Refreshing cocktails that capture all those sensory delights and delicious memories of summer from booming fireworks to smoky campfires.
The Yellow Finch
"Tasting of summer and glowing like the sun, this tiki-style cocktail comes in a whole flock of variations. This one uses spiced rum and flies high on sweet, succulent pineapple."
3 cups frozen pineapple chunks
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup banana liqueur
1/3 cup spiced rum
1/3 cup clear rum
Put all the ingredients into a blender and set it on high until it’s smooth. Pour into a glass that shows off its brilliant hue and garnish with a summer flower or slice of orange.
Jalapeño Summer
"This tipple embodies both the sizzling heat and the sweet, fresh fruits of a fizzy, fun summer. "
1 ½ ounces tequila
½ ounce maple syrup
3 strawberries, halved
2 slices jalapeño
dash Peychaud’s bitters
½ ounce lime juice
1 ½ ounces 7UP
Garnish: lemon or lime wheel
Muddle the strawberries and jalapeños. Add more jalapeños for more heat but don’t let them overpower the layering of flavors.
Add the muddled mixture, tequila and syrup to a shaker and mix. Fill with ice and shake until chilled, about 20 seconds.
Strain over crushed ice. Add a dash of bitters and a squeeze of lime. Pour in the bubbly 7UP. Garnish with a lemon or lime slice.
Lavender Martini
"Made with a base of homemade lavender syrup, fresh lemon juice, and vodka. The lavender syrup can be used to make other cocktails, mocktails, coolers or lemonade."
1 ounce vodka
½ ounce fresh lemon juice
¼ ounce lavender syrup recipe follows
for lavender syrup:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon dried lavender buds
To make the lavender syrup, put the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil while stirring until the sugar dissolves. Take it off the heat and sprinkle in the buds. Let it sit for 20 minutes, then strain into a jar or resealable bag for storing. Let cool before using.
For the martini, fill your shaker with ice and pour in the vodka, lemon juice and lavender syrup. Vigorously shake as you hum “Tiptoe through the Tulips.” Strain into a martini glass and garnish with a deep purple blackberry or, for a bit of sunny yellow, a lemon slice.