This is the perfect summer drink for delicious blackberry lavender mojitos! It’s an easy drink recipe with all the classic key ingredients but with an added unique floral lavender flavour and sweet juicy blackberries. This will become your favourite cocktail to quench your thirst and cool you down during all the hot summer nights ;-).

Since our summer is almost over I’m longing for things which give me that vacation vibe back like Italian food, pina colada desserts and of course alcoholic drinks with that special something. I’m not a big drinker but I like my glas of wine from time to time or when the nights are hot a fruity refreshing cocktail with loooots of ice.

Hot Summer Nights call for ice-cold Blackberry Lavender Mojito .

Since I have kids, I can’t enjoy an adult drink whenever I feel like it, and oh boy, believe me, I often feel the need for something stronger. Especially when the kids are quarreling all day long ;-). Nah joke. I enjoy my drinks with my hubby by my site and my kids sleeping. Most of the time, I’m too tired to mix up anything fancy, so I like those blackberry lavender mojitos so much.

Blackberry Lavender Mojitos recipe: 6 good reasons why blackberries and lavender are the perfect match for mojitos

• The Mojito recipe is made in under 5 minutes.
• The homemade lavender syrup is easily made in advance and can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 weeks
• The blackberries and lavender syrup add that special something to these otherwise classic cocktails
• It’s a super refreshing easy drink recipe
• Blackberries stand for summer
• This drink will be the star at every summer party

Homemade Lavender syrup adds a beautiful unique floral flavour.

I love lavender! It smells fantastic and’s easy to grow, and that’s very important for me since I live a little bit higher up on a small mountain. Lavender is perfect for making your own chicken seasoning and brewing a better sleep. Lavender tea, lavender sugar, and lavender syrup, of course.

This summer drink is super easy to make, and you only need five ingredients:

• sugar
• honey
• water
• flowering lavender twigs
• blueberries, just 3 pieces for a light lilac colouring

You bring all ingredients to a boil and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Push with a spoon lightly on top of the blueberries so that they burst open and release their juice. Take the pot from the stove and let it cool completely. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve or a chess clothe and fill it into a medium sized bottle. Voilá! Homemade lavender syrup ready to use. Please keep the syrup refrigerated in the fridge up to 4 weeks.

8 Ingrediens and our Summer Nights Blackberry Lavender Mojito are ready to enjoy.

First I start with 2 glasses which can hold a capacity of 350-400ml and a muddler. Put the brown sugar, thinly sliced lime wedges, mint leaves and blackberries into the glasses and muddle gently. The flavours should burst open and combine but the mint leaves shouldn’t be shredded to small pieces.

Add the white rum, you can use any white rum you like but I prefer a 3 year old Havana Club Rum.

In the next step I add the ice in form of cubes or crushed and add some more mint leaves, lime wedges and blackberries for garnish. Fill the glasses up with club soda and add at last some homemade lavender syrup.

Please enjoy this mojito drink only in good company. Bad company should go home before drinking and partying through the night with these delicious cocktails .My hubby and I had a total blast picking fresh blackberries from my garden and mixing up a couple of glasses for us. It felt like vacation and as if the summer would never end. Sometimes all you need is another adult who totally gets you and a couple of drinks to stay up all night long ;-). Blackberry Lavender Mojito!!!

Some thoughts on that drink.

If you don’t have blackberries at hand, red currents, raspberries and even blueberries do the job just fine . No rum at hand? Try it with vodka or gin, maybe that was your flavour anyway. You NEED ice otherwise this is not a drink but a warm runny sweet soup with booze . The most important thing though is to take your time, don’t do a drink between one door and the next.

You should enjoy a good drink as you would enjoy a decadent rich slice of cake: You saviour every single bite or in our case swallow.

Cheers to you and all the beautiful bittersweet late summer nights <3

Bittersweet hugs Nina

Don’t forget to tag us on Instagram @twososterslivinglife or hashtag #twosisterslivinglife. You can find us on Facebook too and Antonia and I would be more than happy if you followed us on our social media channels for more delicious food pictures and infos to what we are up to at the moment.

Save this recipe for later – pin it on Pinterest!

Summer Nights Balckberry- Lavender Mojito

This is a super refreshing and delightful recipe for a hot summer nights blackberry mojito. This drink has all the main key flavours of a classic mojito but gets a unique floral note and fruity taste through the added homemade lavender syrup and the fresh blackberries.

Summer Nights Blackberry-Lavender Mojito

• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 lime (cut into thin slices)
• 10 blackberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1,5 cups crushed ice
• 80 ml havana rum (or any other white rum)
• 8 mint leaves
• 1,5 tsp homemade lavender syrup

Homemade Lavender Syrup

• 200 ml sugar
• 200 ml water
• 3 lavender twigs (flouring)

Homemade Lavender syrup

1. In a small pot mix together with a whisk sugar and water

   whisk until sugar is dissolved and the the lavender twigs

   Heat everything over medium high heat ant let everything simmer for 5 minutes.

   Take the pot from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.

   Sift the liquid through a sieve and fill it into a small glass botle.

   Refrigerate the syrup until used.

   
   
   

Summer Nights Blackberry-Lavender Mojito

1. You need 2 glass(high ball glasses or the ones I use ) that can contain 300-400ml

   divide the sugar onto 2 glasses and add 3 mint leaves, 3 blackberries and 1 quarter of the lime wedges into every glass.

   Muddle the ingredients gently so that the flavours get combined. Blackberries and limes should release their juice and everything including the mint leaves and sugar should get combined.

   Divide the rest of the mint leaves and lime wedges equally to the glasses.

   Fill the glasses with ice and pour 40ml white rum of your joice into every glass .

   Fill the glasses with club soda.

   At last pour you homemade lavender syrup on top and garnish with the blackberries and another lavender twig.

   Enjoy!

   
   
   

In need of another delicious summer recipe? You may also like our flavourful recipe for our tomato galette filled with cream cheese and pesto!

The post Summer Nights Blackberry Lavender Mojitos appeared first on Two Sisters Living Life.

I can truly say Forsthofgut is one of the most beautiful hotel resorts in Austria. It’s nestled right between the Austrian Alps in a very picturesque town called Leogang. It’s perfect for a trip all year round! In the winter it’s the perfect place for skiing, since it is directly located at the slopes. Hiking all the beautiful mountains is perfect in spring and fall and in the summer it’s perfect for all the mountain bike enthusiasts! And even though you are not a sport lover you will love it here with the award winning waldSPA.

“It’s not just luxurious, when you arrive at the hotel you can sense you get treated like family, whole heartedly.”

We had the opportunity to stay at the five star hotel last weekend and I need to say 48hours pass by so quickly at the Forsthofgut. It’s not just luxurious, when you arrive at the hotel you can sense you get treated like family, whole heartedly. I hate arriving at luxury hotels and everybody thinks they are better than you. Here it’s definitely not the case! At the entrance there’s a large blackboard with names from all the families who arrive that day (ours too) and the first thing you realize is how incredibly friendly the employees are. Our receptionist showed us to our room and then took us on a tour through the hotel. It was nice to see where everything is at the start of your stay so you don’t need to guess later.

“You can feel that there was put so much thought and love into every detail.”

I love interior design and Forsthofgut is like how I want my house to look! The outside is typical Austrian, alpine with wooden beams and flowers, old farm house style, mountain chalet like and the inside more minimalistic mixed with concrete and wood. You instantly feel at home. Nina always calls me the pinterest queen (cause my apartment could definitely appear there) and I need to say that this hotel is so picturesque, so pinterest-y (you know what I mean) and so beautiful. You can sense that there was put so much thought and love into every detail.

Our room was perfect, we had an incredible view of the mountains, the 30.000m² large garden and the natural bathing pond. The scenery is breathtaking. I am from Austria and I still always think and appreciate how beautiful my home country is. In case you forgot your hiking backpack, every room provides one, so there is no obstacle stopping you from exploring the surrounding alps. I am a yogi and it’s very handy that there is also a yoga mat and even some weights in your room, if you don’t want to partake into the yoga classes. The bed was very comfy and I was even able to order a special pillow from a selection of 6 different ones, for example one especially recommended for side sleeping people, or one filled with mountain herbs.

Voted the most beautiful spa hotel in Europe

On Saturday after our hike to the summit cross of Assitz, we enjoyed a few hours at their award winning only-adults spa. We were very eager to experience it!

The waldSPA (forest spa) is the pride and center of the Naturhotel Forsthofgut. The building itself looks very futuristic, built into the hillside right next to their own deer. It spreads out on 4 floors, includes 3 heated outdoor pools, 5 saunas, 3 steam rooms and a beautiful state-of-the-art gym. They offer courses from yoga, pilates, hiit workouts and more too, if you want your butt get kicked;)

At the building there are also several snack bars with fresh fruit or herb infused water, nuts and dried fruits and fresh fruits. We really enjoyed the rooftop infinity pool and the different saunas. At the relaxation rooms you really feel like you’re right in the middle of a cozy forest with birds chirping in the background. It was the most relaxing experience. It is definitely the most beautiful spa hotel in Europe.

ForsthofgutKÜCHE – all about the food

First off you can’t get hungry, it’s practically not possible.

Their marvelous breakfast buffets start at 7:00 till 11:00 am. They have everything your heart desires. Most of the products are produced locally or are even from their own farm.

If you do get hungry between 2:00-5:00 pm they offer an afternoon snack. It includes different buffets with fresh salads, main dishes soups and sweets with several Austrian dishes too.

The 5 course dinner is served in one of the many different dining rooms of the hotel, all designed a bit differently, but all very elegant and beautiful. Every course can be chosen from their three different cuisine lines. Starting with a huge salad buffet and ending with a large cheese assortment. The menu changes daily.

I will tell you a bit about their kitchen and three cuisine lines: Alpine (neighborly love) seven countries, one connection the alps. Delicious food combinations from Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Slovenia and of course Austria. R50 (regional love) local sourced food and products no more than 50 km from the hotel. Vegan focusing on green and healthy.

“Eine wahrhaftige gute Küche besteht zu 90% aus hochwertigen, frischen Zutaten und zu 10% aus Fantasie”

Naturhotel Forsthofgut

meaning: “Truly good cuisine consists of 90% high-quality, fresh ingredients and 10% imagination” and this is so true.

I need to say that the restaurants serve some of the best food you can imagine.

Children

The Naturhotel Forsthofgut offers a lot for the little ones too, so they can feel like kings and queens. Nina could definitely take her kids, since the have child care, a little farm with miniature horses, goats, fish ponds and a play ground, a kids club and even spa treatments suited for children and so much more!

Nala approved

Next time I am definitely taking my three year old goldie puppy Nala with me, she would have approved and enjoyed the splendid nature.

5 must do things at the Naturhotel Forsthofgut

• Enjoy one of the many spa treatments or a massage, but beware book one before arriving, since it is possible that there is no free appointment. You will regret it if you did not enjoy one.

• Take the Assitz Gondola up the mountain and visit the beautiful artificial pond at the top. The room fare includes the Saalfelden Leogang Card (free use of the lifts as well as free admission to many regional attractions) or partake in the guided hikes with hiking guide Claus.

• Enjoy a cocktail at “Botanist”, their great looking bar, which is in the style of a 20th century pharmacy. Like I already mentioned interior design is my thing and the bar is extraordinary. Vintage looking light bulbs, hand labeled bottles, herbs and old pharmacy scale makes it complete. And the cocktails are really nice too.

• Take one of their daily fitness classes like yoga. You can take in the stunning mountain views while doing the tree pose.

• Completely and fully enjoy the pure deliciousness of amazing food they offer at Forsthofgut.

Summing up

If you are a sport lover or a relaxation yogi there is something for everybody here at Forsthofgut. And all the amenities are included. Whether you want to relax, feast, adventure, family vacation or have a romantic getaway, this is the place.

Forsthofgut is one of the best hotels in Austria and if you plan a visit to my home country and the mountains make sure to stop by at this marvelous hotel. They make sure that every guest has a great time. I think this is one of the few hotels I am going to come back year after year.

Love, Antonia

*Disclaimer: I was invited on a 2-day retreat by the Forsthofgut. All opinions expressed are my own.

The post A weekend trip to Naturhotel Forsthofgut appeared first on Two Sisters Living Life.

Something about Hawaii, there are 6 main islands and I’ve visited three during my trip – Big Island, Maui and Oahu.

1. Stop Kailua Kona, Big Island; LAX->Kona 5 hours flight

We stayed our 1st night in Kailua. My whole family works in the food industry, that’s why we are always curious and want to experience different restaurants and the local food. If you are a beer fan you need to visit the Kona Brewing Co.and they have good food too!

The next day after breakfast and check-out we drove around the island to an active volcano and then afterwards to Hilo. Sadly it was raining thats why I got no picture of the volcano. From there we flew the next day to Maui.

2. Stop Maui

My favorite island from Hawaii is Maui! I fell in love with it immediately.

Here are some things I did while on Maui which I would recommend:

1.Road to Hana

The road to Hana is one of the most picturesque drives I’ve ever taken. It is definitely not for the faint of heart (you should be a good driver) since the road is often narrow and winding. If you take it you will definitely be rewarded with beautiful waterfalls, scenic landscapes and ocean views, Jurassic-looking plants and very good street food! You need to stop at one of the several street food shacks.

There is one called Ka Hakus Smoke Shack, right before the entrance to the Garden of Eden, with Hawaiian BBQ and it was fantastic! Really good! Everything they used is recycable and they are very pro environment! They are right in the middle of nowhere and it does not look like much but first impressions deceive. The people running this place are super friendly and make you feel like you’re at a backyard bbq.  I went in thinking that I would hate it, it would be too dry, too salty, etc. because I’ve never eaten barbecue that I’ve enjoyed before. However, this made me love barbecue.

The meat was fresh, the food is made right in front of you. It’s piping hot when you eat it (but not so hot that your tongue gets burned, plating takes some time so it’s the perfect temperature once it enters your mouth) and seasoned perfectly. No complaints. The food was served on a banana leaf with chicken, pork belly, rice, some sort of salad (don’t know the name) and caramelized banana. The portions were huge, make sure you have a companion to eat it with you! That being said, I can’t believe it’s only $20. They could really be charging $30+ for such a good meal. 

The food was perfect and I need to say one of the best meals I’ve eaten during my trip! It was a highlight for me! And their banana bread was delicious too!

2. Feast at Lele

I would recommend everybody who is visiting Maui to see the Feast at Lele. It is a not a traditional luau (A luau (Hawaiian: lūʻau) is a traditional Hawaiian party or feast that is usually accompanied by entertainment) since it covers other pacific islands too like New Zealand, Samoa and Tahiti. You get to try food of every region accompanied with traditional local dances. The location is beautiful, since the tables and the stage are at the beach and you are able to watch the beautiful sunset. It will be an unforgettable evening with great food and drinks, professional dancers, awesome live music and very friendly server!

3. Kaanapali Beach

We’ve stayed at the Aston at the Whaler on Kaanapali Beach, where we had our own suite. At Kaanapali Beach there are a lot of different resorts located, restaurants, a beautiful shopping centre and a scenic Beachwalk. At Kaanapali Beach you’re able to snorkel with turtles, try out surfing and sip delicious cocktails!

Sadly we’ve only stayed at Maui for four nights and it was not enough because there was still so much left to see!

Tattoo – waves

You may have seen my tattoo inspired by the waves of Maui. I got it spontaneously. We’ve visited Lahaina a small beach town next to Kaanapali did some shopping and ate lunch there and while shopping I saw this intriguing Tattoo Studio called Skin Factory. After lunch I told my parents that I am getting a tattoo if they take walk ins. Half an hour later I had my second tattoo, my waves of Maui. I thought about this tattoo for a long time but there was just never the right time and place. My parents were so thrilled about my tattoo that they want to get one for themselves. I need to say that they don’t own tattoos yet and want to get one now when they are retiring. Which is kinda crazy but exciting for us;)

3. and last Stop – Waikiki, Honolulu

Moana Surfrider hotel

The place to stay at Waikiki Beach is the Moana Surfrider hotel. We’ve planned to stay in Honolulu for two nights but unfortunately and to our luck we’ve got to stay another night in this tropical paradise, since our flight got delayed.

The Moana Surfrider is a beautiful hotel with an open air ground floor that blends well with beach and street. It has a historic feel and the staff was very friendly. There is a gigantic tree in the middle of the hotel, the restaurants are located with a view to the beach and to the many skilled surfers.

Waimanalo Beach

This beach will leave you in awe. Waimanalo Beach on a sunny day is jaw-dropping dead gorgeous, with turquoise blue water and miles of the softest white sand your toes will ever touch! And its rarely visited by tourists!

I made a tropical Granola recipe inspired by my vacation to Hawai’i, try it! You will love it!

I hope you enjoyed my travel diary about Hawai’i!

Love, Antonia

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My boyfriend and I, we flew from Vienna-> Toronto -> Quebec and arrived at midnight.

We‘ve stayed at the fabulous Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac . Thats the hotel which has similarities with the Hogwarts castle.

Definitely the best hotel in Quebec City. It’s the most photographed hotel in the world for a reason. The hotel itself is picturesque and the views from the hotel is stunning!

The breakfast buffet was delicious and they had everything you could think of.

What to see and what to do

Quartier Petit Champlain

Rue du Petit Champlain is a very nice little shopping street with little boutiques and restaurants. It’s located at the foot of the cliff below the Chateau Frontenac. Visit it early in the morning or late evening to avoid the crowd and the tourists.

Eat some typical poutine

Poutine is a Canadian Classic, originating from Quebec. It consists of french fries, cheese curds and drizzled with thick, brown gravy. It’s really good.

During the Christmas time you should also visit the European inspired Christmas markets, which definitely get you into Christmas mood, or go Ice skating which is very romantic!

Love, Antonia

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