The Conversation
There’s a reason why you always begged your mom for slushies as a kid — for starters, the sugar, the pretty colors, and the brain freeze that hurt so good. Now that you’re an adult, you have the benefit of adding booze to that equation — score! Wine slushies have had their time in the spotlight, but now it’s time to say no way to frosé and embrace the cocktail slushy. Whether you tend to go for a mojito or Manhattan, one of the following 14 recipes are sure to satisfy your happy hour need.
Boozy Strawberry Lemonade Slushies
Fresh strawberries and lemon juice mixed with Cointreau and vodka sound like a summer cocktail we could get on board with. Add ice and blend into submission for even more refreshment. (via Kitchen Treaty)
Bourbon Peach Slush
Two Southern favorites, bourbon and peach, come together to create this sweet whiskey slush. To avoid watering it down, use frozen peaches instead of ice. (via Recipe Runner)
Frozen Mojito Slushies
Just when you thought that mojitos couldn’t be more invigorating, you’re introduced to a mojito slushy. This basic lime and mint version is perfection, but you can also add frozen berries to up the ante even more. (via Sallys Baking Addiction)
Leap Year Cocktail Slushies
The original leap-year cocktail is a prohibition-era classic consisting of gin, orange liqueur, sweet vermouth, and lemon. To give it the slushy treatment, add ice and a splash of lemon seltzer for consistency. (via How Sweet It Is)
Manhattan Slushies
Your first thought when making a slushy might be to pop everything in the blender. While that’s a great method, if you take the time to churn the cocktail in your ice cream machine, you’ll get a creamy texture like this slushy take on a Manhattan. (via My Modern Cookery)
Tropical Pineapple Margarita Slushies
Of course, the frozen margarita counts as a cocktail slushy! The OG is a favorite for good reason, but if you want to switch it up, frozen pineapple adds a fun tropical twist. (via Whole and Heavenly Oven)
Frozen Blood Orange Negroni
Who doesn’t want to feel like they’re basking in the Italian sun 24/7? All you need is this frozen negroni. (via Kitchn)
The Painkiller Slushie
This slushy spin on the sweet tiki-bar classic features the tropical flavors of pineapple, coconut, and rum. To get the ombre look, leave out the grenadine on the first blitz, and add it once you’ve poured half of the slushie in the glass. (via Tasting Table)
Raspberry Peach Cocktail Slushies
If this frozen raspberry peach cocktail conjures up major vacation feels, you’re not alone. Rim your glass with salt or sugar before serving for an extra *pop* of flavor.
Skinny Cherry Vodka Lemonade Slushies
So you were that kid at the slushy machine mixing the cherry and lemon together, huh? Now you can make your own at home, and you get to add cherry vodka to the mix. Being an adult is great. (via With Salt and Wit)
Strawberry and Thyme Slushie Cocktails
The foodies out there will appreciate the subtle herbal touch that this strawberry rum slushie possesses. Make these for your next romantic night in, and your date will be V impressed. (via Giraffes Can Bake)
Sweet Tea Vodka Slushies
This Southern-style sweet tea is not what your grandma used to make. Thanks to the tart lemon and hefty sweetness, you really can’t detect the vodka. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is up to you. (via The Charming Detroiter)
Vodka Tonic Slush
You probably thought you were done with vodka tonics after college — wrong. (via Dessert for Two)
Whiskey Sour Slushies
One sip of this slushy, and you’ll wonder why all whiskey sours aren’t frozen. Make a big batch for your next pool party and your guests will never want to leave. (via Three Yummy Tummies)
More From Cocktails
Welcome to Selfmade Finance School, our new money series with Block Advisors to help small business owners with their tax, bookkeeping, and payroll needs year-round. This week, we explore the tax implications of bringing family members into your business.
The question for today is this: Does hiring your family members make sense for your business? Let me be clear. This is not a piece about whether hiring your family members makes sense for your relationships with those family members. As someone who is part of a family business, I could fill up a lot more than 600 words on my opinions about that. For today's purposes, we focus on whether it makes sense from an overall "good business and tax implication" perspective. As it turns out, there is a decent amount of tax nuance when it comes to employing your family. Let's break it down based on relationship to the employee:
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Spouses Who Are In Business Together
Personally, if I had to be in business with my husband, it would not go well. However, many couples build viable, strong businesses together and I say, good for them! Depending on how you have your business entity structured, it will make a big difference on the tax treatment of you and your spouse working as partners. Because a business jointly owned and operated by a married couple is generally treated as a partnership for Federal tax purposes, the spouses must comply with filing and record keeping requirements imposed on partnerships and their partners. The election to file two Schedule C (Form 1040) forms, (one for each spouse) permits certain married co-owners to avoid filing partnership returns, provided that each spouse separately reports a share of all the businesses' items of income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit. Under the election, both spouses will be subject to self-employment tax and on net earnings from self-employment and receive credit for Social Security earnings.
One Spouse Employs Another
If you have a dynamic where your spouse is an employee of your business, then your spouse's wages are subject to income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare taxes. If you are self-employed (not a corporation or a partnership), your spouse's pay does not have to be included in your federal unemployment tax account (FUTA) contributions and payments. However, if your business is a corporation or a partnership you must include that spouse's pay in your unemployment tax contribution calculation.
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You Employ Your Child
First, let's be clear. I work in my family business, but I am an adult, so I am treated just like a normal employee. However, if you, for example, run a family restaurant and want to hire your children under 18 to work for you, there are some tax benefits. But first, you should check with your state for rules on how many hours minors can work (in non-agricultural jobs) and reference the Fair Labor Standards Act for information on limitations on the kinds of work children can perform.
"This is an often overlooked or under-utilized strategy. Paying your children for true services they provide in your business can be a powerful tax-saving tool," says Cathi Reed, Block Advisors Regional Director. "If you are a sole-proprietorship or single member LLC, and the child is less than 18 years of age, the business is not required to withhold FICA or payroll taxes. The child can use his or her standard deduction against income you pay."
You Hire Your Parent
Oh dear. If you are brave enough to do this, know that you will need to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on your parent's wages and make the appropriate withholdings, but you don't have to pay unemployment taxes. Now all you have to do is convince your parent that you are the boss. Have fun with that!
Is Hiring Family Members Worth It For The Tax Benefits?
"There are some positive tax advantages to hiring family members. It's important to treat a family member like any other employee. Hiring your children can result in substantial savings for businesses. Make sure your child has real, age-appropriate work to do and a reasonable pay rate, comparable to other employees. Consult with a Block Advisors small business certified tax pro to ensure that you are complying with all requirements," advises Reed. "Block Advisors, a team within H&R Block, is dedicated to meeting the tax, bookkeeping and payroll needs of small business owners year-round. To start working with the tax experts at Block Advisors, visit blockadvisors.com."
In my opinion, you should not hire a family member solely because of the tax benefits. You should always hire based on whether that person is right for the job and keep in mind how this hire could materially impact your relationship with that person and others in your family. Finally, as I mentioned, make sure you have a tax professional on your team when making these determinations. As you can see, things can get a little tricky!
*All details were sourced from IRS.gov and blockadvisors.com
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those held by Kestra Investment Services, LLC or Kestra Advisory Services, LLC. This is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. It is suggested that you consult your financial professional, attorney, or tax advisor with regards to your individual situation. Comments concerning the past performance are not intended to be forward looking and should not be viewed as an indication of future results. Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. O'Keeffe Financial Partners and any other entity listed herein is not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS Investor Disclosures: https://bit.ly/KF-Disclosures