Summer Drinks Inspiration

Once the summer temperatures hit the high end of the thermometer we are definitely starting to spend most of our evenings outdoors, be it in our cozy backyard, on a terrace or in fashionable outdoor cafés. What can get you better in a vacation mood than sipping a colorful refreshing drink that has summer written all over it? Lacking ideas? Here are a few recipes to try this summer!

 

 

 

 

Watermelon Mojito

 

In a tall glass combine mint, one tablespoon of sugar and the half of a lime. Crush the mint and lime with a wooden spoon until the sugar dissolves. Add the juice of two watermelon chunks, stir the mix and then add 1/4 cup (or two ounces) of white rum. Stir again to combine the mix, add some more mint sprigs for garnish and top with ice cubes. For a fancy touch, you can add a small wedge of watermelon or lime on the side of the glass. Serve immediately!

 

 

 

Raspberry Limoncello Prosecco

 

For 4 servings you will need a bottle of prosecco, a cup (or 8 ounces) of limoncello, one cup of raspberries and a few sprigs of mint. Start by chilling the prosecco and limoncello. Once they are chilled whisk them together in a large pitcher, pour over the raspberries and garnish with mint for a pop of flavor and color. For added effect, you can also chill the glasses that you will use for 15 minutes before serving. If you want to make sure your cocktail will remain cold, you can freeze the raspberries for 10 minutes and create your own berry ice cubes. Caution: it might be delicious, bubbly and refreshing!

Raspberry Beer Cocktail

For 6 servings of this unconventional summer cocktail you will need 1 cup of fresh or frozen raspberries, 4 bottles of chilled Corona beer, 1 1/2 cup (or 12 oz) of frozen raspberry lemonade concentrate or pink lemonade and 1/2 cup (or 4 ounces) of good quality vodka. Stir all these ingredients in a large pitcher and garnish with raspberries.

 

 

Sangria Blanca

Last but not least, this recipe for sangria blanca is the perfect twist from its regular red-wine relative. Begin by slicing the fruit: you will need 2 white peaches, 2 white nectarines, 4 oranges and 2 cups of strawberries. Once the fruit is sliced you can start working on the syrup. For the syrup, mix 1/3 cup of sugar and 1/3 cup of water add the petals of one small very fragrant rose or a 1/4 teaspoon rosewater. Bring the mixture to a boil, and let it sit for 10 minutes to steep. Add 1/2 cup of your rose infused syrup and 2 bottles of white wine to the fruit and let the mixture sit in the fridge for a few hours to combine. Enjoy!

If you're not in the mood for alcohol or are simply looking for something new in a refreshing drink, here are two tasty non-alcoholic ideas:

 

 

 

 

Watermelon Peach Spritzer

 

This is an extremely simple spritzer based on lemon-lime soda, watermelon cubes and frozen peach slices to add more cool to it. Put about 5 frozen peach slices and 5 pieces of cubed watermelon on the bottom of a large glass and add your fill of ice cubes. Fill up each glass with the lemon-lime soda and stir to mix the fruit throughout the drink. If you want to go all-natural I can easily imagine this mixing great with lemon or lime juice and sparkling water instead of the store-bought lemon-lime soda.

 

Blackberry Sage Cooler

For this tasty cooler you will need to work a bit harder than for the rest, but it's worth the while. Put a cup of water and 4 tablespoons of sugar in a pot and bring to boil until sugar dissolves. Crush 15 medium sage leaves with a spoon, add them to the mixture, let it infuse for 15 minutes and then remove the herbs. Puree 8 ounces of blackberries in the blender and strain the mixture trough a fine strainer. To serve, add a tablespoon of the puree on the bottom of the glass, add a tablespoon of the sage syrup and top off with a cup (or 8 ounces) of club soda. You can add a few blackberries for garnish.

I hope I managed to get you in the mood to sit back and relax this summer with some of these recipes. Let me know what you thought of them and if you like the idea, maybe I will turn this into a series!

Photos and recipes: Pinterest