Lemon Drop Martinis in a Mason Jar

I had a rather stressful house project this weekend and made a sort of Lemon-Drop-Meets-Martini to cope.

Unhealthy defense mechanism, perhaps. Delicious cocktail, definitely!

Remember, y'all, it's five o'clock somewhere.

You'll need a medium-sized mason jar and 2 chilled martini glasses for this recipe.

-lotsa lemon juice (I squeeze my own every weekend so I'm not really sure how many lemons; I'd guess 4)
-lemon vodka (Smirnoff makes a good one, though Stolichnaya is so much more fun to say)
-1/2 C sugar, divided (to taste; I used a bit less but I like mine quite sour), plus 2 tablespoons
-ice cubes
-cold water

1. Fill the mason jar one-third full with the lemon juice. If you use fresh lemons, it's so much better. And if there's pulp in there, you can convince yourself that your tonic has health benefits.
2. Add vodka to 2/3 full. This will equate to several Tara Reid style splashes. I'd guess somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 -4 jiggers.
3. Add 1/2 C sugar. Add ice cubes to the top.
4. Seal the jar and shake until sugar dissolves.
4. Pull your martini glasses out and rim with sugar if you like.
5. Add 1 Tbls sugar to each glass. Fill glasses halfway with mason jar mix (straining ice cubes out). Top off with ice cold water. Stir gently to dissolve sugar.
6. ENJOY!

You'll have a little leftover for another half glass or so.

Lemon Parfait with Berries

Yummy, creamy lemony summer dessert!

-1 1/2 C heavy cream
-2 11 oz jars lemon curd
-2 1/2 tbls lemon juice
-2 tbls lemon zest
-1-2 C fresh berries: strawberries, raspberries, etc. Whatever you like with lemon.

1. Whip cream with electric mixer on high in ceramic bowl until stiff peaks form--3-5 minutes or so.
2. Place whipped cream in refridgerator to chill. While cream chills, mix together lemon curd, lemon juice, and lemon zest in medium bowl.
3. Fold in whipped cream to lemon curd mixture. Combine. Add berries and stir.
4. Serve within 3 hours. Chill until serving.

***This would also be delicious in a graham cracker crumb crust--no baking; just spoon the parfait into the crust and garnish with berries.