Say hello to HIPPIE JUICE!

Care for a refreshing summer beverage that will have you dancing in the rain surrounded by rainbow unicorns?  Then look no further than your own liquor cabinet for some creative, but economic ideas for fun-time summer sweetness!

Once upon a time in the Summer of 2010, a joyous gathering of assorted performers reclaimed the streets and subways of our urban playground (New York City) carrying hula hoops, streamers, and instruments of musical merriment in the annual Kaleidoscope Parade.  Knowing very well that I would need to travel by bus, boat, train, and foot with hundreds of colorfully dazzling dreamers, I needed to whip up something that was fast, easy, portable, and most importantly: SHAREABLE!  Now, my natural reaction was to default to my usual bottle of coke complimented with Captain Morgan Spiced Rum, but I felt a bit like things of this nature should be reserved for the pirate related activities of the upcoming fall (ie: PirateCon) so instead, I decided to hunt through my cabinets and see what sort of fun concoction I could whip up.

Digging about for just a few short minutes, I found a ton of goodies to throw into the mix!  I'd made vodka lemonades with Watermelon Smirnoff a few weeks back, so I had both Pink Lemonade AND vodka... a bit of Malibu I'd been mixing with the OJ whose containers now filled my recycling bin... a few other miscellaneous liquors and well, Triple Sec.  Upon opening the fridge, I discovered the small bit of strawberries left over from the previous night's smoothies and decided to utilize these resources to their fullest potential.

Time to recycle...

I grabbed one of the Simply OJ containers out of the recycling and gave it another rinsing... then I decided to add about 4 scoops of the Country Time Pink Lemonade to the bottle using a funnel.  Next, I did a bit of quick drunky-math and decided that 1 cup of Watermelon Smirnoff would be appropriate for this sort of mixture, complimented by 1/3 cup each of the Malibu Coconut Rum and Triple Sec (for some special summer flavors).  After that, I began to fill the container with cold water until it had about reached the neck of the bottle,  and added in three strawberries, each sliced four ways using an X technique.  Once the strawberries were in, I topped off the bottle.

The parade went off without a hitch, and as we reclined on the grass beneath the monumental artwork leftover from Figment on Governor's Island that summer, all were able to enjoy this perfect new summertime favorite.  "So how," you might ask, "did you get the name Hippie Juice?" Well, if it is not already apparent, this subtly boozy nectar was enjoyed and loved by all who sampled... a colorful whirl of characters and personalities coming together like the groovy tie dye shirt of a hippie.  That, and many of those partaking were indeed hippies, but there's no need for technicalities here.

TO REFRESH YOUR MEMORY & MAKE YOUR SHOPPING LIST:

Ingredients:
- Water
- Country Time Pink Lemonade Mix
- Fresh Strawberries
- Smirnoff Watermelon Vodka
- Triple Sec
- Malibu Coconut Rum

Supplies:
- Simply Brand (Apple, Orange, Etc.) Juice Container
- Measuring Cup
- Funnel
- Knife
- Cutting Board


Easy Prep:
Carefully wash out your Simply brand Juice Container.  Then use the funnel to neatly pour 4 scoops of Country Time Pink Lemonade into the container.  Next, measure out 1 cup of Smirnoff brand Watermelon Vodka, 1/3 cup Triple Sec, and 1/3 cup Malibu Coconut Rum into a measuring cup and use the funnel to add your mixture.  Using cold water, fill the rest of the container up to the base of the neck.  Rinse 4 strawberries and cut straight across with a knife to remove the stem.  Then place the strawberries upside down on the cutting board and slice evenly into 4 pieces using two motions forming a cross.  Drop the strawberries in, add water to the top, cap and shake gently to mix.  Refrigerate and voila! Hippie Juice!

Serves 4-8 depending on cup size.
Serves a mob of thirsty burners & hippies a sip at a time.

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HANG-OVER PREVENTION MODIFICATION!

Faced with the challenge of preparing enough Hippie Juice to last through a one-week trip for two adventurers to Colonial Williamsburg, I gathered up all the containers that I could find (and fit in the cooler) and began to mix away.  The two juice containers turned out perfectly since I was able to stick to my original recipe, but the little group of waterbottles were not so easy.  I attempted to cut the recipe down and mix it by sight and scent alone.  Alas, they were far too strong, even for us... so what was my solution?  GATORADE!

I obtained a small bottle of Glacier Freeze Gatorade which had been hiding in the back of the fridge for hang-over treatment purposes and decided to prevent them in advance by cunningly adding them to my concoction.  Pouring half the container of Gatorade into a glass, I added the ultra-strong Hippie Juice to the remainder of the Gatorade... it was PERFECT!  I then mixed this concoction back into the water bottles to create a sweet way to make your mind fuzzy, have fun, and replenish your ELECTROLYTES!

I strongly urge you to try this fabulous modification!

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Hippie Juice has since been enjoyed in many forms and by many people at multiple festive occasions across the 50 states.  It's popped up at BBQs and Birthday Parties in its original form, transformed itself into a brilliant pink punch at a Halloween Party, has come disguised as "Pirate Poison" to the NYC PirateCon, and has even taken the form of jello shots at a New Years Eve celebration.

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RECIPE COPYRIGHT © SKA JENNY 2010-2012.