Cocktails to Brighten Your Summer!

Summer is Here! Enjoy some fun in the sun with these tasty cocktails!

SICILIAN SLUSHIES

• ½ cup Campari
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• ¼ cup fresh orange juice
• ¼ cup gin (Gray's Peak)
• ¼ cup or more simple syrup (Collins)
• 4 orange wheels

Blend Campari, lemon juice, orange juice, gin, simple syrup, and 6 cups ice in a blender until smooth. Taste and add more simple syrup, if desired. Divide among 4 rocks glasses and garnish with orange wheels.

APEROL SPRITZ

• 1 Orange
• 6 oz Prosecco (Montelliana Extra Dry)
• 4 oz Aperol
• Splash of Club Soda

Slice oranges. Pour Prosecco and then Aperol into 2 rocks glass filled with ice. Top off with soda and gently stir with swizzle stick and add fresh oroange slice.

BLACKBERRY JAM BOURBON COCKTAIL

• 2 oz. Bourbon (Jeffer's Creek)
• 1 Tbls Blackberry Jam
• 3⁄4 oz. fresh lime juice
• 1⁄2 oz. simple syrup
• 1 Tbls Honey
• Sprigs fresh mint

Shake strain over ice and top with a little club soda. Garnish with mint and fresh blackberries

WATERMELON MARGARITAS

• 6 ounces fresh watermelon juice (from about 1 1/2 cups chopped seedless watermelon, blended and strained)
• 2 ounces blanco tequila, (Cuesta Mesa)
• 2 ounces Cointreau
• 2 ounces fresh lime juice (from 1 to 2 large limes)
• 2 to 3 thinly sliced jalapeño rounds 

In a shaker filled with ice, combine the watermelon juice, tequila, Cointreau, lime juice and jalapeño . Shake to combine.

KEY LIME GIMLET

• 4 thin slices Key lime or halved slices regular lime
• 1 cup gin (Three Bridges)
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed Key lime juice or regular lime juice
• 3 Tbls. simple sugar syrup
• Plain seltzer

Put the lime slices in 4 ice cube tray sections, fill with water, and freeze.
About 1 hour before serving, combine the gin, lime juice, and simple syrup in a cocktail pitcher. Stir to mix and refrigerate.
Just before serving, put the ice cubes in 4 small tumblers or stemless cocktail glasses and pour the gimlets over. Top with a splash of seltzer. Makes 4 cocktails.

STRAWBERRY LEMON WHITE WINE SANGRIA

• 1 Bottle of Pinot Grigio (Villa Floriano)
• 12 Strawberries Sliced
• 2 Lemons
• 1⁄4 C. Simple Syrup
• 2⁄3 C. Vodka (Gray's Peak)
• 1 cup lemon-lime soda

Add the bottle of wine, vodka and strawberries to a large pitcher. Mince the rind of 1 whole lemon and add the zest to the wine. Squeeze out the juice of the same lemon and add to the mixture. Thinly slice the remaining lemon and add to the mixture. Add the simple syrup and lemon-lime soda; lightly stir. Cover and allow it to infuse for at least 30 minutes prior to serving. Serve in glasses with ice.

MAI TAI COCKTAIL

• 1 ½ ounces white rum (Tropic Isle Palms)
• 3⁄4 ounce cointreau
• 3⁄4 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
• 1⁄2 ounce Collins Orgeat Mix
• 1⁄2 ounce Dark Rum (Tropic Isle Palms)
• Lime, Pineapple Slice & Maraschino Cherry for Garnish

Add the white rum, cointreau, lime juice and orgeat into a shaker with crushed ice and shake lightly (about 3 seconds).
Pour into a double rocks glass.
Float the dark rum over the top. Garnish with a lime peel, pineapple slice and cherry