After dinner last night, my husband and I thought a cocktail would be a nice way to end our workdays.  Sure, I could have made something from our usual repertoire, be it a dirty martini for him or a Vodka and Tonic Restyled for me, but I felt compelled to create a new drink.  We’ll chalk it up to my mind wanting to conquer a final challenge of the day.

Looking through our refrigerator, I realized what would limit my creativity for this drink would be our mixers.  I decided that using orange juice would be my best option.  Orange juice made me think of my best friend, and her enjoyment of Fuzzy Navels.  With peach schnapps in stock, I decided to try and make a version of this drink that would be pleasing to my husband and me.

It seemed that the trick to making this new drink would be to lessen the sweetness and lighten the drink while keeping the flavor intact.  As we also had orange vodka on hand, it seemed a perfect addition for both kick and flavor.  Finally, topping the drink with orange seltzer would add flavor and lightness.  A few shakes and a stir later we had a great cocktail to sip as we finally were able to close our laptops and enjoy the evening.

Fuzzy Navel 2.0

1-1/2 oz. Smirnoff Orange Flavored Vodka

1 oz. peach schnapps

1-1/2 oz. orange juice

3-4 oz. orange seltzer

Place 3 or 4 ice cubes in a martini shaker, and add vodka, schnapps, and orange juice.  Shake well.  Remove cap and strainer, and pour drink and ice into a lowball glass.  Add seltzer, stir well, and enjoy.

1 shot of orange-infused vodka

splash of cranberry juice

splash of sour mix

splash of lemon-lime soda

ice

Combine the vodka and sour mix with ice in a martini shaker, and shake well.  Pour over ice in a low ball glass.  Add cranberry juice and lemon-lime soda, and garnish with cherries.

Long live the Prince of Orange!