your grapefruit wheel to the glass + fill with ice.
2. Pour in your gin + grapefruit juice.
3. Top with tonic water.
4. Add sage sprig and enjoy!

Strawberry Basil Smash

This is one of Aimee’s favorite drinks to make and I was so excited that she shared the recipe with me. It’s SO simple, yet tastes great and looks even better.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz. Vodka (We used Hansen’s of Sonoma Vodka)
• 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup
• Soda Water
• 5 Strawberries
• Basil leaves

Garnish:

• Strawberry
• Basil leaves

Directions:

1. Muddle strawberries + basil together.
2. Add mixture to a highball glass filled with ice.
3. Pour in vodka and simple syrup.
4. Top with soda water.
5. Add garnish + enjoy!

French 75

This is one of my faaavorite drinks to enjoy, but I rarely ever make them. I don’t know why not! They take just a pinch more effort than the others, but the results are fantastic. We went back to use J.J. Pfister Organic Gin for this cocktail as well.

Ingredients:

• Gin
• Lemon Syrup
• Sparkling Wine

Garnish

• Sugar
• Lemon, for juice +  twist

Note: We used lemon syrup, however, if you cannot find it, use 3/4 oz. of lemon juice and simple syrup respectively.

Prep:

• Prepare your sugar rim by dipping the rim of your flute into lemon juice. Dip into the sugar bowl and shake off the excess.

Directions:

1. Combine gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker.
2. Add ice to your shaker, close + shake, shake, shake for about 10-15 seconds.
3. Strain cocktail into your flute.
4. Top with champagne.
5. Add lemon twist + enjoy!

I hope you enjoy the cocktails and don’t forget to toast to your fabulous self, too, gal! Be sure to tag us when you make them. Cheers!

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Photos by Liz Zimbelman