The Hard Seltzer Cocktail Book

On a warm summer evening or in the sunshine by the pool, a fruity boozy cocktail is so tasty.  And making them at home can often be a tall order.  The Hard Seltzer Cocktail Book by Casie Vogel, has 55 “unofficial recipes” for branded hard seltzers — which include White Claw® Slushies, Truly® Mixers, and more Spiked-Seltzer Drinks.

When I was asked to review this book it came at just the right time.  I had taken part in two  Ripple Street campaigns for Bud Light® Seltzer products, and I had scored a couple of Bud Light® and Coors® hard seltzer 24-packs on clearance at Sam’s Club.  I mean I’m happy to drink them straight out of the can from the cooler, or in a Solo cup garnished with some fruit, but I definitely like a cocktail better than a plain seltzer.

There’s something for everyone with these easy-to-make recipes, including Aperol Spritz-o-Clock, Fizzy Fuzzy Navels, Watermelon Sugar Slushy, Millennial Cosmo, Fizzier French 75, Summer in the City Manhattan. Truly LIIT (Long Island Iced Tea), Lemon Drop It Like It’s Hot, Lost in the Jungle Juice and much more!

I have tried many of the hard seltzer cocktail recipes already, they have all been delicious and user friendly for those that aren’t pros at mixing drinks.  My favorite so far has been The 9-to-5 Painkiller.  Lucky for you (!), Casie Vogel has agreed to let me post the recipe here for you to enjoy as well!

Excerpted from The Hard Seltzer Cocktail Book by Casie Vogel. Copyright © 2021 Ulysses Press. Reprinted with permission from Ulysses Press. New York, NY. All rights reserved.

The 9-to-5 Pain Killer
Long day at work? Email headache? Nothing takes the edge off like a painkiller. Watch your pours, however. If you’re too heavy-handed, I can’t guarantee you won’t have a different kind of headache tomorrow morning.

MAKES 4–6 DRINKS
1/4 cup dark rum
1/4 cup pineapple juice
2 ounces orange juice
2 ounces cream of coconut
4–6 cups ice
1 (12-ounce) can orange or pineapple hard seltzer
ground nutmeg, for garnish

✦ Add all the ingredients to a blender. Blend until smooth.
✦ Garnish with ground nutmeg. Serve immediately.

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Oh my gosh, SO good y’all!!

A couple of notes about the recipes in The Hard Seltzer Cocktail Book.

• Make sure to invite your friends over to drink with you  Most of the recipes serve at least two people.  Some of them are for 4-6 or even larger crowds.
• I found the recipes to be lemon seltzer heavy, but good news!  A lot of them you should be able to swap out similar type flavors with good results (some recipes even give substitute suggestions).  We’ve swapped mango in place of orange and even watermelon for lime, with the cocktail still tasting great. 

The Hard Seltzer Cocktail Book: 55 Unofficial Recipes for White Claw® Slushies, Truly® Mixers, and More Spiked-Seltzer Drinks [978-1646041855, $19.95, Ulysses Press, June 2021] by Casie Vogel, is available on Amazon.com as well as at other book retailers.