Homemade Happy Hour

I love a good happy hour. An excuse for afternoon cocktails? Bring. It. On. But sometimes the only place I want to go at the end of the day is home. Welcome to Homemade Happy Hour!

Simple recipes with easy to find ingredients so you can make your own craft cocktails and enjoy all the deliciousness of happy hour from the comfort of your own home.

But Really, What is Homemade Happy Hour?

When I had this idea back in 2014, I had wanted Homemade Happy Hour to be a series of regular blog posts featuring a monthly cocktail recipe plus a snack pairing to go along with it. But then I got pregnant and testing cocktail recipes went right out the window. 🙂

Cheers, Friends!

What are we drinking this evening? Whether you’re not sure what you want or looking to change up your usual happy hour pick, I’m here to help.

Here are some of the cocktail recipes I can’t get enough of right now:

• 
  Lavender Bee’s Knees
• 
  Elderflower Margarita
• 
  Cranberry Gin Cocktail
• 
  Blackberry Bourbon Halloween Cocktail
• 
  Apple Cider Sangria
• 
  Spiced Apple Cocktail
• 
  Apple Orchard Cocktail
• 
  12 Easy Vodka Cocktails
• 
  Cosmopolitan

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Homemade Happy Hour is now a book!

“What else do you want to do? Beyond the blog?” A friend posed this question to me and I instantly knew the answer. But I didn’t want to say it out loud. Because it felt like a how-are-you-ever-going-to-do-that?! kind of idea.

The answer was a cocktail book. I really wanted to take Homemade Happy Hour off line. I wanted it to sit on people’s bar carts and get lime juice splashed on it. I wanted Homemade Happy Hour be a printed book full of easy, delicious recipes, each with its own photo so you’d know exactly what you’re making.

When I was furloughed from my job during the Covid-19 pandemic, I knew what I would have time to do – work on a book. And so I did. For 3 months straight, I did nothing but keep my daughter in snacks and work on my book.

Published in October 2020, Homemade Happy Hour (the book!) features 18 cocktail recipes and 5 cocktail syrup recipes, plus tips and information on building your own home bar, an ingredient checklist for easy shopping – all laid out with beautiful photography.

It’s available as a digital download, formatted for Kindle, or in paperback. If you want to read more about the process, you can do that here.

My Cocktail Recipe Testing Ground

Do you have a favorite social media channel? Mine’s Instagram. It’s my go-to place for sharing what’s in my cocktail glass in real time, especially my Insta Stories. I love sharing whatever creation I’m testing at the moment – with measurements – or link you to a great mixologist whose recipes I’m enjoying.

All my cocktail recipes from Insta Stories are saved as a highlight on my profile. Look for the “Drink Recipes” highlight if you want some new cocktail ideas and recipes. And if you make one, please let me know! I love seeing what recipes people are enjoying.

Cheers to Happy Hour!