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!)