My ideal summer day at home is sitting in the hot sun with a cold drink while lounging by the pool. I like a beer in summer but I really love a nice, light, refreshing cocktail to help me through extreme heat that is Palm Springs in the summer.
What better way to celebrate the 4th of July then with a few nice, new summer cocktails? We are leaving for a Mexican vacation this week so for the first time we are having a quiet day at home for the forth and I can’t wait to drink a few of these cocktails!
Here are a few of my tried and true favorite summer cocktails.
Skinny Grapefruit Margarita
There is a restaurant in Birmingham, Alabama, El Bario that serves THE BEST grapefruit margaritas. To be honest, I had no idea that I liked grapefruit margaritas until I had one there.
Ingredients:
- 1 oz freshly squeezed grapefruit, about 1/4 grapefruit
- 1/2 oz freshly squeezed lime, about 1 lime
- 1.5 oz triple sec
- 2 oz tequila
- lime sparkling water to top
Garnish:
- 1 lime cut in wedges
- Kosher Salt
Directions:
- For salt-rimmed glass, begin by running a lime wedge around the top rim of a glass. Fill a shallow bowl with salt, and dip the rim in the salt until it is salt covered. Set aside.
- Add grapefruit juice, tequila, lime juice and Triple Sec to a cocktail shaker, and shake until combined.
- Fill glass with ice. Pour in the margarita mixture over the rocks add lime sparkling water until glass is full. Serve immediately, garnished with an extra lime or grapefruit wedge if desired.
Cucumber Collins
I mean lemon and cucumber together? Hello, summer!
- 1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 ounce simple syrup
- 2 ounces gin
- 4 or 5 slices cucumber
- sparkling water, to top.
Directions
- In the bottom of a mixing glass, muddle cucumber slices, lemon juice and simple syrup.
- Add gin, along with ice, and shake. Strain over fresh ice into a Collins glass, then top with sparkling water.
Watermelon Vodka Punch
Who doesn’t have great memories sitting by the pool as a kid eating watermelon? This drink is the adult version of that.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds watermelon, rind, and seeds discarded and the flesh cut into pieces, plus thin slices of watermelon for garnish
- 1/2 cup vodka
- 1/4 cup Triple Sec
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Direction
- In a blender purée the watermelon pieces and ice cubes and strain the purée over a pitcher, discarding the solids.
- Stir in the vodka, the Triple Sec, and the lime juice, pour the drink into a glass filled with ice cubes, and garnish each drink with a watermelon slice.
Raspberry Lime Champagne Punch
This drink is the perfect summer mimosa substitute for a brunch with your boozy pals.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup lime juice, approximately 4 freshly squeezed
- 1/2 cup vodka
- 2 cups raspberries
- 1 lime, sliced
- 1 bottle Champagne or sparkling white wine
- 1 can lime sparkling water
Directions
1. In a large pitcher, stir the lime juice, vodka and soda water to combine. Stir in the raspberries and lime slices.
2. Just before you’re ready to serve, add the Champagne. Serve chilled.
Mint Cucumber Sparkler
Ingredients
- 1-inch piece of seedless cucumber, finely chopped
- ½ ounce fresh lime juice (that’s the juice from about half a lime)
- 1½ ounces vodka
- 2 teaspoons mint simple syrup (recipe below)
- 3 ounces Prosecco or champagne
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves
- 3-4 slices cucumber
- 1 sprig fresh mint
Directions
- First, you’ll need to make the simple syrup. In a small saucepan, bring the sugar, water and mint leaves to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, swirling the saucepan occasionally, until the sugar dissolves, 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool completely before using.
- In a cocktail shaker, muddle the chopped cucumber with the lime juice. Add the vodka, simple syrup and a few ice cubes, and shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker becomes frosty. Strain into a glass filled with ice, and top with Prosecco. Garnish with a lime.
Going to save this for when summer comes back to Cape Town
These all sound so delicious! I need to try some!