Picnicking is definitely in my top 3 favorite warm weather activities in the city. I love heading to Meridian/Malcolm X Park on Sunday afternoon and soaking up sunshine with the drum circle playing in the background. Typically I prefer to sip on white wine while there but it is horribly inpractical to be discreet with a wine bottle and corkscrew in the park. I also hate the taste of wine in a plastic cup.

Perusing Pinterest too much has made me develop a mason jar cocktail fantasy that I was determined to fulfill at my next picnic.

We only bought a few additional ingredients to what we already stocked at home. Vodka being a constant around the house and triple sec always lingering from my last batch of sangria were really the main inspiration of my cocktail.

We used:

Simply Raspberry Lemonade
Fresh Raspberries
Mint Leaves
Limes
Vodka
Triple Sec
Ice

Then we:

1. Muddle the mint, limes, and raspberries in the jar.

2. Add 2 parts vodka and 1 part triple sec. so that you fill about a third of the jar.

3. Combine lemonade, additional fresh raspberries and mint leaves for garnish with ice.

4. Close the lid and gently shake.

Pro tip: This may seem like a no brainer, but it completely escaped me. Make the drink a little stronger than typical (I did) and then pack it with plenty of ice (I did not). I put a measly three or 4 ice cubes because they were going in to a cooler.What I failed to realize is that these babies would be attached to our hands in the hot sun for the entire duration of our park stay.

The Bottom Line: The mason jar trend is perfect for portable public drinking. With the help of some fresh fruit and garnish its a beautiful cocktail that is large enough to give you the sweet buzz you’re after on a lazy Sunday afternoon in the park.