Covers & Cocktails Giveaway: Sanctuary

Welcome back to Covers & Cocktails! I took May off because I was traveling for half of the month. If you’re new to the site, welcome! Covers & Cocktails is a monthly feature where I make a tasty drink to celebrate a new release. It’s just as fun as it sounds.

This month, Nalini Singh’s Ocean Light is our drinking inspiration. If you haven’t read Elyse’s review yet, you definitely should. She did a great job capturing our mutual excitement about marine shifters. While I was waiting for my copy of the book to arrive, I reached out to Elyse about drink suggestions. She jokingly answered, “Sea breeze” with the addition of a crying/laughing emoji. Well the joke’s on her because I thought that was a perfect suggestion.

Normally, a sea breeze has cranberry juice and takes on a reddish, pinkish hue. Instead, I wanted to reflect the yellows and oranges on the cover. To do this, I changed the cranberry to pineapple and kept the citrus flavors. Apparently, what I wound up creating is very similar to a cocktail called an aloha screwdriver.

I’m calling the drink Sanctuary for a couple reasons. The underwater base of Ryūjin is a haven for many shifters who want to escape the dangers of humans and the Psy. Singh’s books have also created such an amazing community; she excels at writing comforting paranormal romances full of love and acceptance.

The taste is very tropical with the pineapple, and I love pineapple juice and fruit in general. Unfortunately, I have a slight allergy, which turns my tongue into an itchy, tingly mess. The main reason, though, that I love this drink with Ocean Light is the way it makes me feel. I feel like I belong on a relaxing beach, getting buzzed on sweet cocktails and taking a nap in the sun. And that’s what Singh’s writing does to me. It’s always a satisfying experience worthy of a happy, contented sigh.

And to make you feel even happier, we have a giveaway! Big thank you to the Berkley team because we have five (5) copies of Ocean Light to give away.

Proportions:
4 oz citrus fruit juice of your choice
2 oz. vodka
2 oz. pineapple juice

No directions needed! Just pour into a glass with ice and stir. However, if you want the cute ombre effect, pour your pineapple juice over a spoon after having everything else in the glass.

Modifications and notes:

• For the fruit juice, I find this awesome Mocktails fruit juice by Ocean Spray. I love it and they have other varieties as well.
• My first idea was to use orange juice instead of a blended fruit juice. But then I remembered that I hate orange juice. If you love OJ and want to cut down on sugar, definitely use orange juice.
• Ice, ice baby. I highly recommend filling your glass with ice to keep it cold and yummy.
• Feeling fancy? Add some diced fruit or a cute cocktail umbrella.

Now to the best part! To enter the giveaway, comment below with the title of your favorite Singh romance and why.

Standard disclaimers apply: We are not being compensated for this giveaway. Void where prohibited. Open to US residents where permitted by applicable law. Must be over 18. Keep all tentacles and extra appendages to yourself, unless you receive clear and vocal consent. Please, no eating seafood in the presence of the Black Sea shifters. And most importantly, don’t forget your sunscreen! Comments will close Sunday June 17, 2018 around noon ET, and the winners will be announced shortly thereafter.

Cheers!

WINNER UPDATE!

Below are our five winners. Winners, be sure to check your inbox and spam folders! Thanks to all who commented and participated!

1. Michel
2. Hope
3. Kitkat9000
4. Joy
5. Holly