Delicious Summer Cocktail Recipes

For the drinkers among us, summer can mean ice-cold beer, gin and tonic or chilled white wine. Why not try something a little different? 

Here are a few ideas for interesting and yummy summer drinks. In many cases you can reduce or even eliminate the alcoholic ingredients if you want to stay stone cold sober.

But -- why?

Pear-flavored Manhattan

"PEARHATTAN"

2 oz rye whiskey

2 oz freshly juiced ripe pear

½ oz crème de cassis

2 dashes Angostura or other bitters

1 oz fresh-squeezed lemon juice

Ice

Shake all ingredients together over ice. Pour into an old-fashioned glass and garnish with a lemon twist or cherry.

CHERRY-LIME MOJITO

Muddle together in a tall glass:

4 pitted cherries, chopped

6 mint leaves

1/4 lime, cut into chunks

1 ounce simple syrup

Add 2 ounces white rum and ice cubes

Fill glass to top with sparkling water (lime-flavored Perrier is tasty)

Cherry-lime Mojito

SWEET TEA SOUR

Make a pitcher of strong, sweet iced tea (sweetened artificially if you want to cut calories)

Pour a tall glass 3/4 full of tea; add 2 T fresh lemon juice

Add 1 1/2 ounces bourbon and 1/2 ounce Amaretto

Stir well, then add ice cubes

(No photo -- but this has been a go-to summer cocktail for me this year!)

Cucumber, Basil and TEQUILA (or virgin) Cooler

Tequila with Cucumber, Mint, Basil and Lime

Cool, summertime refreshment that reaches deep into the garden -- yours or someone else's -- starts with peeled, seeded cucumber, adds a handful of basil and a little mint, just a couple of other ingredients and produces a patio offering that will please you and your guests. Include a shot of tequila in the glasses of those who want the added kick, or substitute vodka if you prefer. Cheers!

Recipe: Cucumber, Basil and Tequila Cooler
(Makes 4 drinks)

Ingredients:
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into large chunks
2 cups loosely packed basil leaves
1/2 - 1 cup loosely packed mint leaves
Juice of 4 limes, divided
Simple syrup or other sweetener, such as blue agave syup, to taste
16 ounces Sprite or other lemon-lime soda (or plain soda water, if desired)
Ice cubes
4 shots of tequila (omit, if you want a "mocktail")
Cucumber slices and mint sprigs, for garnish

Instructions:
Place cucumber, basil, mint and juice of one lime in the bowl of a food processor and blend for 30 seconds. Allow mixture to sit for at least 15 minutes ot longer if you have time. (Refrigerate if you are leaving it for more than 30 minutes.)
Put mixture through a fine colander or sieve, pressing on solids to get as much liquid out as possible. Discard solids.
Put liquid in a cocktail shaker or jar. Add remaining lime juice and sweetener and shake well. Taste for sweetness and add more syrup if desired.
Pour even amounts of liquid into four ice-filled glasses and top with lemon-lime soda. Stir in tequila and garnish with cucumber and mint.

Modernized "Classic" Cocktails -- or Mocktails!

With warmer weather upon us -- hooray, hooray, hooray -- it's time to lighten up our before-dinner drinks and think about such things as sangria, daiquiris and mojitos.
Check out this set of recipes for such treats as Thai-basil sangria, lemongrass margarita, rhubarb daiquiri, limoncello Collins and the one pictured: strawberry-lemon mojito (recipe below).
If you don't want the alcohol, several of these can be made as "virgin" drinks. We're having a dinner party in a couple of weeks with several non-drinkers in the crowd. I might try that strawberry-lemon mojito without the rum for those who would prefer it.



Recipe: Strawberry-Lemon Mojito (Makes 4 drinks)

Ingredients:

1. 8 lemon wedges
2. 24 mint leaves, plus 4 mint sprigs, for garnish (optional)
3. 4 strawberries, plus 2 halved strawberries, for garnish
4. Ice cubes, plus crushed ice
5. 8 ounces gold or aged rum**
6. 3 ounces fresh lemon juice
7. 2 ounces sugar syrup or agave nectar

Instructions:
In a cocktail shaker, muddle the lemon wedges with the whole strawberries and mint leaves. Add ice and the rum, lemon juice and sugar syrup; shake well. Strain into crushed ice–filled highball glasses. Garnish with the berry halves and mint sprigs.

** May be prepared without the rum.