Memorial Day weekend's almost here. These last lazy days of May call for something tall, cool, and refreshing. Something that's quick and easy to mix so you can get back to that very important job of relaxing...
Here's a roundup of some of our favorite no-hassle patio drinks:
Dark and Stormy
Deliciously spicy ginger beer is mixed with rich, dark rum and accented with a zippy wedge of lime. Even if you're just enjoying a sunny moment on your fire escape, Bermuda's national drink is the perfect thing to put you in an island mood. (Full recipe here.)
Pimm's Cup
This very British, very refreshing drink brings to mind Wimbledon, cricket matches, and sailing regattas. The delicately spicy liquor, Pimm's No. 1 is mixed with ginger ale or lemonade, and garnished with fresh herbs and fruit. Nothing like it after a day of gardening. (Full recipe here.)
Gin and Tonic
We featured this summer classic just last week - and it's well worth mentioning again. Cool, zesty, and crisp, the Gin and Tonic is one of the most perennially popular patio drinks. (More on G & Ts here.)
Gin and Lemonade
The tart, citrusy snap of lemon and the cool, crisp juniper-y flavor of gin, with a little sweetener to round things out. Pour 1 1/2 to 2 ounces of gin into a glass, top with lemonade, add a little ice and you're good to go. You can use homemade lemonade, frozen lemonade, or the fizzy, bottled stuff - it's all pretty tasty on a hot day. Lorina sparkling French lemonade is a personal favorite splurge (and it has a great re-usable bottle, I always rationalize to myself).
Club Soda and... (Your Pick)
Club soda and other kinds of fizzy water (we'll be taking a closer look at the various types in next week's column) make great staples for impromptu tall drinks. They mix well with everything from high-octane infused vodkas to delicate cordials such as St. Germain elderflower liqueur and Crème de Violette. For a quick and delicious cooler, try adding club soda to a measure of Campari or Limoncello. The possibilities are endless.
And Don't Forget....
Ice.
Make sure your freezer's well-stocked before the weekend begins. (Tips on making perfect cubes for warm-weather drinks here.) Have a great one!
What will you be drinking this weekend?
Related: Summer Cocktails! The Full Roundup
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We had our long weekend here in Canada last week and Caipirinhas were on our bar.
nice call on the Caipirinhas... i think this is an excellent weekend to breakout the Margarittaville marg machine the Mrs. and i got for our wedding last fall... we have some frozen raspberries so we might try a fruity concoction - though we also have some limes and limeade so we might be traditional...
cucumber cosmos, hands down. from a food & wine recipe i blogged here: http://oureats.tumblr.com/post/78594445/cucumber-cosmo-for-one-drink-ice-2-ounces-gin
you're making me thirsty...
and it's not even 3pm (est) yet ...
Happy Weekend All! :)
Good bourbon is my liquor of choice; but for this weekend, I have to say gin gimlet ftw! Just gin and lime, on the rocks. Absolutely delicious, refreshing, and no mixers to calorie it up. ;)
It's also incredibly refreshing to muddle a slice of cucumber with a squeeze of lime juice and top with gin and club soda. Perfect for hot weather!
I'll probably be drinking a good IPA (or a few) this weekend, but this is about mixed drinks, right? Talk about no-hassle, though, opening a beer is no-hassle.
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Dark & Stormy......Gin & Tonic.....ugh you are making it hard to keep working
Tried some grapefruit juice with some campari. It was bracing and refreshing and those whole foods smoked almonds are excessively delicious to have with drinks.
My favorite is strawberry basil lemonade, mostly because why mix six drinks for six friends when you can mix pitchers and sit on the porch all afternoon? You just throw some thawed frozen (or fresh, but I wouldn't waste them--it doesn't make a difference here) strawberries into a blender or mash them up with a fork, muddle some fresh basil, and mix with lemonade (homemade or bottled) in a pitcher. Leave one that way for the teetotalers and spike the other one with vodka--one infused with a berry or lemon flavor can be quite nice.
Okay, I know as you say that purists would nix a dark and stormy made with anything but Goslings, but as a rum lover, I really don't think that Gosling's makes the best drink--it's super syrupy and almost tar-like. I think that ginger beer mixes much better with a nice dark rum such as Cruzan Dark--it's brighter and lighter as a drink since ginger beer already contains a lot of sugar (plus, this is how they make it in the Virgin Islands). Make sure there is extra lime juice in there and I also love my dark and stormy with a dash or two of bitters to cut the sweet.
Grapefruit Habanero Margarita
1 - Get a bottle of tequila (doesn't have to be the best, but at least try to get a 100% agave one if the cost isn't too high)
2 - 3-4 Habanero peppers (cut up into smaller pieces and remove the seeds ... be careful!)
3 - Let these stew for at least 48 hours (we found 72 hours to be better)
4 - Fill rocks glass 3/4 the way with ice, pour in tequila till half full
5 - Add triple till glass is 2/3 or 3/4 full.
6 - Splash grapefruit juice on top
7 - Mix well if you have a bar set (or in a large glass)
8 - Rim the glass with SUGAR (not salt)
9 - Pour margarita back into rocks glass
10 - Add a grapefruit wedge
11 - Enjoy (it's spicy!)