The summertime heat and sunshine can certainly make a person thirsty. If you’re feeling especially parched during these dogs days of summer, it might be time to find some shade and take a beverage break. Water is king of course, but every once in a while it’s nice to mix it up.
Here’s a nice little collection of easy, make-at-home drink recipes you can whip up in no time to add some variety to your summertime sipping.
Watermelon Margarita
- 2 ½ cups cubed watermelon, freeze for a couple hours before blending drink
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ¾ cups tequila
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 1 ½ cups crushed or cubed ice
- Mint sprigs and lime slices for garnish, optional
Blend all ingredients until creamy in a blender or food processor; add more ice as desired.
Lemonade Sweet Tea
This recipe makes one big pitcher, about 8 cups
- 3 cups water
- 6 regular size black tea bags
- 1 cup fresh peppermint leaves (washed)
- ½ cup sugar
- 4 cups cold water
- ½ canned (or 6 ounces) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
- Thin orange or lemon slices for garnish, optional
Bring 3 cups water to a gentle boil. Remove from heat, add tea bags and stir in fresh mint. Cover and steep for 10 minutes. Discard tea bags and mint. Stir in sugar until dissolved. Pour tea into a big pitcher. Stir in 4 cups cold water and lemonade concentrate. Lay orange or lemon slices on top. Serve over ice.
Spiked Tea
Add one "shot" of bourbon or spiced dark rum to each glass of tea before serving, or stir in one cup of bourbon or rum into pitcher if you want the entire batch spiked.
Grapefruit/Basil Sangria or NA Spritzer
- 5 grapefruits, juiced
- 4 oranges, juiced
- 1 regular size bottle of Reisling (or white wine of your choice or NO wine if you prefer NA)
- 1 big bottle of San Pellegrino sparkling water (2 bottles to make a non-alcoholic spritzer)
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ cup triple sec
- ¼ cup brandy
- ¾ ounce chopped fresh basil
Mix fruit juice, wine & water together.
Mix syrup, sugar, triple sec, brandy and basil in another container THEN pour in with other liquid. Stir in basil. Let chill for six hours. Strain. Serve.
Note: To make this sangria non-alcoholic, use two bottles of sparkling water and leave out the wine.
