MAGICAL RECIPES to celebrate A TASTE OF DEATH AND HONEY by SHARON BAYLISS

Ann here: WOW! These look AWESOME! I wish someone (hint, hint) would come over and make me some... and then wash out the blender afterwards--I hate that job (makes me sound lazy, I know, but does anyone enjoy that?)

To celebrate the recent release of A Taste of Death and Honey, I've asked some of my spring wizard friends to share some magical cocktail recipes, just in time for your Fourth of July party!

Most Mundanes assume that potions include a long list of obscure ingredients like frog eyeballs. However, that's a common misconception about potion making. Spring wizard potions generally involve only a handful of fresh ingredients, preferably from their home gardens or local farms. A plant grown in an unhappy environment can sometimes cause unpleasant results. So it's best to use plants you know. :) Also look for local, small-batch liquors for the most warm and fuzzy results.

Spring wizard potions are also always sweet, delicious, and inviting, and generally brewed to invoke desirable results, so feel free to dive in!

Our spring wizards have released some of their secret recipes for magic cocktails, just for Ann Noser!

Watermelon Margarita



Ingredients

1/4 of a seedless watermelon

4 limes

tequila



Instructions

This is one my favorite drinks! Scrape the watermelon into a blender and blend into a juice-like consistency. Pour the watermelon juice into ice trays and freeze overnight. Then, place the frozen cubes, the juice from 4 limes, and enough tequila to make for a smooth blend, into the blender. While blending, think about your best memory involving water.



Watermelon Mojito


Ingredients

1/4 of a seedless watermelon

fresh mint

sparkling water

rum



Instructions

Scrape the watermelon into a blender and blend into a juice-like consistency. Pour the watermelon juice into ice trays and freeze overnight. Muddle about 1/4 cup of mint leaves at the bottom of a tall glass and inhale deeply as you muddle. Think about the color green. Fill the glass to the top with watermelon ice cubes. Then pour on the desired amount of rum. Finish off the glass with sparkling water.



The Perfect Peach Daiquiri


Ingredients

24 oz frozen peaches

Deep Eddy Peach Vodka



Instructions

This one is so simple but SOOOO good. Perfect for a lazy summer afternoon when you want to make the easiest drink possible. Fill your blender with peaches then add enough vodka to make a smooth blend. While you blend, remember how it felt to be eight years old and jumping into a swimming pool with a big splash.



A Taste of Peach and Honey


Ingredients

1 cup white wine

1/2 cup Deep Eddy Peach Vodka

juice from 2 oranges

juice from 2 lemons

1 tbsp honey

12 oz frozen peaches



Instructions

You guessed it, I adapted this one from Snappy Gourmet just for A Taste of Death and Honey. Death doesn't make for a very delicious cocktail, so we'll do peach instead. :) Throw all the ingredients into the blender and think about your first kiss (your first good one) ;).


No, this post is not sponsored by Deep Eddy Vodka, I'm just a big fan. :) There aren't many good substitutions for this pure magical genius created by crafty summer wizards in Central Texas, but I don't know about all the wonderful local options in your area. If you can't find Deep Eddy, just follow your heart to the best choice near you.

Now that you've enjoyed some tasty spring magic, try A Taste of Death and Honey!

BUY HERE

This book will grab you by the throat, challenge your mind, and turn your heart inside out. Sharon Bayliss delivers a powerful, emotional punch with her third book in the December People series. - Amy Bearce, author of  The World of Aluvia Series

When Samantha’s parents died, she lost everything. Her home. Her friends. Her hope. Then a life-loving spring witch at the children’s shelter fills her life with light and joy once again.

But like the springtime, Samantha’s happiness doesn’t last forever. Her friend dies violently in front of her, the victim of a mysterious killing spell. Furious and grief-stricken, Samantha resents her own weak spring magic. She doesn’t need life and renewal. She wants revenge…and death.

Homeless and alone, Samantha seeks shelter with her old friends, the Vandergraff family, and finds an unexpected ally in the powerful winter solstice witch, Evangeline. The girls’ anger and eagerness lead them to cast a killing spell before knowing the truth behind Samantha’s friend’s death or the identity of her killer. 

Once the spell is cast, they can’t take it back, and they must fight to stop their own curse before it takes away everyone they love.