My husband and I practically share a birthday.  Well, almost.  They are four days apart.  Two years and four days to be exact.  I won’t tell you who’s older.  We usually keep the celebrating to a minimum, but this year we decided to have a joint birthday party.  My BFF Melanie was in town for the weekend, so it was the perfect time to celebrate turning 25 {wink, wink}.

I try to keep my party planning to a minimum with the saying “Keep it simple, stupid” as my motto.  So, with that in mind, I hadn’t thought much about the party until two days beforehand.  We had beer and wine aplenty, but at the last-minute Melanie and I decided what we needed was a “signature drink.”  We decided on something made with gin.

I love gin.  Gin and tonic used to be my drink.  In college, my roommate called it a “Grandma drink,” but I didn’t care, it’s so yummy.  It may be because my parents were gin drinkers, so, when raiding the liquor cabinet in high school {What?!} gin was about the only option.

A quick trip to Pinterest {does anyone do anything anymore without consulting Pinterest?} and Melanie came up with  Bathtub Gin Fizz.  Don’t worry, “bathtub” had more to do with the quantity than the taste.  In prohibition they used to make bathtubs full, hence the name.  This delicious concoction was a favorite, and the recipe comes from Tablespoon.com.

Bathtub Gin Fizz

1  (2-liter) bottle lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage {we used 7-up}

1  (12-oz.) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

1/2  cup lime juice {we used fresh lime juice}

1/4  cup powdered sugar

2 1/4  cups gin {we used Tanqueray}

Ice

In large punch bowl, combine carbonated beverage, lemonade concentrate, lime juice and powdered sugar; stir to blend.

Gently stir in gin. Serve over ice in tall glasses. If desired, garnish glasses with lime slices.

The reality is once you pass a certain age, birthdays aren’t so much fun.  I love celebrating other people’s birthdays, not so much my own.  But birthdays are a great excuse to celebrate with friends, regardless of the number attached.