Bottom Line: Light and tasty cocktails for your next BBQ, lawn party or picnic
There’s nothing like a refreshing beer, glass of wine or a cocktail on a summer day. Here, the best summer sippers from Anthony Caporale, host of the web video series “Art of the Drink TV.” Warm-weather cocktails tend to feature clear spirits, such as gin, vodka and unaged rum for a light taste. Fresh fruit flavors or herbs from the garden add summer flavor. If you want to be careful with how much you’re drinking, these cocktails taste great with half as much alcohol or as virgin cocktails.
The Bee’s Knees combines tropical citrus flavors with the sweetness of honey in this vintage Prohibition-era cocktail.
In a cocktail shaker tin half-filled with ice, add…
1½ ounces London dry gin*
¾ ounce honey syrup (combine equal parts honey and hot water, stir to dissolve, then cool)
½ ounce fresh lemon juice
½ ounce fresh orange juice
Shake until the tin is frosted, strain into a martini glass, and garnish with a lemon peel.
Gin-and-Lemon Iced Tea is a refreshing, easy-to-make alcoholic take on classic summer iced tea.
In a tall glass filled with ice, add…
1 ounce gin
½ ounce fresh lemon juice
Fill the rest of the glass with iced white tea, sweetened to taste, stir gently and garnish with a lemon wedge.
Strawberry-Basil Vodka Martinis deliver fresh-from-the-garden fruit and herb flavors.
In a shaker tin, combine and crush…
½ ounce simple syrup (combine equal parts granulated sugar and hot water, stir to dissolve, cool)
3 strawberries, thinly sliced
3 basil leaves
Fill the tin halfway with ice, then add…
2 ounces vodka
½ ounce fresh lime juice
Shake until the tin is frosted, strain into a martini glass, and garnish with a strawberry slice.
Classic Daiquiri is very different from the familiar frozen concoctions also called daiquiris. These classic, tart, sweet drinks are daiquiris the way Hemingway enjoyed them.
In a cocktail shaker tin half-filled with ice, add…
2 ounces light rum
¼ ounce simple syrup
½ ounce fresh lime juice
Shake until the tin is frosted, strain into a martini glass, and garnish with a lime.
