Summertime Cocktails

Long Lazy Sunny Days Need Some Delicious Cocktails

There’s something special about summer, lazing around on a Sunday afternoon with friends and family either in the garden or if you’re lucky enough besides/in the pool. A nice refreshing drink to sip on while you’re in the shade is always welcomed and it was because of lazy days like this that the Pimms cocktail was invented for everyone to sip whilst watching the tennis or cricket, relaxing in sun loungers or even playing croquet.

Pimms is such an old fashioned drink, however, that it’s time to reinvent our perfect summer cocktail and goodness knows there are lots to choose from. A lot of people enjoy frozen daiquiris and margaritas, but I find them a little strong when you’re lying in the heat of an Australian summer so I prefer longer cocktails such as the Blue Lagoon or the Fire Engine.

The Blue Lagoon

A Hit in Looks and Taste!

The Blue Lagoon is a long-time favourite and is the reason I always have a bottle of Blue Curacao in my house (although there’s lots and lots of other delicious Blue Curacao cocktails that are also delicious).

To make it you will need the following ingredients:-

30ml Vodka
15ml Blue Curacao
Lemonade

Fill a long glass with ice and pour on the vodka and blue curacao, next fill the glass up with lemonade stirring gently as you go. The result is sure to be a hit with anyone at any summer get together.


Blue lagoon cocktail @ Skyline bar via TripAdvisor

The Fire Engine

Another Gorgeous Summer Cocktail

The Fire Engine always looks nice which is something I like in a cocktail – if you’re going to drink a beverage that doesn’t look nice or exciting then you might as well stick to a glass of wine or a beer. In looks the Fire Engine looks exactly like a Tequila Sunrise, however tequila isn’t my friend or a friend to a number of my friends which is why I’m happy to say it doesn’t reside in this delicious cocktail.

To make your delicious Fire Engine you will need the following -

30ml Vodka
Orange Juice
2 Dashes of Grenadine (that's about a 1/4 of a teaspoon)

Add ice into a highball glass and then add the vodka and orange juice, stirring them together to mix. Next you need to tip the glass to one side and pour the grenadine down the side, now whenever you see recipes for drinks like this they say you do this by flipping the bottle vertically very quickly - not how I do it! I put my couple of dashes into a drinks measure and pour it from there as it gives me more control.

Fire Engine Cocktail

As you can see from the photo the grenadine falls straight to the bottom, but it works its way up giving an impression of a sunrise. I usually just stir it all together when I start to drink, but I do like the look when it's first served up!

Kahlua Coke Float

A Fun Summer Drink for Adults

I remember when I was a teenager I loved to go out for a coke float and my local café made the best coke floats ever – I know it’s true because people have said it on facebook!! I also enjoy just about any cocktail with Kahlua in it so when I heard of a drink that seems to have the best of both of these worlds I just had to try it.

The result was delicious and all you need are -

1 scoop vanilla ice cream
30 ml Kahlua
Coke

I use a licensed coca-cola glass to make mine, I definitely think you need more volume in your glass than the standard highball glasses offer.

Put the scoop of ice cream in the glass and pour over the Kahlua, next it's time to add the coke and if you've ever made a coke float before you'll know to add it slowly because it will fizz up and make one heck of a mess if you add it too quickly!

Pop in a straw and close your eyes as you enjoy the nostalgia of childhood coke floats combined with a delicious mix that is almost a cross between a Black and a White Russian - sensational!

Another perfect drink for sunny afternoons, heck I’d even enjoy this if it was raining!

A Strawberry Basil Sparkler

A cocktail recipe that I came across recently has intrigued me and although I haven’t tried it yet I think this might be perfect for summer as I always think of strawberries and cream when the suns beating down and this has the strawberry part of that combination……. A Strawberry Basil Sparkler.

You will need the following -

2 strawberries, thinly sliced
4 basil leaves roughly torn
30ml vodka
sparkling water

Take a tall glass and layer ice, strawberry slices and basil leaves into it, next pour in the vodka and top up with sparkling water. Doesn't it sound like an interesting cocktail? I will add my thoughts once I get around to trying it which will probably be the next time I get some basil in the house.

Summertime Bellinis

Bubbles and Summer - Perfect!

Bubbles are always nice to drink so don’t discount a delicious Bellini, but forget about the Peach Bellini it’s so last millennium! Instead of using peach puree in the bottom of your champagne glass try adding pureed mango and then topping up with your Prosecco while stirring gently. If you’re in the minority like me and don’t like mangos (apparently I’m crazy!) then a Raspberry Bellini may be just up your alleyway.

Sometimes brought raspberries don’t have a lot of flavour and if you find that yours don’t taste as good as they sometimes do then add a few drops of raspberry liqueur to your tablespoon of puree in the bottom of a champagne flute, top up with the Prosecco while stirring gently and there you have a beautiful summertime cocktail full of bubbles.

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