We are well into the summer, hot days, warm nights, swimming, BBQ’s and drinks! Yes my friends, I’ve seen so many wonderful recipes posted and have tried so many, but I feel like drink recipes can often be omitted or skipped over. Below are a few of my summertime drink recipes, to keep cool all summer long.
Sparkling Cherry Limeade
Ingredients
1 (12 oz.) can frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
3 cups water
1/2 cup maraschino cherry juice
2 cups Sprite or 7Up
Cherries and Lime Wedges (for garnish)
Directions
1.) In a pitcher, combine frozen limeade concentrate, water, and cherry juice.
2.) Right before serving, add Sprite or 7Up. Serve over ice with cherries and lime wedges.
Click here to view this recipe.
Coconut Lavender Lemonade
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice, from about 9 lemons
1 3/4 cups sugar
8 cups coconut water
4 cups water
1/2 recipe Lavender Simple Syrup (recipe follows)
Directions
1.) Place lemon juice, sugar, coconut water, and water into a pitcher and shake or stir until all of the sugar is dissolved.
2.) Pour 1/2 of the lavender syrup into the pitcher and stir. You can add more or less lavender syrup to your personal taste.
Lavender Simple Syrup Recipe (for recipe above)
Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water
3 Tablespoons dried lavender
a few drops of violet food coloring (optional)
Directions
1.) Combine the sugar, water, and lavender in a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan.
2.) Bring to a boil on high heat, and boil for 1 minute.
3.) Remove from the heat, cover, and let the lavender steep in the syrup for 20 minutes.
4.) Strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove the lavender, add the food coloring (optional, but excellent for presentation).
5.) Set syrup aside to cool.
6.) Once cooled, place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to one week.
Frosé (Frozen Rosé)
This was a complete and random Facebook find from Epicurious. It has become a hit with my girlfriends!
Ingredients
1 bottle of dry rose
10 0z. fresh strawberries
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup vodka
2 Tablespoons grenadine
Directions
1.) Pour the rosé into ice cube trays and freeze until solid, 8 hours or overnight
2.) Combine the strawberries and the sugar in the bowl of a blender and let sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes, until the berries begin to release their juices
3.) Add the vodka, grenadine, and rosé cubes. Blend the mixture on high until smooth. Pour into glasses and garnish with strawberries (optional).
Click here to get this recipe.
We hope that you try one or all three of these recipes during a hot summer day.
