I have been staring at a blank Word document on my computer for the past 2.5 hours thinking about what could I possibly write this blog post on that hasn’t already been covered.

I am usually inspired to write about the fun things I do over the weekend, like going on road trips, hikes, trying new restaurants and bars, etc.; but since I haven’t been able to safely do any of that for nearly two months, the creativity isn’t flowing as it usually does. However, all the reminiscing triggered a desire to relax like you do while on vacation or while exploring a new city after days of meetings — darn if it didn’t feel like time for a cocktail or two! Maybe that would get the ol’ creative juices flowing again! Spoiler alert: It did.

Since the pandemic began, almost everything has turned into a D.I.Y. experiment, including crafting those delicious drinks we once took for granted. Fortunately, most of us have the time on our hands to try new things, and recently I’ve been using our juicer to put an adult spin on some childhood favorites. Here are some fun and super-easy cocktail ideas:

Mango Pineapple Champagne Spritzer

1 oz mango pineapple juice (bottled is fine if you don’t have a juicer)
3 oz sparkling wine

Orange Apple Pineapple Mule

1 oz ginger beer
1 oz Tito’s vodka
1 lime twist
2 oz orange apple pineapple juice

Friday Golden Hour

3 oz Tito’s vodka
4 oz healthy fruit punch (grapefruit, mandarin, strawberry, turmeric, ginger and pineapple)
2 oz tonic water
Crushed ice

The latter has been my favorite creation for our random Zoom happy hours. Make sure to drink these after 5 p.m.

Somewhere …

Which one would you try?

— Yasser Ogando, production & advertising coordinator