Top 10 Summer Cocktails

Summer is a time of patios, sunshine and hanging out with friends, and what better way to do that but with a lovely cocktail in hand?

Here are Drinks After Dark’s picks for the top 10 summer cocktails.

#10: Daiquiri – There are several versions of the Daiquiri, but those that gained international fame are the ones made in the El Floridita bar in Havana, Cuba. They, and #5, the Mojito, were favourites of Ernest Hemmingway, who spent a lot of time in Havana.

To make:
2 oz light rum
1 oz lime juice
1 oz simple syrup

Put ice in a cocktail shaker. Add light rum, lime juice and simple syrup. Give it a good shake and into a cocktail glass.

#9 Sangria – (Spanish: sangría; Portuguese: sangria) is a wine punch typical from Spain and Portugal (the word means “bleeding” in both languages). It typically consists of red wine, chopped or sliced fruit (often orange, apple, and/or peach; occasionally kiwi or banana), a sweetener such as honey or orange juice, a small amount of added brandy, triple sec, or other spirits, and carbonated water.

To create:

Bottle of red wine
1 1/4 cups blackberry brandy
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup frozen lemonade concentrate
1 orange, cut in pieces
1 apple, cut in pieces
1/4 cup cherries halves (Optional. I use a cherry pitter to take the pits out.)
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 cup diet sprite (you can use regular if you want)

Mix in a large jug. Stick in the fridge for a few days and enjo

#8 Pina Colada – There are several different bars that claim that they were the creators of the Pina Colada, but the first known reference to a drink specifically named the Pina Colada was in a 1922 edition of TRAVEL:

But best of all is a piña colada, the juice of a perfectly ripe pineapple—a delicious drink in itself—rapidly shaken up with ice, sugar, lime and Bacardi rum in delicate proportions. What could be more luscious, more mellow and more fragrant? (image source Art Print by Lisa Audit)

To make:
1/2 cup crushed ice
6 fluid ounces pineapple juice
2 fluid ounces rum
1 fluid ounce coconut cream 1 fluid ounce heavy cream
1 pineapple wedge
1 maraschino cherry

In a blender, combine ice, pineapple juice, rum, coconut cream and heavy cream. Blend until smooth. Pour into glass and garnish with pineapple wedge and cherry.

#7 Mimosa – These almost don’t belong on this list, but they’re quite good nonetheless. A Mimosa is a cocktail-like drink composed of three parts champagne or other sparkling wine and two parts thoroughly chilled orange juice. It is traditionally served in a tall champagne flute with a morning brunch or to guests at weddings. Break out of the mimosa box and try them on a Sunday afternoon or lunching with the girls. I don’t really need to tell you how to make this, do I? (hint: three parts champagne or other sparkling wine and two parts thoroughly chilled orange juice) (image source: Gail Anderson)

#6 Crisp White Wine – Very little beats a lovely crisp white wine in the sunshine. Something with overtones of citrus, pineapple or other fruits is usually a good thing. Look for a lovely Sauvignon Blanc or a apple-y Pinot Grigio will do the trick. Just make sure you serve it cold!

#5 Mojito – The Mojito is another drink with history. Made famous at La Bodeguita del Medio down a small alley in Cuba, where yet again, Hemmingway is notorious for drinking and where the walls are covered in signatures of patrons from around the world, the mojito is one of the most famous highballs.

A mojito is traditionally made of five ingredients: white rum, sugar (traditionally sugar cane juice), lime, carbonated water and mint. When preparing a mojito, lime juice is added to sugar (or syrup) and mint leaves. The mixture is then gently mashed with a muddler. The mint leaves should only be bruised to release the essential oils and must not be shredded. Then rum is added and the mixture is briefly stirred to dissolve sugar. Finally, the drink is topped with ice cubes and sparkling water, mint leaves and lime wedges are used to garnish the glass.

#4 Ceasar – Ceasars are one of the quintessential Canadian summer cocktails. In the US it’s sometimes known as a clamdigger, but its roots are firmly planted in Canadian soil. Invented by bartender Walter Chell at the Owl’s Nest Bar in the Calgary Inn (now Calgary Westin Hotel) in 1969, to accompany the opening of a new restaurant, Marco’s. In its original form, it contained tomato juice and mashed clams; Clamato had only just been released (with the assistance of Chell) by the Mott’s company that very year, and was not yet widely known or available. It typically contains vodka, clamato (a blend of tomato juice and clam broth), Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, and is served on the rocks in a large, celery salt-rimmed glass, and typically garnished with a stalk of celery and wedge of lime. (image source: The Cat’s Me’ass)

#3 Margrita – Oh, we’re getting down to my personal favourites. Personally, I love a good lime margarita on the rocks, but if you haven’t learned how to drink tequila yet, you probably won’t like the flavour. Frozen Margaritas are more standard, and the kind you’ll see on the patios everywhere.

You can make an ok Frozen Margarita using Limeaid, but I don’t recommend it. I find the stuff far too sweet and that it overwhelms the traditional flavours of the Margarita. Here’s a more classic recipe:

Salt
1 cup tequila
3/4 cup orange liqueur, such as Triple Sec or Cointreau
1 cup fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon sugar
Ice cubes

Instructions:
Rub the rims of the cocktail glasses with lime, then dip in salt to frost.
Combine first 4 ingredients in a 4-cup measuring cup.
FOR BLENDED MARGARITAS:
Fill blender halfway with ice cubes. Add half of margarita mixture. Blend until mixture is thick and icy. Divide between two glasses. Repeat with more ice cubes and remaining margarita mixture.
FOR MARGARITAS ON THE ROCKS:
Fill four glasses with ice cubes. Divide margarita mixture among glasses and serve.

#2 Beer – ahhh beer. My best friend and my worst enemy. There’s little else I like on a hot summer day than a good cold beer. For that crisp refreshing flavour you want on a hot day, reach for a lager or a hefeweizen (wheat beer).

Your lager ideally should be served in bottles that have been chilled to the point of almost having ice chips in them. Don’t freeze them (beer, unlike true spirits will freeze if you leave it in the freezer long enough because they’re only 4-6% alcohol. Beer slushies, while they sound interesting, really aren’t that good), but definitely get a good chill going on.

Any wheat beer (aka hefeweizen or white (pronounced whit) beer) is a delicious, refreshing drink on a sunny day as well. Add a lemon or orange wedge to bring out the citrus flavours in the beer and enjoy. Make sure you pour your Hefeweizen correctly however!

How To Pour Hefeweizen#1 Gin & Tonic – The number one summer drink, the classic Gin and Tonic. I sang it’s praises here, and now I’m about to do it again. I usually forget about this drink in favour of that cold crisp beer that I mention above, but every time I remember it’s live I’ve found my best friend again. Cool, crisp and goes down so very well, the Gin and Tonic is a lovely, and necessary addition to any summer cocktail top 10.

Stay tuned for a Top 10 “Guy” drinks coming up soon, followed by a Top 10 “Girl” drinks, and then a Top 10 “Not a Girly-Girl Girl” drinks.

(Remaining Images courtesy me on Flickr; video from Joe SixPack)