Drink Up, Buttercup

Different families have certain activities/traditions that they enjoy together, and my family likes...to drink together (moderately, of course)! Our motto is: The family that drinks together, stays together!*

I know, not very active or creative, but we really do enjoy a nice cocktail/bubbly/munchie hour before sitting down to a big homemade dinner (courtesy of my sister and her kitchen b#tch (me)).

Family time for us is filled with scenes like this:

(my brother in law, becoming a true member of the family)

 

The fam enjoying after-dinner port. Notice champagne and wine glasses strewn across table.  Guess I decided not to get gussied up for dinner, not even remotely. Mr. Pug has red-eye.

 

We even try to get the pugs in on the action (and Mr. Pug *still* has red-eye.  Maybe he's the devil.)

So in thinking about what should be our specialty cocktail for the wedding, I knew immediately what we were going to serve.

Bee's Knees!!

Source

This is my family's recent cocktail of choice.  What is a bee's knees? Well let me tell you. It is a delicious concoction made out of a lavender-honey syrup, gin, and limes. It's divine.  We served it at a party once and pitchers--PITCHERS, folks--were drained.

Plus, the lavender happens to go along with our color scheme, but honestly we could have been planning a neon pink and green wedding, and I would have still served this.

You can find the recipe here and plenty of other places on the internet, but here's the quick rundown:

• 1/4 cup hot water 
• 1 teaspoon dried lavender blossoms
• 1/4 cup honey
• 6 tablespoons gin
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Mix hot water and dried lavender blossoms in bowl. Let steep 5 minutes. Whisk in 1/4 cup honey. Strain into another bowl. Add 3 tablespoons of the honey syrup, gin, and lemon juice; strain into cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into 2 chilled Martini glasses.

Drink up! 

Are you having a specialty cocktail?  How did you choose which drink to serve?

*My family members are strictly social drinkers--this is not meant to encourage/condone/make light of alcoholism, which is something entirely different.  I am familiar with how alcoholism can hurt a family, and I would never imply that that kind of illness is funny.