It’s summer! If you didn’t believe it, the temperatures over the past few days on the East Coast should have convinced you. On Wednesday, it was the Summer Solstice (The summer day with the most sunlight…), and to celebrate, there was a huge yoga class in Times Square.
It was 95 degrees. These people were crazy. The weather makes me want to strip down to my bathing suit and sit in front of the AC vent in the privacy of my own home, not get in yoga pants and exercise with thousands of other people in the most crowded area of the most crowded city in the country. It also makes me want to drink a cold cocktail. So if you’re feeling inspired to make some drinks this weekend, here are a few to try. Randomly, most of these recipes have cucumber and mint in them, some of my favorite summer flavors.
Blackberry-Mint Julep from Martha Stewart
You will need:
- 1/2 cup packed fresh mint leaves
- 1 pint blackberries
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 cup bourbon
- 4 cups small ice cubes
- 4 sprigs mint, for garnishing
Directions:
- Roughly chop mint leaves.
- Puree the mint, blackberries, and sugar in a blender. Press through a fine sieve into a bowl; discard seeds.
- Rinse blender, then return puree to blender, and add bourbon and small ice cubes; blend until smooth. Divide mixture among 4 glasses. Garnish each with a mint sprig.
- About 1 cup ice cubes
- 1/4 cup (2 ounces) Pimm’s No. 1
- 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) ginger beer or ginger ale
- 1 cucumber slice
- 1 sprig fresh mint (5 to 6 leaves)
Directions:
- Fill highball glass with ice.
- Add Pimm’s, then top with ginger beer, garnish with cucumber slice and mint sprig, and serve.
- 4 1/2 cups Cucumber Gin (or 2 oz.), how-to follows
- 2 1/4 cups fresh lime juice (or 1 oz.)
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Mint Simple Syrup (or 1/2 oz.), how-to follows
- Cucumber peels, for garnish
- Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish
- Steep 2 1/2 cups diced, peeled cucumber in 4 1/2 cups gin, covered and chilled, 8 hours to 4 days (or 1/2 cup cucumber in 1 cup gin).
- Strain; store indefinitely in the refrigerator
- Heat 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water over medium-high heat, stirring until dissolved.
- Add 1 cup mint leaves; remove from heat.
- Cover; steep 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Strain; discard mint.
- Refrigerate up to 2 months.
Directions:
- In a 2-quart pitcher, stir gin, lime juice,and syrup.
- Refrigerate.
- To serve, pour into a cocktail shaker filled with ice, shake vigorously, and divide among ice-filled 10-ounce glasses.
- (For a single drink, mix in a cocktail shaker filled with ice, and shake.)
- Garnish each with cucumber peel and mint
Sweet Tea Mojito from Food Network
You Will Need:
- 4 or 5 black tea bags
- 2 cups turbinado sugar
- 3 handfuls fresh mint
- 3 limes, juiced
- 1 1/2 cups light rum
- Steep tea bags, sugar and 2 handfuls of fresh mint in 3 cups of simmering water for 5 minutes, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
- Strain into a pitcher.
- Add the juice of 3 limes, the rum, a handful of fresh mint and 1 cup cold water.
- Stir vigorously, crushing the mint with a wooden spoon.
- Serve over ice with lime and more mint.
Enjoy!
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Comments on this post
I will rock the hell out of that blackberry mint julep, thanks!
22. June - 6:12 amI know you will! Haha.
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