Kick off your Fourth of July weekend early by learning how to make VCU-themed cocktails at home. As part of the alumni-owned business spotlight series, VCU Alumni Relations has teamed up with Richmond, Virginia, Belle Isle Moonshine, owned by alumnus Brian Marks (B.S.’00/E), to develop two fun cocktail recipes: Peppas Delight and Old Fashioned Havoc.

Join Brandon Day (B.A.’15/H&S; B.S.’15/MC), Belle Isle’s director of marketing and former VCU student body president, as he shows you how to concoct these Ram spirits. You can purchase the Honey Habanero Moonshine and the Cold Brew Coffee Moonshine online from Belle Isle or your local ABC store, then get inspired with the other cocktails you can make using these locally crafted products.

Peppas Delight 

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Belle Isle Honey Habanero Moonshine
• 4 oz. pineapple juice
• 0.5 oz. lime juice
• 3 blackberries (garnish)

Preparation: Combine all ingredients (minus blackberries) in a shaker with ice. Shake together, then strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Skewer blackberries, then garnish top of glass with them.

Old Fashioned Havoc

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz Belle Isle Cold Brew Coffee Moonshine
• 0.5 oz cold brew coffee or espresso
• 0.25 oz simple syrup
• 2 dashes bitters
• lemon peel (garnish)

Preparation: Combine ingredients in a rocks glass (minus the lemon peel) and stir to combine. Add a large ice cube or a couple of smaller cubes, then stir again to dilute. Garnish with a lemon peel on top.

This mixology classis offered for responsible adults of legal drinking age in the U.S. (21 years old or older) and is intended for entertainment purposes.