Today I am sharing a special recipe, just for you guys! But before I do that, I want to tell you a little bit about the story behind it: Since we were forced to stay at home more during the last two years, my husband picked up a new hobby - mixology or in other words the art of mixing drinks. He watched what feels like more than 1000 youtube videos about it, read at least 4 books on the topic and spoiled lots of friends with delicious refreshing drinks. Not only does he mix alcoholic drinks but he also dabbles in making drinks without booze. A lot of inspiration comes from Andres Eriksson. This time you can learn how to make a refreshing, non-alcoholic, orange based drink we call the “Orange Daycation”:

Recipe for 1 Orange Daycation:

Ingredients: (Picture 1)

2 oz. blood orange juice (roughly 1 and a half blood oranges)
1/2 oz. lime juice (around 1 lime)
1/4 oz. agave sirup
solid pinch of cinnamon
1 bottle of Crodino (100ml) (If you can’t find it, you can replace it with Sanbitter. The drink will taste different, but also delicious)
ice

Instructions:

Squeeze the orange and the lime until you have enough juice. (It is better to use fresh lime juice as it has more flavor than bottled ones). Pour both juices into the shaker, add cinnamon, agave sirup and ice and shake well. (Picture 2)
Double strain the juice before pouring it into a highball glass with ice. (Picture 3) Now add the bottle of Cordino. (Don’t add it before shaking like I did on my first attempt. If you shake the carbonated Cordino, you loose the sparkly carbonation) Now stir a few times with a bar spoon. (Picture 6)
Peel a strip of orange peel off the used orange with a peeler. (Picture 7). Clean the edges by cutting off the frayed sides. (Picture 8) Then cut the bottom and top of the peel at matching angles like: \______\. This helps form a better spiral when rolled. Then roll the strip around a straw (or your finger) and optionally use a toothpick to keep it in place. (Picture 9) or drop the spiral in the glass. Not only does it make the drink more appealing to the eye but it also intensifies the orange flavor of the drink as our nose picks up the smell while drinking.

The Susslife Tip: If your ice block is too big for the glass, simply spin it a few times with your hand and it will fit your glass pretty quickly. (Picture 4 - 5)

Orange Daycation: Sweet & Sparkling Drink