LAKESIDE COOLER RECIPE

I am a fruity cocktail kind of girl.  Give me a strawberry margarita over anything straight up any day.  I prefer to mask the alcohol with delicious juices.  With the weather getting warmer, it’s finally time to break out my favorite drink.  It tastes just like summer.  I’ve been making it for a few years, and it never disappoints.  I would have named it beachside cooler, but alas, a lakeside will have to do.

Lakeside Cooler

Serving size: makes 1 drink

Ingredients:

1.5 oz. Rum

4 oz. Orange Juice

2 oz. Cranberry Juice

1 oz. Lime Margarita Mix

1 oz. Ginger Ale

**disclaimer—these are all rough estimates of how much of each ingredient to put in.  The majority of the drink is OJ with some cranberry juice and a splash of margarita mix, topped off with ginger ale to give it some fizz.  You can’t mess this drink up, so just keep adding everything until you get the taste you prefer!

Step 1:  In a tall glass or mason jar, pour in the Rum, Orange Juice, Cranberry Juice, and Margarita Mix over ice.  Stir with a spoon to make sure all ingredients are mixed up. 

Step 2:  Top off the drink with a splash of Ginger Ale for some fizz.  Then enjoy!  You’ll feel like you in the tropics in no time.

Optional:  Guilt-free Lakeside Cooler: low calorie version.  Just use diet versions of all ingredients listed above.  Since these fruity drinks can get high in calories, I use OJ that has 50% less calories than the regular kind, diet Cranberry Juice, zero sugar margarita mix, and diet Ginger Ale. 

Also, you might like to enjoy in a hollowed out pineapple for added effect.  Cheers!