Seriously Awesome Summer Drinks

The warm weather has officially arrived and summertime is just around the corner! I don’t know about you but after a long hot day, there is nothing better than a cool refreshment to beat the heat and get a nice buzz on. Here a few of my favorite drinks to make:

1. Blackberry Gin Fizz (4 servings)

What you need:

2.5 Cups Blackberries (or blueberries, or huckleberries)

2 T Sugar

1 T water

8-ish oz. Gin

1 lime

Ginger ale

Ice

Vanilla ice cream

In a small pot over medium-high heat, mash berries into water and sugar until its thick and even.  Pour berry mixture through a sieve pushing solid remains through to extract juice but leave seeds behind. Chill for 10 minutes (the berry mash, not you. You have work to do). Fill a cocktail shaker (or two glasses if you’re like me and don’t have one) with 2 tablespoons of the berry mash, 2-ish oz of gin, a handful of ice and a third of the lime juice squeezed in. Shake well and pour into a highball glass, or any other glass, because who cares? Repeat process for remaining 3 servings. Add a scoop of ice cream (or not) and enjoy!

 

2. Sparkling Strawberry Sangria

Here’s what you need:

1.5 lb Strawberries

0.5 lb Kiwi

1 Cup light rum

1 bottle white wine (cheap is just fine)

1 bottle sparkling wine (because screw real champagne)

1 Cup sugar

1 Cup Water

3 Oranges

Large pitcher

Hull the strawberries and cut them in half, peel and slice kiwi… kiwis? plural? Eh who cares.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, water and half the strawberries. Bring to a boil, let it simmer and stir occasionally for 10 minutes or so until the strawberries begin to fall apart. Using a mesh sleeve press the cooled mash into a bowl with a spoon to collect maximum amounts of the syrup. Let the syrup chill in the fridge for a bit.

Next combine the kiwi slices and remaining strawberries in the pitcher and add the rum, wine, strawberry syrup and the juice of the oranges, and stir it around.  Let it sit in the fridge for a few hours to to let the flavors come together. When ready to serve, fill the rest of the pitcher with the chilled champagne. Pour into glasses and add some of the fruit and extra champagne for flavor and bubbles.

3.  Summer Honey

 

 

Calm down, it’s a beer. Just open it and drink it, pretty simple. Also, it’s the best seasonal beer ever made.

 

 

 

4.  Citrus Spritzer

What you need:

5 Cups orange juice

2 Cups 7up

1/2 Cup Maraschino cherry juice

1/4 Cup lemon juice

1 Pint Vodka

Literally just mix them together in a pitcher and serve over ice, it’s not hard. Unless you want it warm. That’s up to you I guess.