When most people host summer parties, they usually have the
basic alcoholic beverages, like beer and wine, but rarely
do you see a host offer a selection of really special
summer drinks.
I have perfected my list of offerings over the years and
now I share my "Top 5 Most Requested Summer Drinks" with
you (in no particular order).
Number One Most Requested Summer Cocktail--Limoncello Mint
Lemonade
1/2 cup lemonade concentrate
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Ice cubes
1/4 cup Limoncello (lemon liqueur)
1/2 cup club soda
Lemon slices and mint for garnish
In a small pitcher, "muddle" mint leaves together with
lemonade concentrate and lemon juice. Muddle means to
bruise the leaves so they release their flavor. I use the
end of a wooden spoon.
Stir in ice cubes, Limoncello and club soda and pour into 4
glasses. Top them off with a lemon slice, a sprig of fresh
mint and an umbrella.
Makes 4-10 oz. drinks.
Number Two Most Requested Summer Cocktail--Pomegranate
Blueberry Martini
Made with 1/2 juice so not as strong as most martinis.
1/2 part vodka
1 part pomegranate mix (I use "Rose" brand)
1 part pomegranate blueberry juice (I use "Tropicana" brand)
Orange slices for garnish
Shake ingredients with ice for 1 minute in a martini
shaker. Pour into some martini glasses and garnish with an
orange slice. Crisp and refreshing!
Number Three Most Requested Summer Cocktail--Pineapple Bleu
2-oz. Hypnotic Liqueur
1-oz. Grey Goose Vodka
Splash of pineapple juice
Lemon twist for garnish
Shake together Hypnotic, vodka and ice until chilled. Pour
into a martini glass, top with pineapple juice and garnish
with a lemon twist and an umbrella.
Number Four Most Requested Summer Cocktail--Sangria Punch
This one is great for summer barbeques because you can
easily make it a pitcher at a time or can serve it from a
punch bowl.
1 lemon
1 lime
1 orange
1-1/2 cups rum (spiced rum works well too)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 (750 milliliter) bottle dry red wine
1 cup orange juice
Chill the fruit, rum, orange juice and wine. If desired,
make ice cubes out of the orange juice. This is a good way
to keep drinks icey cold without diluting them.
Slice the lemon, lime and orange into thin rounds and place
in a large glass pitcher. Pour in the rum and sugar. Chill
in refrigerator for 2 hours to develop the flavors.
When ready to serve, crush the fruit lightly with a wooden
spoon and stir in the wine and orange juice (cubes if you
made them). Adjust sweetness to taste.
Number Five Most Requested Summer Cocktail--Fruited Brandy
Punch
This one has become a favorite at my home and a lot of the
parties I attend, most likely because everyone loves it and
you can make a huge amount and serve it in a punch bowl.
1/2 part brandy (I use Christian Brothers brand)
1 part lemon-lime soda
2 parts fruit juice (Cranberry-Peach blend is my favorite)
1/2 bag frozen fruit (Blueberries and strawberries look
great)
1 fruited ice ring (see recipe below)
Slices of lemons, limes and oranges, if desired
Mix fruit juice and frozen fruit together in a nice punch
bowl or container.
Pour in lemon-lime soda, gently stir and then float an ice
ring on top (see recipe below). Rather than spike the
punch, I serve the brandy on the side so my guests who
prefer non-alcoholic punch can drink it too.
To make ice ring
Pour 1-2 cups of the juice mixture from above into a Bundt
pan or another mold. Add some of the fruit and/or fresh
citrus slices. Freeze overnight.
Just before serving, set the pan into some hot water to
loosen the ice ring and then turn it into the punch bowl.
It makes a really beautiful presentation, cools the punch
and since it's made with juice, it will not water down the
punch. Perfect!
This recipe can easily be altered so you can serve it from
a Drink Fountain which is really gaining popularity lately.
Just leave out the fruit and the ice ring.
So, now you have five classic summer cocktails to WOW your
guests with. They will be so surprised when you hand them
one of these special summer drinks instead of the usual
beer and wine.
----------------------------------------------------
Sandee Lembke from Theme Party Queen.com
(http://www.theme-party-queen.com ) invites you to visit
her site for more great theme party ideas and recipes.
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