It’s already a few months into our boating season here in the Northeast. At the time of this writing, I’m praying the extreme winds we had in the Spring (did we have a Spring?) aren’t still being a nuisance. Great for sailing, not so much for the fishermen and the vacationers.
Over the years, we have discussed numerous recipes for many types of food but rarely talked about beverages to drink with all those good dishes. For summer drinks, there are so many types of iced teas, lemonades and non-alcoholic cocktails to be enjoyed. If you’re ever down South, you’ll find a lot of restaurants where they offer fresh peaches in their iced tea – it is so delicious. I usually use oranges or limes in mine.
I never really liked lemonade until I made the Raspberry version listed below. Now I make it every time I have friends and family over for a BBQ. And for those who don’t drink alcohol but desire something special, the non-alcoholic recipes below are from a collection I received as a gift last Christmas.
These recipes are easy to prepare. Whatever you decide to make, just make sure to refrigerate it so it’s nice and cold when you serve it. So very refreshing on a hot summer day. Enjoy.
Simple Raspberry Lemonade
4 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
Raspberry Syrup:
12 oz raspberries fresh
1 cups water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 cups lemon juice (about 7-8 lemons)
Extra raspberries for garnish
In a small saucepan, heat water and 3/4 cup of sugar until the sugar melts and dissolves completely. Set the simple syrup aside and allow it to cool.
Add raspberries, water, and sugar to a blender. Blend until a puree forms. Strain the pulp through a sieve to get raspberry syrup. Into a pitcher, add lemon juice, raspberry syrup and the simple syrup you made. Refrigerate. When ready to serve, pour over ice and garnish with more raspberries if desired. Makes 5 cups
Easy Tangy Quick Iced Tea
6 tea bags
3 cups of boiling water
1 28-oz. bottle of 7-Up
Garnishes: Thin slices of lemon, lime or oranges
Place the tea bags in a teapot and add the boiling water. Stir and allow to steep for 3-5 minutes, depending on how strong you like your tea. Pour into a large pitcher and chill.
When ready to serve, add the 7-Up. Pour over ice into your glasses and add the garnish of your choice. Makes 6 tall glasses.
Apricot Bellini (this is so good!)
2 cups of apricot nectar
Crushed Ice
1 bottle of sparkling white grape juice
Mint for garnish
Muddle the crushed ice and apricot nectar together in a pitcher. Top with the grape juice and chill. When ready to serve, pour into glasses, garnish with mint.
Summer Mai Tai
1 cup of orange juice
1 cup of pineapple juice
1/8 cup of lime juice
1/8 cup of almond syrup (found it in Walmart!)
Grenadine
1 cup of sparkling water or soda
Ice
Garnishes: Oranges, Limes, Cherries or Pineapple slices
Mix the 3 juices and almond syrup in a pitcher. Refrigerate until cool.
To serve, add ice to your glasses. Fill the glass halfway with the juice mixture. Add a splash of grenadine and top it off with the sparkling water or soda. Garnish with the fruit of your choice.