A Summer Cocktail Bar with Finlandia Vodka
Summer is a great time to host parties and get-togethers, whether it’s a casual weekend gathering with a few friends or a weeklong party at your home. Because we live in a popular location at certain times of the year, our house functions similarly to a bed and breakfast for the majority of the spring, summer, and even early autumn.
On weekends, it seems like we always have visitors, whether they are friends or family members. We adore it, but there is no doubt that we must find ways to ensure that everyone has a good time and feels satisfied with themselves. One of my favorite things to do is to keep a few reliable ingredients on hand so that I can quickly and easily create a simple and summery cocktail bar.
This ensures that your guests will not look to you for drinks to accompany their dinner that night, nor will they give you the impression that you must spend your entire time behind the bar. The truth is that making cocktails does not have to be difficult. With a little forethought, you can create a bar arrangement that is surprisingly impressive while remaining relatively simple.
Not only that, but we will also provide you with three recipes that are extremely simple and that your guests will be able to prepare on their own. This refreshing cocktail bar and accompanying recipes were created in collaboration with Finlandia Vodka. Our goal was to show how simple it is to make a stunning cocktail bar by infusing three different vodkas with herbs, which is all you need to do if you plan on entertaining guests this summer.
The Techniques We Used To Prepare The Components Used In Our Do-It-Yourself Bar
The key to running a successful bar is to keep the ingredients fresh and to provide just the right amount of variety—enough to inspire creativity but not so much that customers are overwhelmed by the options. As a result, I enjoy adding flavorings to vodka. This is extremely simple to prepare ahead of time, and it always generates a lot of excitement among the guests.
They are eager to try each and every one. I particularly enjoy the process of infusing our vodkas with herbs. I like how they look and how they add a distinct flavor that packs a punch to a citrus and fruit-forward cocktail. Naturally, vodka can be flavored with a wide range of ingredients. That is one of its many appealing characteristics. You can simply enjoy it on its own, or you can personalize it with a simple infusion that takes between 24 and 48 hours.
We infuse three bottles of Finlandia Vodka with rosemary, thyme, and mint for our bar. We chose a fresh jar for the herbs so that we could more easily display them for our guests and show them what was inside. After that, the day before our guests were due to arrive, I went through each bottle and added the Finlandia. After that, I sealed them off and left them to their work.
The flavor is delicate and unforced in its presentation, especially when herbs are used. If you intend to keep the vodka for more than 48 hours, it is strongly advised that you re bottle and label it. The herbs will begin to deteriorate, making the overall appearance less appealing. However, by doing it this way, you will be able to reuse it for another event or make a different type of cocktail for any other summer gatherings you may have. To make the rest of the bar more inviting for your guests, I recommend stocking it with the following items:
Our Do-It-Yourself Cocktail Bar’s Components
- Herbs picked fresh from the plant for garnishing or muddling (Rosemary, Mint, Basil, Thyme, etc)
- Lemons Grapefruit Limes
- Muddling with fresh berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, currents, etc)
- Club Soda Ice Cucumber Ginger Beer
Our DIY Cocktail Bar’s Equipment
- Glasses for your visitors. These ones in particular are some of my favorites.
- Towels, a mixing glass, a cutting board, and a knife bar
- Jigger bowls are used to place ingredients in crafts for infusing vodka in cocktail stirrers.
How to Put Together Your Own Homemade Cocktail Bar
Simply place a table in the area of the common room where you will be having dinner or entertaining guests later that evening to prepare it. Make sure there is enough space at the table. If you are expecting a large number of guests, make sure that both sides of the table are easily accessible (more than 6). After that, simply arrange the table in an appealing and well-organized manner. You have the option of allowing your guests to create their own cocktails or using one of the three cocktails listed below, which all use the infused Finlandia Vodka.
Three Simple Drinks You Can Make At Home for Your Own Bar
Thyme-infused Moscow Mule recipe
Everyone enjoys a good Moscow Mule, and it is especially popular this time of year when the weather is warm. You shouldn’t, however, feel obligated to provide your guests with fancy copper cups just so you can serve them a Moscow Mule. When served in a glass, a Moscow mule is just as refreshing. This recipe, while not traditional, is simply a new twist on an old favorite.
Ingredients
- a half-worth lime’s of juice
- 2 oz. 2 oz. ginger beer Finlandia Vodka with Thyme InfusionsIce
Cocktail preparation instructions
Mix all of the ingredients together lightly, then top with a slice of lime.
We present a make-your-own summer cocktail bar featuring infused vodka in collaboration with Finlandia. You can find the information as well as the recipes on The Fresh Exchange.
Recipe for Berry Ginger Zinger
This is an excellent cocktail for someone who does not normally drink cocktails. It has a fruity flavor and a playful vibe, but it also has the right amount of earthiness to give it a garden-fresh vibe. Because the ginger adds just the right amount of zing, it is a lively answer to the question of what would make a good cocktail for an evening gathering.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces ginger beer, ice, and half a lemon juice
- 2 oz. Rosemary Finlandia Vodka infusion
- A small amount of berries, about a handful (blueberries, currants, and raspberries were used in this one)
- a sprig of rosemary to be used as a garnish
Cocktail preparation instructions
Muddle the berries and lemon juice together in the bottom of the glass. Combine ginger beer and rosemary-infused vodka in a mixing glass. Then, add ice and stir it up. As a garnish, place a sprig of rosemary on top.
We present a make-your-own summer cocktail bar featuring infused vodka in collaboration with Finlandia. You can find the information as well as the recipes on The Fresh Exchange.
Refreshing Grapefruit and Lime Drink Recipe
On a hot day like today, serving this light and refreshing cocktail should make everyone happy. It is simple to comprehend because that was the intention behind its creation. Imagine a spa day in a single serving.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce Finlandia Vodka infused with mint
- 2 ounces club soda or sparkling water Half a grapefruit and one lime juice 2 ounces club soda or sparkling water (optional muddling a cucumber in the bottom)
Cocktail preparation instructions
Before adding the cucumber to the drink, muddle it with the lime and grapefruit juice. Simply combine the juices and vodka in that case. After that, add ice to the glass and top it off with club soda. Serve with a wedge of lime for garnish.
We present a make-your-own summer cocktail bar featuring infused vodka in collaboration with Finlandia. You can find the information as well as the recipes on The Fresh Exchange.
Even though hosting guests can feel like climbing a mountain at times, our experience has taught us that the most memorable gatherings are those in which space is made available for the evening to develop in an organic and unplanned manner.
If you create a cocktail bar with distinct flavors for your guests, it is a wonderful way for them to connect with one another, laugh together, try new things together, and enjoy an entirely new experience. If you continue to believe that this is too much work for you, one option is to delegate some of the responsibilities to your guests. Guests, in my experience, enjoy participating in the preparation process and helping to bring everything together. It provides a sense of belonging to a community for the evening.
Remember that the most important aspect of hosting and entertaining is to have fun, so the most important step is to allow the evening’s events to unfold naturally. While you should always drink responsibly when drinking cocktails, don’t forget to kick back, relax, and enjoy the merriment and stimulating conversation that surrounds you.
What are some of your best practices for serving cocktails at summer gatherings? If you were going to enjoy this cocktail bar that we created, what cocktail would you make with the infused vodkas that we made using Finlandia? Have any of you ever experimented with infusing something?