Q: I'm getting married to my partner of 5 years in about 1 month! We are having the wedding in her parents' backyard and will be serving beer, wine, iced tea, and water, but we'd also like a cocktail. I'd like something that requires minimal effort and can be made with and without alcohol. Ideas?

Sent by Lisa

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This week's end gives us lots to toast. Tonight, the alluring Jay Gatsby and his dazzling Daisy hit the box office in Hollywood's latest version of The Great Gatsby. On Sunday, moms everywhere get to celebrate. If that weren't enough, it's Friday, people! That means a delicious 10-Minute Happy Hour just for you.

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My boyfriend Sam and I have a constant disagreement about what time of day is an okay time to pour a glass of wine or mix a cocktail. This is largely because we both work for ourselves from home and we often end up working in the evenings which makes the typical 5 p.m. happy hour not that great of an idea, I suppose. But what if a drink could actually help with creativity and productivity? 

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Do you have a thing for smoky drinks? Have you sipped a trendy smoky cocktail lately, one that goes way beyond the smoke of Scotch and into new territory? Smoky cocktails are a lot of fun to make at home, I discovered recently, and yes, they involve real smoke, and yes, they're just about the best party trick ever. Here's what it looks like to make a smoked cocktail...

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I have never been to the Kentucky Derby, but every year my family and friends celebrate it as if we were racing heirs from Lexington. Our standard menu includes everything from ham biscuits, hot browns, and homemade Derby pie. A few rounds of Mint Juleps, of course, are a must. This fresh take on the classic, with pineapple chunks, spicy ginger syrup, and a sprinkle of black peppercorns, will be your go-to from now until summer meets its final days.

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There are cocktails. And there's green juice. Ne'er the twain shall meet... or so we thought. From what we're reading, the latest wave in cocktails could be a move to using greens in lieu of the traditional herbs. 

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One of the sadder parts of working with a team distributed all over the country is the fact that we can't close up shop early on Friday and have a drink together. But we can still raise a glass to the fun of working together, and to Cocktail Week, with a virtual happy hour! A few of us editors threw our own happy hour, wherever we were, and shook up a gin drink to celebrate the end of a long week. Want to see our drink picks, and to join us? Can we entice you to jump in to our virtual happy hour? 

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Cocktails can be expensive. This isn't news to any of us. For some of us, meeting for a drink is a way we socialize and see friends. For others, it's how we close a business deal or explore a new city while traveling. And while different bars and restaurants in various geographic locations around the country vary greatly in terms of price, all of us have our mental set-point of what we're willing to spend and what we're not. So how much is too much to spend on just one cocktail? 

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I am an immediate fan of any book that can simultaneously make me laugh and make me thirsty. Illustrated with pictures of seals sunning themselves with mint juleps in hand (in flipper?) and cats making snide remarks about your state of tipsiness, this book is bound to travel from my home bar to my coffee table and back again many times over.

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Bitters are an essential bar ingredient, but did you know they were originally a staple of the medicine cabinet? Even today bitters may be just the thing if you need to settle your stomach after indulging in a big meal. 

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