Article by Mama Jock
Cucumber Pineapple Tequila Cooler
1 cup fresh pineapple cubes
2 limes, skin removed
1 seedless European cucumber, peeled, plus cucumber slices, for garnish
4 oz. silver (blanco) tequila
1 1/2 cups ice cubes, plus more for serving
1 TBSP. agave nectar
Pinch salt
Prepare a vegetable juicer, or blender, if unavailable.
Run the pineapple, limes and cucumber through the juicer, letting all the juices combine.
Pour the tequila into a cocktail shaker or pitcher, and then add the juices, ice, agave and salt.
Shake or stir vigorously until chilled.
Line up 4 Tom Collins glasses filled with ice, and pour the tequila cooler over.
Serve with straws and cucumber slices for garnish.
Serves 4.
White Sangria
2 bottles white wine, chilled
1 cup brandy
2 naval oranges, slices
1 lemon, sliced
1 lime, sliced
1/4 cup superfine sugar
Pour the wine and brandy over the fruit and sugar in a large serving bowl.
Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Stick a ladle in the sangria so people can serve themselves and have a bucket of ice by the side of the bowl.
12 to 15 Servings.
Watermelon Martinis
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
5 cups seedless watermelon
2 TBSP. lemon juice
1 1/4 cups vodka
2 oz. melon liqueur, optional
8 lemon twist, for garnish
Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan and cook until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Let cool.
In a food processor, puree the watermelon flesh.
Add a little of the sugar syrup to sweeten, to taste.
Pour the pureed watermelon into 2 empty ice trays and freeze for at least 4 hours.
In a blender, combine the frozen watermelon cubes, more simple syrup to taste, lemon juice and vodka, melon liqueur and blend until smooth.
Pour into 8 frozen martini glasses and garnish with a lemon twist.
Serves 8.
Fresh Peach Bellinis
2 ripe peaches, seeded and diced
1 TBSP. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp. sugar
1 bottle chilled prosecco sparkling wine
Place the peaches, lemon juice, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until smooth.
Press the mixture through a sieve and discard the peach solids in the sieve.
Place 2 TBSP. of the peach puree into each
Champagne glass and fill with cold prosecco.
Serve immediately.
Serves 6-8.
Passion Fruit Punch
1 1/2 oz. Smirnoff Passion Fruit Vodka
1 splash cranberry juice
1 splash pineapple juice
1 splash grapefruit juice
2 dash bitters
1 splash lemon-lime soda
1 piece pineapple
1 piece orange
1 piece cherry
Build first 5 ingredients in a collins glass over ice.
Top with lemon-lime soda.
Garnish with pineapple wedge, an orange slice, and a cherry.
Serves 1.
Mango Daiquiris
1 ripe mango, peeled, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup lime juice (2 limes)
1 tsp. simple syrup
3/4 cup white rum
Crushed ice
Place the mango, lime juice, sugar syrup and rum in a blender and process until smooth.
Pour the mixture over a glass full of crushed ice.
Note: To make simple syrup, heat 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan until sugar dissolves.
Serves 4.
Rasberry Mimosa
8 tsp. raspberry liqueur, such as Chambord
8 raspberries, plus more for garnish
3 cups fresh orange juice
1 bottle champagne, prossecco or sparkling white wine
Pour 1 tsp. raspberry liqueur into 8 champagne flutes.
Add a raspberry to each and muddle with the handle of a wooden spoon.
Fill the glasses halfway with orange juice and then finish with champagne.
Serves 8.
Rum Punch
8 cups white rum
4 cups Watermelon Puree, recipe follows
3 cups orange juice
1 cup lime juice
Watermelon Puree:
5 cups fresh watermelon, cubed
5 oz. orange-flavored cognac liqueur
15 fresh basil leaves, shredded
Mix and stir the rum, watermelon, Watermelon Puree, orange juice and lime juice.
Serve over ice in chilled cocktail glasses.
Muddle the watermelon, liqueur and basil until you reach a thick and slightly puree consistency.
Yield: 1 Gallon.
Mojito Limeade
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, plus sprigs for garnish
2 limes, cut into wedges
2 cups crushed ice
1 cup Lime-Mint Syrup, reciped follows
1 liter white rum
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
Lime-Mint Syrup:
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
2 limes, zested
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
For the Syrup:
Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a medium saucepan and cook until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Remove from heat, stir in the lime zest and mint; let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Strain out the mint and zest and refrigerate the syrup, covered, until cold.
Muddle the mint leaves and lime wedges with 2 cups crushed ice in the bottom of a large pitcher.
Add Lime-Mint Syrup, rum, lime juice and more ice.
Top off with club soda, to taste.
Pour into glasses over ice and serve.
Garnish with mint sprigs.
Yield: 8 Drinks.
Margarita
2 oz. 100% agave silver/blanco tequila, divided
1 TBSP. kosher salt
4 limes, divided
1/2 small Valencia orange
2 TBSP. light agave nectar
3 to 4 ice cubes
Pour 1/2 oz. of the tequila into a small saucer.
Spread the kosher salt in a separate small saucer.
Dip the rim of a martini or other wide rimmed glass into the tequila.
Lift out of the tequila and hold upside down for 10 seconds to allow for slight evaporation.
Next, dip the glass into the salt to coat the rim.
Set aside.
Halve 2 of the limes and cut a thin slice for garnish from 1, and set aside.
Juice the halved limes into the bottom of a Boston-style cocktail shaker.
Cut the remaining 2 limes and the orange into quarters and add them to the juice in the shaker.
Add the agave nectar to and muddle for 2 minutes until the juices are released.
Strain the juice mixture through a cocktail strainer into the top of the shaker and discard the solids.
Return the juice to the bottom of the shaker, add the remaining 1 1/2 ozs. of tequila and any remaining on the saucer.
Add the ice to the shaker, cover and shake for 30 seconds.
Strain the mixture through a cocktail strainer into the prepared glass, garnish with reserved lime slice and serve immediately.
Yield: 1 Drink.
Bourbon Smash
3/4 oz. simple syrup
8 fresh mint leaves, plus 1 sprig, for garnish
3 lemon wedges
2 oz. bourbon
Put the simple syrup, mint leaves and lemon wedges into a cocktail shaker and muddle them until the lemons are broken down.
Add the bourbon and fill the shaker with ice; using a long cocktail spoon, stir vigorously until very cold.
Fill a rock glass with ice and use a fine strainer to strain the drink into the glass.
Put a mint sprig in the palm of one hand and gently smack it with the fingers of your other hand to release the oil and fragrance.
Garnish the drink with the sprig and serve.
Yield 1 Drink.
Singapore Sling
2 shots pineapple juice
1 shot gin
Lemon
Lime
Grenadine
Seltzer
Combine 2 shots of pineapple juice, a shot of gin and a squeeze of lime juice in a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously.
Strain into a glass with ice.
Add a splash of seltzer and a spoonful of grenadine.
Garnish with a lime wedge and a cherry.
Makes 1 serving.
Long Island Iced Tea
6 ice cubes
1/2 jigger gin
1/2 jigger vodka
1/2 jigger white rum
1/2 jigger tequila
1/2 jigger Cointreau
1/2 jigger fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. simple syrup
Cola
Lemon slice
Place ice cubes in a mixing glass.
Add gin, vodka, rum, tequila, Cointreau, lemon juice and simple syrup.
Stir well and strain into a tall glass filled with ice cubes.
Add enough cola to fill the glass.
Decorate with lemon slice.
Mint Julip
5 fresh mint leaves
1 tsp sugar
2 1/2 oz. bourbon whiskey
Lemon slice
Orange slice
Maraschino cherry
Place mint leaves, sugar and a splash of water into a 12 oz. Tom Collins glass.
Middle the mint, sugar and water together with the tip of a wooden spoon handle.
Fill the glass with ice cubes and add bourbon.
Garnish with lemon or orange slice, a cherry and a few extra springs of mint.
Yield: 1 serving.
Blackberry - Bourbon
Iced Tea
3 cups fresh blackberries
3/4 cup sugar
2 TBSP. fresh mint, chopped
6 black tea bags
Bourbon
Mash blackberries, sugar and chopped mint in a large bowl.
Set aside.
Bring 1 1/2 quarts of cold water to a boil in a medium saucepan.
Remove from heat.
Add tea bags and let steep for 3 minutes.
Remove tea bags and pour over blackberry mixture.
Let sit at room temperature for a least an hour.
Pour the mixture through a strainer. Press on the solids to gain extra flavor.
Cover and refrigerate at least for 2 1/2 hours.
Serve in tall glasses with a shot of bourbon on top.
Garnish with fresh mint.
Yield: 4-6 Servings.
Coconut-Banana Colada
2 ripe bananas, peeled, quartered and frozen
1 cup canned, crushed pineapple in juice
3 oz. coconut rum or dark rum
1 cup canned cream of coconut
1 lime, halved
1/4 cup shredded coconut, toasted, for garnish
Put the bananas and pineapple in a blender.
Puree until smooth.
Add the rum, cream of coconut, 2 cups of ice cubes and the juice of half a lime.
Blend until smooth and frothy.
Thinly slice lime.
Pour into glasses and garnish with lime slices and toasted coconut.
Pink Margaritas
1 cup tequila
1 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup orange liqueur
1/2 cup cranberry juice
Stir together all ingredients until sugar is dissolved.
Pour desired amount of mixture into a cocktail shaker filled with ice cubes.
Cover with lid and shake 30 seconds.
Strain into cocktail glasses.
Repeat with remaining mixture.
Serve immediately or make ahead.
Mix up several batches of the Margaritas 3 to 4 hours before the party starts, and chill in decorative bottles or pitchers, ready to shake and serve when guests arrive.
Yields 3 servings.
