What better way to celebrate the end of the semester than with a tasty drink in hand. Grab some friends, make some drinks, and shake off the stress of the semester!

As delicious as these drinks are, the real treat is muddling your way through these recipes with a good group of friends. We had a blast pushing our tired blender to its limit, snacking on miscellaneous mint leaves, and accidentally exploding a bottle of tonic water in the SAMU kitchen (sorry!) in the process.

Was it wholly successful? No! Our Miami Vices were far less cooperative than we anticipated and we did resort to using a bread knife to slice some limes. But we laughed, chatted, spent a lovely afternoon together, and ultimately got to relax with some drinks we would make again. Not bad for a duo who went from a textbook buy/ sell exchange to fast friends!

We hope you have as much fun making these drinks as we did. (And if you want to take your drinks from mocktails to cocktails, we’re not about to stop you.)

Miami Vice – 1 serving

Feel free to really get the creative juices flowing on this one. The strawberry lime slush was a delightful mix of tart and sweet, and it tasted delicious on its own or on top of vanilla ice cream. Feel free to add whipped cream, Greek yogurt, or coconut cream as a base instead.

• 3 tbsp lime juice
• ½ cup frozen strawberries
• ½ cup crushed ice
• ¼ cup pineapple nectar
• 2 mint leaves (optional)

Add lime juice, frozen strawberries, the ¼ cup of pineapple nectar, the mint leaves if desired, and the ice into the blender and mix until it has a slushie-like consistency. Pour on top of the vanilla ice cream (or desired base) or serve on its own. Garnish with a strawberry on the rim of each glass.

Pictured with & without ice-cream

Blackberry Ginger Mule – 1 serving

This was our favourite drink out of the three! Initially, we were a little skeptical about putting this much jam into a drink, but it was delicious. It tastes like you should be drinking it on a checkered blanket in a field of wildflowers. Peak drink experience.

• 1/4 cup blackberry jam
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 3 mint leaves
• 1/2 cup ice cubes
• 1 1/2 cup ginger kombucha
• Blackberries (for garnish) – optional
• Candied ginger for (garnish) – optional

Muddle the blackberry jam, lime juice, mint leaves, and a few ice cubes together in a cocktail shaker (or mason jar) and shake. Add some ice to two glasses and pour the mixture into the glass. Top up with the kombucha. Garnish with candied ginger and blackberries on a cocktail pick.

Mango Mojito – 1 serving

This is a good starter drink — it’s super simple and there’s no way you can mess it up (unless you really try). Plus, the lime and mango create a delicious combo that’s not too sweet and not too sour. Tip: substitute the mango nectar with other fruit juices if you’re feeling adventurous.

2 tbsp lime juice (about half a lime)

• 1 cup tonic water
• 1/2 cup mango nectar
• 5 mint leaves
• 2-4 tsp simple syrup (Equal parts water and sugar
  mixed on medium heat until sugar is dissolved)
• 1/2 cup ice

Muddle the mint leaves at the bottom of a glass until aromatic. Add the lime juice, tonic water, and mango nectar. Add two teaspoons of simple syrup to start and add more if you prefer a sweeter drink