When someone says “summer,” what comes to mind?
For many of us, it’s long, hot days, water, parties, friends, vacations, and, of course, refreshing cocktails to quench our thirst on the terrace of our favorite spot. But why not bring this home with you? Refreshing drinks are a surefire way to impress at a party or during hot summer days.
When the sun comes out, you’ll definitely appreciate having recipes for refreshing summer drinks at your fingertips. Be inspired by our selection and choose your favorite from many recipes. Alcoholic mixed drinks are always weaker than liqueurs and spirits alone.
The alcohol content is reduced during preparation, as the drink is diluted with ice and other non-alcoholic ingredients. Short drinks are served either as aperitifs, i.e. before a meal to stimulate the appetite, or as digestifs, i.e. after a meal to aid digestion.
Long drinks are served to refresh, quench thirst, or satisfy hunger. Although cocktail preparation seems very difficult, it is not. They look great and are not complicated to make. Here are a few recipes you can try yourself.
1. Mojito
This is a traditional Cuban cocktail that was also popular with Ernest Hemingway. Ingredients: white rum, cane sugar, lime, lime juice, fresh mint leaves, soda. Mojito is not mixed in a shaker but directly in a glass. Squeeze the juice from half a lime into a tall glass and add cane sugar.
Fill half the glass with crushed ice and break two sprigs of mint over the top. Muddle lightly with a muddler and fill the glass with ice to the brim. Add rum and stir. Finally, top with a dash of soda and garnish with a sprig of mint.
2. Bloody Mary
It is said that the Bloody Mary was named after Queen Mary of England, who allegedly had Protestants murdered. Some experts claim that it has the ability to cure a morning hangover, but this has not been proven.
Ingredients: vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, ground black pepper, salt. Put a few ice cubes in a shaker, add the ingredients and shake briefly. Garnish with a long celery stalk.
3. Margarita
This cocktail is particularly popular in the US and Mexico. It is said to have originated from an American mixed drink that contained brandy. However, this was difficult to find in Mexico, so bartenders replaced it with tequila. Ingredients: tequila, orange liqueur (Cointreau), lime juice, ice cubes.
4. Piña colada
This is an excellent cocktail for lovers of coconut and sweet long drinks. Ingredients: white rum, pineapple juice, cream, coconut milk. Mix all the ingredients together and shake well. Pour the finished frothy drink into glasses and add a few ice cubes. Finally, garnish with a slice of pineapple.
5. Sex on the Beach
This mixed drink is popular for its amazing sweet taste that tickles the taste buds on your tongue, and its name evokes summer fun by the water. Ingredients: vodka, peach liqueur, orange and cranberry juice, ice.
6. Cosmopolitan
This is a relatively new drink, but it has quickly won the hearts of many mixed drink lovers, especially women. It owes its popularity mainly to the TV series Sex and the City. Ingredients: lemon vodka, Contreau liqueur, cranberry juice, lime.
7. Mai Tai
It is not as well known as Mojito or Piña colada, but it certainly cannot be said that it tastes worse. This rum cocktail smells of tropical fruit, sun and beaches.
Its name comes from a Polynesian expression meaning “something good.” Ingredients: white rum, dark rum, curaçao liqueur, almond syrup, lime juice, ice.
8. Cuba Libre
This is a long mixed drink. It was invented in Havana around 1900. The name Cuba Libre came about when American soldiers toasted to a free Cuba with a drink that had previously been known as Bacardi & Coke. Ingredients: Cuban rum, orange juice, lemon juice, Coca-Cola, lime, ice.
9. Pimm’s
This is a brand of English fruit liqueur used to make a refreshing summer cocktail full of the flavors and aromas of the ingredients used. Ingredients: Pimm’s fruit liqueur, pomegranate juice, orange, cucumber, mint, soda, ice.
10. Martini
This is a popular drink that has been around for many years and still retains its unique character. Ingredients: gin, dry white vermouth, olive for garnish. And just like Agent James Bond: shake, don’t stir!
11. Long Island Iced Tea
Ingredients: vodka, gin, white rum, tequila, lime juice, Coca-Cola, sugar, cocktail cherry, and lime for garnish. Mix the vodka, gin, rum, tequila, lime juice, and sugar with ice in a shaker. Pour into a glass and garnish with lime and a cocktail cherry.
12. Sangria
It was launched at the New York World’s Fair in 1964. It was served at a Spanish culture stand and appealed to almost all guests. Ingredients: red wine, brandy, orange, lemon, apple, red melon, cane sugar, ice.
Mix all the liquids together and chop the fruit. Pour everything into a carafe, let it stand and serve with ice.
Mixed drinks can be prepared in several ways:
- in a blender with a knife, mix drinks to which fruit, ice cream, or eggs are added
- in a mixer, mix drinks with ice, because the ice would be crushed in a blender
- in a shaker, mix drinks with ice, sugar syrup, eggs, milk, cream, and fruit juice
- mix thin and transparent drinks in a mixing glass using a long spoon for mixing drinks
- mix larger quantities of thin drinks in a jug
- mix only simple drinks that are decorated only on the surface in serving glasses
Principles for preparing mixed drinks
- All ingredients used to prepare a drink must be at the same temperature.
- The colors and flavors of drinks must be harmoniously balanced.
- Only flawless ingredients and condiments that are fresh or properly stored should be used.
- The containers in which the drinks are mixed and the glasses into which they are poured must be perfectly clean.
- We adhere to the correct dosage, technological procedure, and preparation time.
- We never add ice to wine drinks, as ice dilutes the wine and impairs its taste; mixed drinks with wine are only served chilled.
- Ice is added to mixed drinks just before serving so that it does not melt. Drinks with ice are always served with a straw.
- Ice used in mixed drinks must be freshly prepared from clean drinking water in containers intended for ice.
- Sugar should only be added to mixed drinks in the form of syrups.
- Drinks should be mixed in suitable containers.
- If the mixing container does not have a strainer, the mixed drink should be strained through a well-washed strainer.
- Citrus fruits used with their peel must be thoroughly washed with a brush under running water.
And don’t forget that there are no limits to your imagination – that’s the motto for all mixed drinks.