Inventive Summer Cocktails

Refreshing, thirst-quenching cocktails are the perfect way to stay cool when enjoying a cookout or a day at the beach on a hot, sunny afternoon. But why sip on a plain beer when you can whip up inventive cocktails featuring summer classics, including watermelon and root beer? 

 

Impress your friends at your get-togethers this month with these refreshing heat-fighters. 

 

Watermelon Mojito

While the original Mojito is delicious in its own right, adding watermelon and omitting soda water offers a sweet and refreshing flavor perfect for summer. 

Ingredients

• 4 ounces seedless watermelon, chopped

• 4 mint leaves

• 1 tablespoon agave nectar

• ¼ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice 

• 1-½ ounces light rum

• Garnish: lemon twist

Directions

1. In a shaker, muddle watermelon and mint with the agave nectar and lime juice.

2. Add the rum and fill with ice; shake until well chilled,

3. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.

4. Garnish with a lemon twist.

 

El Rey del Patio

A twist on the beloved and famous Michelada, El Rey del Patio is the cocktail version of salsa verde. The drink gets its smokiness and spiciness from the jalapeños and freshness from the cucumber and lime. 

 

Ingredients (yield 6)

• 4 cucumbers

• 2 tomatillos

• 3 jalapeños

• ¾ cup lime juice, freshly squeezed

• 1-¾ tablespoons freshly cracked black pepper

• ¼ cup Tabasco green jalapeño sauce

• 6 bottles Modelo Especial beer

• Salt and lime wedges, for rimming

• Garnish: Salt rim

 

Directions

1. Peel the cucumbers and husk the tomatillos, then roughly chop both.

2. Grill the jalapeños until blistered and slightly blackened; peel the skins once cooled.

3. Add the cucumbers, tomatillos, jalapeños, lime juice, black pepper, and hot sauce into a blender; blend until smooth.

4. Strain into a large container.

5. Rim 6 highball glasses with salt, fill with ice; fill each glass with 5 ounces of the mixture, and top with beer.

6. Serve each drink with the leftover beer for refills.

 

Lincoln Club Cooler

Sometimes less is more. A lighter and more refreshing version of a Dark ’n Stormy, this rum-and-ginger-ale highball combines two familiar flavors for a simple, sparkling summer refresher. 

 

Ingredients

• 1-½ ounces Cruzan rum

• 3 ounces ginger ale

 

Directions

Add both ingredients into a Collins glass filled with ice; stir gently and briefly to combine.

 

Bourbon & Root Beer

Cookouts are a given for hot summer weekends, and this spin on the classic bourbon-and-soda mixes two barbecue favorites perfectly. 

 

Ingredients

• 2 ounces bourbon

• 6 ounces root beer, chilled

 

Directions

1. Fill a Collins glass with ice and add the bourbon.

2. Top with the root beer, and stir slowly to combine.

3. Serve with a straw.

 

Parisian Blonde

Celebrate Bastille Day (July 14) with this simple but perfect combination of ingredients. Best enjoyed with (or instead of) dessert, this equal-parts cocktail of Jamaican rum, orange curaçao, and heavy cream is rich and indulgent - just like a French dessert.

 

Ingredients

• 1 ounce Jamaican rum

• 1 ounce Grand Marrier

• 1 ounce heavy cream

• Garnish: nutmeg, freshly grated

 

Directions

1. Add the rum, Grand Marrier, and cream into a shaker with ice; shake until well-chilled.

2. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

3. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

 

Universal Fine Wine & Spirits specializes in rare liquors, handcrafted wines, and craft beers and provides exceptional pricing on everyday staples. Our staff has over thirty years of combined beverage industry experience and can help you find the perfect beverage for your summer gathering. So stop by our store, call us at 727-937-8330, or visit our website to learn more.

 

 

 

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Sources

https://cookingpanda.com/blogs/food-news/8-cocktails-to-make-for-the-fourth-of-july-recipes

https://www.liquor.com/slideshows/july-cocktail-parties/