Bars and restaurants are slowly opening back up, but based off of our survey in the past few weeks (you can still submit your opinion here), many people are not yet ready to go get a drink at a bar. Not being comfortable at a bar or restaurant should not stop you from having a refreshing summer cocktail. Have fun with it, try these recipes or try them with your own twist. Comment your variation to share the delicious cocktail with other readers!
Lemon Drop Fizz
- 1 oz Limoncello
- 1 oz Vodka
- 1 oz sweet and sour
- Sparkling water or Sprite
- Sugar or crushed lemon drop candies for the rim
- Rub the rim of the glass with lemon or water and place upside down on a plate of sugar or crushed lemon drop candies and fill with ice
- Mix limoncello, vodka, and sweet and sour in a shaker filled with ice, shake, and pour into the glass, fill the remainder of the glass with sparkling water or Sprite.
Rose Glow
- 2 or 3 Strawberries
- 1 oz Vodka
- ½ oz Pinot Noir
- 4 oz Your Favorite Champagne or Sparkling Wine
- Muddle the strawberries and combine all the ingredients in a wine glass with ice!
Classic Paloma
- Salt to rim the glass
- 2 oz Fresh Grapefruit Juice
- ½ oz Lime Juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 oz tequila or mezcal
- 2 oz club soda
- Rim the glass with Kosher salt, and combine everything in the glass except the club soda with ice. Stir until sugar is dissolved and top with club soda.
Blackberry Collins (Pitcher)
- 9 oz Fresh Blackberries (Can be made with blueberries as well)
- 1 cup Sugar
- 2 cups Chilled, Dry Gin
- ¾ cup Lemon Juice
- 2 cups Chilled Club Soda
- Bring blackberries, sugar, and ½ cup of water to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat so the liquid is at a simmer and cook until the fruit is soft, about 20-25 minutes. Let the syrup cool, then strain into a large pitcher. Discard the solids but try to keep as much liquid extract as you can.
- Add gin and lemon syrup to the pitcher, add ice, and stir until chilled.
- Fill Collins glass with ice and divide cocktails among the glasses, top each drink with ¼ cup club soda and garnish with lemon wheels.
Traditional Red Sangria
Sangria can really be made with whatever you would like! Whatever wine or fruits you would like, mainly depending on the season. Taste the sangria and make sure you like it, if not, add more fruit or edit it as you need.
- 1 bottle red wine of choice chilled
- 1 large orange
- 1 cup thinly sliced fruit
- 1 small lemon
- ½ cup brandy
- Ice for serving
- Combine all of the ingredients in a pitcher and put it in the fridge.
Wine: The best wine to use is a Grenache or Pinot Noir because they are already a bit fruity and are low in tannins. Tannins are a natural compound in grape skins and seeds that make the wine a bit bitter, but don’t taste good when they are chilled. Choose an inexpensive wine but a wine you would still enjoy by itself.
Fresh Fruit: Squeeze the juice of half an orange and thinly slice the other half, do the same with a lemon and then add seasonal fruits, apples and pears, or, strawberries and peaches.
You can drink the sangria immediately, but for the best results, let it sit in the fridge for 2 to 8 hours to really let the flavors marinate. For a little fizz, top with a little Sprite or Club soda
White Sangria: More into white wine? Not a problem. Follow the same recipe as above replacing the red wine with your favorite white, add peaches, oranges, strawberries, whatever fruit you would like. You can still top the glass with club soda, or you can use a prosecco on top. If you want a little extra flavor, add a quarter cup or so of peach schnapps.