Summer is here! And you know what that means? We’re going to be partaking in cookouts and craft cocktails with friends and family. We’ve got some frosty drinks lined up that scream summertime. Refreshing cocktails that capture all those sensory delights and delicious memories of summer from booming fireworks to smoky campfires.
The Ice Cream Sandwich
"Remember the thrill of the ice-cream truck chiming down your street every summer as a kid? Now you can sit on the porch, sipping this smooth, ice-cream sandwich cocktail instead, and skip the line at the truck."
1 ½ ounces dark rum
1 ounce chocolate vodka
½ ounce creme de cacao
¼ ounce Kahlúa
¾ ounce egg whites
1 dash vanilla extract
Glass: coupe or martini
Garnish: orange zest or sandwich cookie crumbs
In a shaker, pour in all the ingredients and shake for about a minute, maybe more, to ensure the egg whites will not separate from the mixture. The egg whites give the beverage a rich, creamy texture and an enticing foamy cap.
Add ice cubes and shake for another minute to chill the concoction.
Strain the mixture into the glass. Garnish with a few shavings of orange zest or, for a throwback to childhood, a sprinkling of finely ground sandwich cookies, but not the filling. The cookie part tastes a lot like the outside of an ice-cream sandwich.
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.
Cool Hand Luke
"Let this frozen, “cool as a cucumber” slosh keep you as chilled out in summer’s intense heat as Cool Hand Luke stayed facing down the Captain. "
2 ounces water
9 ½ ounces Simple Syrup
4 ounces lemon juice
2 ¾ ounces lime juice
2 ¼ ounces Pimm’s Blackberry & Elderflower
12 ¼ ounces Thatcher’s Organic Cucumber Liqueur
7 ½ ounces whole milk
Glass: floral bowl
Garnish: cucumber wheel or blackberries
Combine. Place the water, simple syrup, lemon juice, lime juice, Pimm’s and cucumber liqueur in a medium-size, metal bowl and stir.
Blend. Add the milk to the bowl slowly, using an immersion blender to emulsify the mixture.
Freeze. Pour the liquid into a large freezer bag and place it in the freezer until frozen, approximately 4 hours. Alternatively, pour the liquid into an ice cream maker and proceed per the manufacturer’s instructions.
Serve. When you’re ready to drink, massage the freezer bag by hand until it’s a wet, slushy consistency. If it’s not breaking up, run the bag quickly under hot water and massage some more. Pour into the glass and garnish.
S’mores Martini
"S’mores. The gooey, chocolate campfire treat that was worth the scorched fingers and tongues. This creamy cocktail offers those same summer-night flavors in a cool drink to be sipped and savored."
1 ounce Godiva Chocolate Liqueur
½ ounce fluffed marshmallow vodka
½ ounce heavy cream
chocolate syrup & finely crushed graham crackers for the rim
large marshmallows for garnish
Glass: martini
Garnish: toasted marshmallows
Rim: crushed graham crackers and chocolate sauce
Dip the rim of a martini glass in chocolate syrup and then into the graham cracker crumbs to create a thin, thorough coating. Set aside.
In a shaker, pour in the liqueur, cream and vodka with about a cup of ice and shake vigorously until chilled, about 30 seconds. Strain into a martini glass. You can skip the ice, if you prefer.
Lightly brown the marshmallows by sliding them onto a skewer or straightened coat hanger (remember doing that as a kid?) and rotating them over the nearest campfire or grill for about a minute, while preventing them catching fire. Or use a kitchen torch. Lay the skewered marshmallows across the top of the glass and serve.
High on the Hog
"This frozen adult beverage pairs that salty meatiness of bacon with ginger, maple and bourbon for a quenching ginger-ale slosh."
27 ounces ginger ale
2 ounces Dolin Dry Vermouth de Chambéry
2 ¾ ounces Cabin Fever Maple Flavored Whisky
8 ¼ ounces Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Glass: Up & Down
Garnish: strip of crispy bacon
Combine. Place the ingredients in a medium-size, metal bowl and stir.
Freeze. Pour the liquid into a large freezer bag and place it in the freezer until frozen, approximately 4 hours. Alternatively, pour the liquid into an ice cream maker and proceed per the manufacturer’s instructions.
Serve. When you’re ready to serve, massage the freezer bag by hand until it’s a wet, slushy consistency. If it’s not breaking up, run the bag quickly under hot water and massage some more. Pour into glasses and garnish each with a crispy bacon strip.
Firecracker Jell-O Shots
"These firecracker jell-o shots are sure to spark up your Fourth of July backyard barbecue party."
1 3-ounce package berry blue Jell-O
1 3-ounce package cherry Jell-O (or strawberry)
4 packets Knox plain gelatin, divided
3 cups cold vodka, divided
1 cup milk
¼ cup sugar
36 maraschino cherries, for garnish
Blue layer. In a medium saucepan, mix 1 cup of water with the blue Jell-O packet. Sprinkle 1 envelope of the plain gelatin onto the mixture and allow it to sit for 1 minute. Whisk everything until mixed and heat on medium. When it reaches a simmer, add 1 cup of the vodka and whisk again. Pour 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons of this blue mixture into each shot glass and place them in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
White layer. In a medium saucepan, pour in the milk, sprinkle in 2 envelopes of the plain gelatin, and let sit for 1 minute. Add the sugar and whisk. Heat the mixture on medium until it reaches a simmer, then add 1 cup vodka and whisk again. Make sure this white mixture cools to room temperature, then spoon in about 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon on top of each blue layer. If you do this too soon, the warmer white layer will melt into the blue. Refrigerate for another 30 minutes.
Red layer and cherries. This is a repeat of the blue layer but with the cherry gelatin. In a medium saucepan, mix 1 cup water with the cherry Jell-O packet. Sprinkle 1 envelope of plain gelatin on top, and let it sit for 1 minute. Whisk together, then heat the concoction on medium until it reaches a simmer. Add 1 cup vodka and whisk. When the mixture has cooled to room temperature, set a cherry in each cup and add in a little over 1 tablespoon of the red Jell-O mixture to top off each glass. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Serve.