Flavors of the Summer
Philippines, it's summertime! Officially, it's the season where you need a refreshing drink 24/7. How can you get through this scorching season, you ask? With the flavors of summer, of course! Picture fruity flavors dancing in sparkling water, perfectly paired with your favorite wine and spirits. With these delightful concoctions, you can beat the heat effortlessly!
Raspberry Beer Cocktail
Looking for the perfect drink to sip on while enjoying a day out at the pool? This combines the refreshing taste of raspberries and lemonade with the crisp texture of beer and vodka.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup frozen raspberries
3 1/2 (12-oz.) bottles beer, chilled
1 (12-oz.) container frozen raspberry lemonade concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup vodka
Garnish: lemon and lime slices
Instructions:
- Stir together the first 4 ingredients. Serve over ice. Garnish, if desired.
- Fresh raspberries may be substituted.
- Note: To make ahead, stir together lemonade concentrate and vodka in a large container. Chill for up to 3 days. Stir in raspberries and beer just before serving. Garnish, if desired.
Strawberry And Peach Sangria
If you need to whip up a big batch of refreshing cocktails for your summer party, you can never go wrong with sangria, especially when it's infused with the flavors of strawberry and peach.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup lightly packed fresh mint leaves
1 pt. fresh strawberries, stemmed and quartered (2 cups)
3 peaches (1 lb. total), unpeeled, pitted, and sliced (about 3 cups)
1/2 cup refrigerated lemonade
1/3 cup orange liqueur
1/4 cup brandy
1 (750ml) bottle dry white wine
1 1/2 cups sparkling water
Instructions:
- Prepare mint ice cubes. Fill 1 (12-cube) ice tray with mint leaves; fill cubes with water.
- Place in the freezer until frozen 3 to 5 hours. (This can be made ahead of time.)
- Prepare sangria. Meanwhile, stir together strawberries, peaches, lemonade, orange liqueur, brandy, and wine in a large pitcher or other container. Cover and refrigerate until flavors blend, at least 3 hours or up to 12 hours.
- Add sparkling water and serve. When ready to serve, add mint ice cubes and sparkling water to the sangria mixture, and stir to combine.
Mai Tai
The most well-known Tiki cocktail, this drink marries the zesty flavors of citrus with the sweetness of various syrups. It's a classic summer drink based on the original recipe!
Ingredients:
1 ounce dark rum
1 ounce white rum
1/4 ounce almond syrup
1/2 ounce orange liqueur
3/4 ounce lime juice
1/4 ounce rich simple syrup (2:1 ratio of water to sugar)
2-3 mint leaves (for garnish)
1 lime wedge (for garnish)
Instructions:
- Add white rum, orange liqueur, and almond syrup into a shaker with crushed ice. Shake for 10 seconds
- Pour mixture into a rocks glass filled with ice.
- Float the dark rum over the top by resting a bar spoon over the rocks glass and slowly pouring the dark rum.
- Garnish with mint leaves and lime wedge
Tequila-Watermelon Aguas Frescas with Prosecco
An extremely tasty drink that is sure to be a hit at summer brunches. It can even be served to kids if you remove the tequila and prosecco and simply dilute it with sparkling water.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 chilled seedless watermelon (15 pounds), rind discarded and watermelon cubed (20 cups)
3/4 cup tequila blanco
6 limes, thinly sliced
3 mint sprigs, plus mint leaves for garnish
Ice
1 bottle chilled Prosecco
Instructions:
- In a small saucepan, combine the water and sugar and bring just to a boil, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Transfer the simple syrup to a heatproof bowl and let cool.
- In a food processor or blender, puree the watermelon in batches until smooth. Strain the puree into a large bowl or pitcher. Stir in the simple syrup, tequila, lime slices, 3 mint sprigs and 1/2 cup of water.
- To serve, pour the watermelon agua fresca into ice-filled glasses, leaving 1 inch at the top. Top off the drinks with Prosecco and garnish with mint leaves.
Pineapple-Coconut Fizz
Pineapple and coconut come together in this drink — could it get any more summery? It's fruity, bubbly, and irresistibly refreshing.
Ingredients:
4 cups peeled, cored, and cubed fresh pineapple (from 1 [3 lb.] pineapple)
1 liter coconut-flavored sparkling water
1 cup (8 oz.) white rum
Garnish: pineapple leaves and pineapple wedges
Instructions:
- Process peeled, cored, and cubed fresh pineapple in a blender until smooth and frothy, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Pour into a 2- to 3-quart pitcher, and stir in coconut-flavored seltzer water and white rum.
- Fill 8 Collins glasses with crushed ice, and add 2 pineapple leaves to each glass.
- Pour the cocktail evenly into glasses. Garnish with pineapple wedges.
Texas Ranch Water
Hailing from the hot and balmy weather of Texas, this cocktail is the perfect companion for any scorching day. Plus, you can customize it by adding the juice of your choice!
Ingredients:
3 ounces blanco tequila (about 2 shots)
1 ½ ounces fresh lime juice (about 1 shot)
Sparkling water, chilled
Fresh lime wedge for garnish
Instructions:
- Using a rocks glass — really, whatever glass you have on hand — fill with ice.
- Add tequila and fresh lime juice.
- Top with sparkling water. Add fresh lime wedge to the rim of the glass. Enjoy!