About Ellen and The Best Drink Recipes

Hi, Welcome to The Best Drink Recipes!

If you’re looking for a signature cocktail for a special occasion or a kid-friendly drink for a children’s party, you found the right place.

No matter what type of beverage you are looking for, you’ll find something here to enjoy.

A tequila sunset cocktail being held with a pool in the background.
Tequila Sunset
Two glasses of iced tea garnished with strawberries next to a blue berry basket full of strawberries on a white table.
Strawberry Iced Tea
A candy corn martini on a yellow table cloth.
Candy Corn Martini
Two glasses of iced coffee on a pale green table cloth.
Iced Vanilla Latte
Homemade peppermint vodka in a jar and shot glass with two mini candy canes on a placemat.
Peppermint Vodka
A cocktail glass with a pink liquid garnished with a small wedge of grapefruit.
Grapefruit Gin Fizz
A frozen spicy mango margarita on a white tablecloth.
Spicy Mango Margarita

My cocktail concoction experience began in 1988 when I got my first job as a cocktail waitress at an iconic St. Augustine, FL establishment, Scarlet O’Hara’s, which sadly closed in 2023. I would pick up shifts bartending where I learned what flavors worked together to make great drinks.

My next job in the cocktail industry was with a major wine and spirits distributor in the state of Florida. That is where I met my husband Carl, who was working for the Gallo Winery at the time.

Fun Facts About Me

  • I’ve been in the wine and spirits business longer than I’ve been married. I’ve been married for almost 31 years and in the liquor industry for 35 years.
  • I’m a native Floridian. There aren’t many of us!
  • I have 2 boys in college. They are at the same college but they are a long way from home.
  • My husband and I both enjoy rum drinks the most. Especially ones made with spiced rum. I like to mix it with pineapple juice and my husband likes it with cranberry juice.
  • While I like rum, I also enjoy a cold beer with wings or a nice glass of wine with dinner.
  • My husband and I have owned a wine and spirits brokerage company, Florida Wine & Spirits, since 1995 representing brands including Stoli Vodka, Absolut Vodka, Ketel One Vodka, Cabo Wabo Tequila, Uncle Nearest Whiskey, Dry Creek Vineyards, Pasmosa Sangria, Flora Springs Winery and many more through the years.
  • I have created cocktails and non-alcoholic that have been published in Edible Tampa Bay, Taste of Home, CK Mondavi, and Gooseberry Patch to name a few.
  • While attending a food conference, I worked with a group to create a drink recipe using fresh berries and wine. Our result was a Blackberry Wine Sparkler. It came in second place.
  • I have also created cocktails for Stirrings Cocktail Mixers and Cape Cod Select Cranberries.

Where the magic happens

Most of the time I make cocktails and drinks in my kitchen but sometimes, but when the weather is nice I make them by our pool.

Some of my favs