Summer Cocktails
It is officially here, well apart from the recent flooding British Summer Time has officially arrived.
As I sit in the garden with a cold Estrella I start procrastinating about the summer ahead. I feel something coming over me and get the sudden urge to become a bit of a nosey neighbour and start peering over fences. Now please trust me I am not disturbed, nor am I a serial killer or on a restriction order.
But the urge was due to some intriguing aromas (beyond the Souvlaki and burnt sausages) that were infiltrating my senses from all corners, I could smell a hint of Jalapeno, a whiff of Watermelon, and a strong aroma of raspberries. That got me thinking about the various amounts of possible summer cocktails and on top of this how they can be tailored to please anyone’s palate.
Sometimes cocktails need a twist and I was on the hunt. The one that left me drooling the most was the use of Watermelon, unfortunately I was left a bit disappointed when I found out the simple neighbours next door had mixed it with rum, and that was about it, no ice, just rum and watermelon juice.
So with hunt still on I thought about and Googled 3 potential cocktails with them items in mind. The first I came across was a Watermelon Martini, with some sugar, hint of lemon, water and of course good vodka. My best result came with a Cîroc Summer Colada adding another beautiful taste of summer. Oh, and for even better results than me don’t forget to remove the seeds. I probably had too many cold Estrella’s by the time I decided to make this one.
The second cocktail that I came across was Cucumber Jalapeno Margarita, this is a better than it may sound. It is also simple to prepare with ingredients mixed together and chilled and then served in salt-rimmed glasses. This works well with most Tequila, but my favourite for any mixer being Jose Cuervo 1800 Silver, it works well due to its deep flavour and balances Tequila based cocktails. And with this Margarita don’t be tight on the liqueur or it will lose its summer magic, my recommendation is a Cointreau or a Grand Marnier.
The final one I came across that I tried, do remember I was quite tipsy now, was a Raspberry Mojito. This with its fresh lime, syrup and raspberry probably was my favourite, although I was now in my own personal happy hour at this time. For this one I used a white rum with a punch, and my suggestion is you use the same as me and plump for an El Dorado 3yr Blanco Rum.
As we post this we have just been through another washout, but I am filled with optimism and believe summer is just around the corner again…