Spiced Kombucha Rum Punch

This post is a collaboration with Health-Ade Kombucha, a brand I LOVE and am excited to share with you.

Thanksgiving week is here and I’m not really sure how that happened so quickly but I am ready for all the festiveness! There are snowflakes falling softly from the sky here at my parents’ house in Minnesota. It’s cold cold cold outside and I’m in my sweatpants. Visions of homemade cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, and stuffing are dancing around my head and I am excited to get to work in the kitchen. I haven’t been to Minnesota for Thanksgiving in eleven years and I’m happy to break that streak this year.

We aren’t big on appetizers before Thanksgiving dinner because, let’s be honest, we need to save all the room for dinner! I do, however, love a festive cocktail. This Spiced Kombucha Rum Punch is the perfect way to prep for Thanksgiving dinner because a) it is so very pretty, b) it is made with kombucha, which means it is great for your gut, c) it can be made as a cocktail OR a mocktail. I mean, hello, this is a must-make for the holidays so you might as well get started this week!

I am obsessed with Health-Ade kombucha, so obviously that was what I reached for at the grocery store when the thought of this gut friendly cocktail came to mind. Pomegranate seemed like the most festive choice, but Pink Lady would also be lovely! A little splash of apple cider and some spiced rum go perfectly with the pretty pink pomegranate. Sprinkle a little cinnamon over it all and you’ve got a special, but super simple, signature cocktail to sip while you wait for that turkey.

Also, if you don’t know much about kombucha or Health-Ade, here are some excellent little tidbits of information for you:

1. Health-Ade is brewed in ALL glass- no plastic or metal

2. Health-Ade is always flavored with organic cold pressed juice and superfoods (YES!)

3. Non- GMO, Organic, Vegam Raw, Gluten Free and Kosher

4. Health-Ade makes their kombucha the natural way. We never force carbonate!

5. Health-Ade is FULL of probiotics and healthy acid (Helloooo, happy gut!)

Now, Follow Your Gut and make on of these pretty probiotic cocktails for you and your friends! Go!

Spiced Kombucha Rum Punch

Makes 8 cocktails

• 1 bottle Health-Ade Pomegranate Kombucha

• 1/2 cup spiced rum

• 1/2 cup apple cider (not the alcoholic, carbonated kind)

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• fresh cranberries for garnish

• fresh mint for garnish

1. In a pitcher with ice, stir together the rum, apple cider and ground cinnamon. (You can do this part in advance, just leave the ice out of the pitcher, stir together the rum, cider and cinnamon, cover and refrigerate until ready to finish).

2. Pour the kombucha into the pitcher and gently stir to combine.

3. Strain the cocktail into cocktail glasses and garnish with the fresh cranberries and mint. Cheers!

Sunny Clementine Margaritas

Can I be real with you all for a quick moment?

Blogging while being a stay at home mom to two kiddos is harder than blogging while being a stay at home mom to one kiddo. For some reason, I thought that maybe it would get easier but it definitely didn't. Between the school schedules and swimming lessons and karate and refereeing sibling scuffles in between, my time and energy are split in so many directions that when I sit down to write something here I simply cannot put words together. My brain is mush. It's really frustrating.

So, until life evens out a bit (HA!) I'm going to be kind to myself. I'm going to do what I can so that I still LOVE this space and all that comes with it. I'm also going to remind myself more often that someday I'll be sitting in a quiet, empty house while the boys are both at school and I'll have all the time and energy in the world to pour into Set the Table. Until that time comes, I'm going to post when I have the time and energy to do so. I may not have a million followers/readers, but you know what? I adore this cozy little space and those of you who visit it. And I want to make sure to keep bringing you high quality posts when I can rather than so-so posts just for the sake of posting a certain number of days per week. Sound good? Can we all get on board with that? I hope so.

On that note, I have a DELICIOUS cocktail for you today that embodies everything I love about this time of year: the promise of spring is just barely making itself known while winter is keeping us cozied up inside eating allllll the sweet, juicy clementines. I'm not the only one, right? Margaritas scream warm weather to me, but using seasonal citrus fruits make it perfectly lovely for these late winter snow days when we need a little reminder that sunshine and heat are on their way back to our lives.

I typically rim my margarita glasses with salt, but this time I chose to use a pinch of black lava salt (!) as a dramatic finishing touch to this vibrant cocktail. It adds the perfect subtle saltiness while dressing up what would otherwise look like a run of the mill marg. If you don't have black salt laying around (which would be me if I hadn't gotten mine as a thoughtful Christmas gift) it is FINE. Use something else that is bright and contrasts with the orange tinge of the drink itself. A slice of red chili pepper or a sage leaf are perfect garnishes as well.

I hope you are all able to take a step back from the things that make life hectic and appreciate what makes life beautiful right now. It's harder than it sounds but so good for the soul. And if you have one of these margaritas in your hand while you ponder, it may be a tad easier!

Sunny Clementine Margaritas

Makes 2 drinks

• Juice of 4 clementines (about 4-6 oz total)
• juice of half a lime (about 1-2 oz)
• 2 teaspoons agave
• 2 oz white or silver tequila
• course salt or other garnish (sage leaf or sliced chilis work well)
• lime wedge for garnish

1. Strain the juices and agave into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Add the tequila and shake until chilled.
2. Pour the margaritas into 2 ice filled glasses. Sprinkle with salt (or other desired garnish), garnish with a lime wedge, and serve immediately. Cheers!