Summer is porch and patio time, sipping cool drinks in the evening while enjoying the company of friends. These summery chillers are delicious and easy…the perfect recipe for a hot summer night.
Some are for pitchers full while others are single drink recipes that can easily be doubled, tripled, or quadrupled.
Fruity Sangria
This makes a full pitcher of drinks.
Ingredients:
• 1 (750 milliliter)bottle dry red wine
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup cherry brandy
• 1/4 cup superfine sugar (optional)
• 1 large orange, thinly sliced
• 1 lime, thinly sliced
• 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
• 2 cups Sprite or other lemon-lime soda
• Ice cubes
Directions:
1. In a large pitcher stir together wine, orange juice, and brandy. If desired, sweeten to with sugar.
2. Add orange slices, lime slices, and strawberries.
3. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours (ideally overnight) until ready to serve.
4. Right before serving add the Sprite to the pitcher and gently stir. Serve over ice.
Blue Lagoon
Makes one serving
Ingredients:
• 1 ounce vodka
• ½ ounce Midori melon liqueur
• ½ ounce Blue Curacao
• 1 ounce Lemon Juice
• 1 can (12 ounce) Sprite or lemon-lime soda
Directions:
1. Mix vodka, melon liqueur, and blue curaçao in a glass and serve over ice.
2. Top off with Sprite and Garnish with a lemon slice.
Peach Bellini
Makes a pitcher full of bellinis
Ingredients:
• 2 large ripe peaches (peeled, pitted and diced), plus 2 slices for garnish
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 bottle chilled prosecco sparkling wine or champagne
Directions:
1. Place the peaches, lemon juice, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and process until you have a smooth purée.
2. Divide the peach puree into each Champagne glass and fill with cold prosecco.
3. Serve with a peach slice as garnish.
Mexican Lemonade
This makes a full pitcher of drinks.
Ingredients:
• 1½ cups white sugar
• 8 cups water
• 1½ cups lemon juice
• 2 cups tequila
Directions:
1. In a small saucepan, combine sugar and 1 cup water. Bring to boil and stir to dissolve sugar.
2. Allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until chilled.
3. Remove seeds from lemon juice, but leave pulp.
4. In pitcher, stir together chilled syrup, lemon juice and remaining 7 cups water.
5. Add tequila and stir, serve over ice.
Watermelon Mojito
Makes one serving
Ingredients:
• 4 mint leaves
• ½ lime
• 1 tablespoon superfine sugar
• 1 cup seedless watermelon, cut into ½-inch cubes, plus a small wedge for garnish
• 2 ounces white rum
• ½ cup ice cubes
Directions:
1. In a medium sized glass, add mint, lime juice, and sugar and crush with the back of a spoon.
2. Add the watermelon and continue to crush.
3. Pour the rum over the mixture and add ice. Garnish with a small watermelon wedge and serve.
Classic Mai Tai
Makes two servings
Ingredients:
• 3 ounces light rum
• 1½ ounces dark rum
• 1 ounce Orange Curacao
• 2 ounces fresh pineapple juice
• 1 ounce fresh orange juice
• ½ ounce fresh lime juice
• Dash grenadine
• Cracked ice
• maraschino cherries
• Paper umbrellas
Directions:
1. Fill a cocktail shaker half way with ice cubes.
2. Add all the ingredients except the cherries and shake vigorously for about 30 seconds.
3. Strain into 2 tall glasses with halfway filled with ice.
4. Garnish each with a maraschino cherry and a paper umbrella.
Champagne Summer
This makes a full pitcher of drinks.
Ingredients:
• 1 thinly sliced peach
• 1 cup strawberries or raspberries
• 1 cup blueberries
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• ¼ cup Simple Syrup (equal parts sugar and water boiled down and cooled)
• 1 bottle champagne or sparkling white wine
Directions:
1. Mix fruit, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a glass pitcher. Let sit for a couple hours to bring out the flavor a of the fruits.
2. Slowly pour in the champagne or sparkling wine, mix gently.
3. Serve over ice.
Peach on the Beach
Makes one serving
Ingredients:
• 1½ ounces vodka
• ½ ounce Peach Schnapps
• 2 ounces orange juice
• 2 ounces cranberry juice
Directions:
1. Add vodka and peach schnapps to a highball glass over ice.
2. Fill with equal measures of cranberry juice and orange juice, and stir.