The Best Summer Drinks

As the temperature rises and your desire for a nice, cold, refreshing drink does the same, our list of some of the Best Summer Drinks we could find will prove to be indispensable. Great suggestions to help you beat the heat coming your way…

Boomerang  Our friend and BA50 Contributor Lynne Kivimaki submitted this recipe and said it’s great after a long hot day on the water. “There’s a reason why this drink is called  Boomerang,” she says. “It definitely packs a punch!”

6oz. white rum

6 oz. limeade concentrate, thawed

2 cans beer

Directions: Mix all ingredients together in a large pitcher and serve in glasses, over ice.

June Bug  The traditional recipe for this drink named for the pesky beetles that are so prevalent at this time of year calls for melon liqueur. This version has swapped the Midori for white rum and sherbet for a grown-up’s punch.

3c. ginger ale

4 Tbsp. grenadine

4 Tbsp. orange juice

3 scoops orange sherbet

white rum

Directions: Blend together ginger ale, grenadine, orange juice, rum and sherbet. Pour into ice-filled cocktail glasses. (Recipe courtesy Better Homes and Gardens) 

Blackberry Bourbon Lemonade  This boozy concoction puts a little zing in your average glass of Lemonade. And, it’s as pretty as it is delicious.

2c. blackberries

2c. water

juice from 3 lemons

Brown sugar simple syrup: dissolve 1/2c. sugar into 1/2c. water

6 oz. bourbon

lemon wedges and mint leaves for garnish (opt.)

Directions: Pour the blackberries into a large pitcher. Mash the berries (without totally pureeing them) using a muddler or potato masher. Add the remaining ingredients and stir. Pour into glasses, over ice. (Recipe courtesy eatlovedrink.com)

Raspberry Tequila Sangria  If you think this is anything like the traditional heavy Sangria that’s loaded down with lots of fruit, forget it. This version is lighter–perfect for summer. And don’t worry, it’s just as potent as the original.

2 oranges

3 limes

1/4c. sugar

6 c. ice

1 (10 oz.) bag frozen, sweetened raspberries

1c. silver tequila

1/2c. triple sec

1 bottle champagne

4c. chilled lemon lime soda

Directions: Juice one orange and two limes to measure 1/4c. juice each. Combine juices and sugar in a microwavable bowl. Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Thinly slice remaining orange and lime.

Add ice, juice mixture, orange and lime slices, raspberries, and remaining ingredients to a large pitcher. Stir gently and serve. Makes 12 servings. (Recipe courtesy of hopelessdomestic.blogspot.)

Watermelon-Tequila Cocktail  Watermelon just screams summer, and because the juicy fruit is in abundance all summer long, it’s perfect to use as the base for this drink. Muddling blueberries (another summer staple) takes it to another level.

1/4c. water

1/4c. granulated sugar

8 cups diced seedless watermelon (1 pound)

1/4c. fresh lime juice

1 3/4c. blueberries

3/4c. lightly packed fresh mint leaves, plus sprigs for garnish

1 1/4c. silver tequila

ice

Directions: In a small saucepan, bring the water to a simmer with the sugar and stir over moderate heat until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute; let the sugar syrup cool.

In a blender, puree the watermelon until smooth. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl and strain the watermelon juice, pressing gently on the solids to extract as much juice as possible. Discard the pulp.

In a large pitcher, combine the sugar syrup with the lime juice, blueberries, and mint leaves. Using a wooden spoon, lightly muddle the blueberries and mint. Add the watermelon juice and tequila. Refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.

Pour the cocktail into tall ice-filled glasses. Garnish with the mint sprigs and serve. (Recipe courtesy of foodandwine.com)

Peach Flip  This delicious drink is the token mocktail of the group, but it is a killer drink, nonetheless. Make sure you have plenty of frozen peaches on hand if you’re serving it, because it will be a tremendous hit with all in attendance, and you’ll probably need to make a few batches.

3 ripe peaches, peeled, sliced into quarters and frozen

6 oz. frozen lemonade, thawed

1 liter Sprite

Directions: Puree peaches in a blender until smooth, add lemonade and mix until blended. Pour mixture into glasses until 3/4 full and top off with Sprite.

By the way, Smoothies are also great for summer, and if you’re more of a Smoothie lover than a cocktail lover, check out Felice Shapiro’s article that’s all about Smoothies: Breakfast Smoothies All Day Long.

Sharing is caring!