I get excited about every cocktail recipe I post but this coconut water cocktail is extra special to me. The Desert Elixir is a cocktail I created in collaboration with Death Valley Nails. When they reached out to me a few weeks back and asked if I would be interested in working with them, I actually squealed with delight. And maybe stomped my feet a few times. And probably jumped, too.

Death Valley Nails is my FAVORITE nail polish brand ever. Eh-var. I mean, before I tried DVN, I never felt particularly loyal to a brand of nail polish. If I liked the color, I bought it. Cool.

But y’all… y’all. This company will change the way you ~feel~ about nail polish. Besides the fact that their polish is the highest-quality nail polish I’ve ever used (I’ll rant about that later), it’s ten-free (!), cruelty-free, nontoxic, mixed by hand, and most is vegan. They just launched an amazing new line called Dust to Dust and some of those polishes utilize unused cattle bones from a farm. While these products are not vegan, they bring great worth and honor to the parts of an animal that are typically discarded after processing.

Alright, now for my rant. Saddle up. I am definitely not the kind of girl that goes to a salon for a manicure. However, I love to have my nails painted. But do you know the worst part about painting your nails? WHEN THEY CHIP TWO DAYS LATER. I’ve bought a lot of nail polish over the years, always hopeful that this will be the brand that lasts more than 36 hours. I’ve bought OPI, Essie, and other expensive options. I kept them because I assumed they were the best out there on the market.

Enter DVN. My friend Jenn actually started the company a little over a year ago. I’ve known her for years and she’s an artist and a creative through and through. She’s also incredibly kind and genuine. [Fun side note: The first time I ever had a Manhattan was with her at a bar in downtown Houston called Poison Girl.] When I heard that she had started a nail polish company, I was really interested. I bought my first bottle almost a year ago but truthfully, I was mostly doing it to be supportive of a friend. I already have low expectations for nail polish and seeing that it was 10-free and nontoxic had me skeptical.

I try to be eco-conscious and naturally-minded when it comes to products, but oftentimes natural and environmentally-friendly beauty products are sub-par. They just can’t perform as well as their chemical-laden competition. But Death Valley Nails has changed that narrative.

They. don’t. chip. Nope. They don’t. I’ll never forget the first time I wore it– i went 13 days before I got my first chip. WITHOUT a topcoat. Uh-huh. I finally took it off around 15 or 16 days but only because my nails were growing out. Otherwise, I would’ve been happy to leave it on even longer. I’ll also note that I’m rough on my nails. I use them as built-in Swiss army knives and I don’t wear gloves when I garden or do dishes. And they stay in pristine condition for well over a week every. time.

AND the polish stays glossy. The topcoat is incredible, but the polishes stay glossy on their own, too. It also dries and sets much faster than my other polishes. I mean, what kind of sorcery is this stuff? I’m truly amazed and will tell the world about DVN until forever.

Here are my current color crushes:

Death Valley Nails also makes candles. They come in vessels that are handcrafted using cement and natural pigments and can be used long after the candle is gone. How awesome is that? Zero-waste and more bang for your buck. The candles are also made with 100% soy wax. I’ve purchased many polishes from DVN but I haven’t bought a candle yet. I reeeally want to buy one! The Orange Blossom + Honey and the Cardamom + Cedar are particularly calling my name. You pick your vessel first and then your scent. You can browse the scent options here.

Now that I’ve hopefully convinced you to make a Death Valley purchase, we can talk about the collab. When you get your polish (or candle) in the mail, you’ll also get one of these beautiful postcards designed by Houston-based artist Sarah Beth Baca:

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The idea was to make it easier for us to connect to one another in these strange and socially-isolated times. I love the idea of sending this Desert Elixir recipe to a friend so you can both share a drink together. We plan on having one postcard for each season.

When Death Valley Nails asked me to create a cocktail for this summer, I knew it had to be one that would appeal to the masses (not too sweet) and would be easy to make (ingredients can be found at all grocery stores). I also wanted to make sure it was versatile and could be made with a variety of liquors– not everyone keeps a well-stocked liquor cabinet!

So, here is the Desert Elixir, the refreshing and earthy coconut water cocktail. I hope it keeps you and a friend cool this summer. ❤︎

Ingredients for the Desert Elixir

• 2 oz vodka or gin or rum
• 3/4 oz freshly-squeezed lime juice
• 6-8 mint leaves
• 1/8 teaspoon sugar or 1/4 oz simple syrup– optional
• 1+ oz sparkling coconut water (if you can find it with lime, get it!)
• 1-2 dashes of Angostura bitters- optional

How to Make the Desert Elixir

Add the mint leaves and the vodka to a cocktail shaker. Muddle the leaves until they’re bruised. Add in ice, the lime juice, and the bitters. Shake well, about 30 seconds. This will further infuse the mint. Strain into a lowball glass that’s filled with ice. Top off the rest of the glass with the sparkling coconut water.

Love the mint in this Desert Elixir? Check out the Campari To-Kill-Ya and the South Side.