Happy Hour: 1-2-3 Cocktail Recipe

HAPPY FRIDAY! Finally, huh? Weeks have been weird to me since working from home. Monday through Wednesday feel like they take FOREVER and it feels like the week will never end, then by the time it hits Thursday, time just flies. Oh well, I'll take it.

So in honor of Friday, today I'm sharing a foolproof, three-ingredient cocktail recipe that's perfect for enjoying this time of year when the weather's warming up and you wanna whip up a fun drink. You only need three ingredients: sparkling water, liquor, and fruit juice. Like I said, easy (you could even say... easy as 1, 2, 3... okay I'll stop). 

The ingredients in this cocktail are simple: 

• 1oz fruit juice of your choice (I recommend fresh squeezed, but use any kind that you want)
• 2oz liquor of your choice (vodka, gin, tequila, rum)
• 3oz sparkling water of your choice

Get it? 1, 2, 3! You're so smart. Just combine everything in a glass with ice, and there you go. If you want to make it extra good, shake up the juice and liquor in a cocktail shaker to make it super cold and combined. 

The best part about this cocktail (aside from how easy it is) is that it's completely customizable to your taste. Pick your favorite liquor, your favorite juice + sparkling water combo, and you have your very own custom spritz cocktail. I think the ratios are good as-is, but feel free to adjust the amounts of each ingredient to your taste. Add a garnish if you want, and cheers, baby. 

Here are some of my favorite combos, along with some of my own takes on classic cocktail flavors using the 1-2-3 formula:

Grapefruit juice, vodka, grapefruit sparkling water: This is my favorite combo! I like that it focuses on one flavor. It would be good to do a lemon, lime, or orange version, too.

Cranberry juice, vodka, lime sparkling water: This combo is what sparked my idea for the 1-2-3 cocktail, and I made it a bunch over the holidays. 

Lime juice, tequila, grapefruit sparkling water: While I don't love tequila, a paloma is a great cocktail! I love anything citrus-based, and of course you could sub out the tequila if you're not a fan like me. 

Pineapple juice, rum, coconut sparkling water: This is my take on a piña colada! It would taste especially good poolside or at the beach. 

Lime juice, vodka, cherry lime sparkling water: Cherry lime La Croix is one of my favorite flavors, so obviously I had to make a cocktail out of it. This would be great garnished with a cherry and a splash of grenadine if you want to get crazy. 

Lemon juice, gin, blackberry sparkling water: Finally, my take on one of my favorite cocktails: the gin bramble! A traditional bramble doesn't have any carbonation, but it's a bramble with a TWIST.

I hope you have a great weekend! I keep forgetting that it's Mother's Day on Sunday because of how weird life has been these days, but luckily I have a gift ready for my mama, and I'm sure I'll mix up a cocktail or two for her, too. 😉 Cheers! 

xoxx, Laura