Sip in the Sun: The BEST Summer Cocktails

Late Harvet Wine and Campari Cocktails

3 3/4 cups sweet late-harvest white wine, such as Riesling
2 1/4 cups fresh orange juice
1 cup Campari
Ice, for serving

DIRECTIONS
In a large pitcher, mix the white wine with the fresh orange juice and Campari. Refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours. Fill tall glasses with ice, pour the cocktail over the ice and serve.

Blood Orange Margarita

1 quart fresh blood orange juice or fresh orange juice (about 12 blood oranges or 8 large navel oranges)
1 1/2 cups fresh lime juice (about 12 limes)
1 1/2 cups Cointreau or other triple sec
3 1/2 cups silver tequila
Kosher salt
1 blood orange or orange wedge, plus 12 thin blood orange or orange slices
Ice
1 dozen small sage sprigs or leaves

In a large pitcher, mix the blood orange juice with the lime juice, Cointreau and silver tequila. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 30 minutes.
Spread a small mound of salt on a small plate. Moisten the outer rim of 12 martini glasses with the orange wedge, then dip the rims into the salt to lightly coat.
Add ice to the pitcher and stir well, then strain into the prepared glasses. Garnish each margarita with a blood orange slice and a sage sprig and serve.

Mai Tai's

Though this isn’t anything terribly new to the experience cocktails drinker it is one of the best for Summer. “Maita’i” is the Tahitian word for “good.” And they’re exactly that. Though they orginated in California the best one is can be found in Hawaii.

The Romeo and Juliet

Gin, mint, cucumber, lime, bitters for accent, and a drop of rose water for elegance

The Gin-Gin Mule

This is a new one: The Portuguese Daisy

The Portuguese Daisy is made with 2 ounces of port, 1 ounce of brandy, 1 ounce of lemon juice, ½ teaspoon of superfine sugar, and ½ teaspoon of Grenadine, shaken with ice and strained into a lowball glass.

The Ritz Cider

Fill a large wine glass with ice.
Half fill with apple juice, preferably fresh.
Fill to the top with an inexpensive champagne, such as Castellane, or domestic sparkling wine like Mumm Cuvée Napa Brut.

Try a Dark and Stormy....this is for the advanced drinker.

Ice cubes
1 to 2 juicy limes (you need 1-ounce juice and a wheel for garnish)
1 ounce golden rum,(recommended: Mount Gay)
6 ounces ginger beer
1/2 ounce dark rum, (recommended: Meyers’s)
Directions
Fill a highball glass or large wine goblet with ice cubes. Add the lime juice and the golden rum. Top off with the ginger beer and stir lightly. Float a layer of the dark rum on top by pouring it over the back of a wide, flat spoon. (Don’t worry if it doesn’t float; it tastes great either way.) Garnish with the lime wheel. Drink

Rose Sangria and Cranberry with Apples

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 large cinnamon stick
4 allspice berries
3 whole cloves
1 star anise pod
2 cups cranberries
2 Granny Smith apples, diced
One 750-milliliter bottle Spanish rosé
1/3 cup ruby port
1/3 cup Cointreau
1/3 cup cranberry juice
Ice cubes, for serving

DIRECTIONS
In a saucepan, mix the water, sugar, crushed red pepper, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and star anise. Simmer the syrup over moderately low heat for 15 minutes. Strain into a bowl and add the cranberries and apples. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Strain the fruit, reserving the spiced syrup. In a large pitcher, mix the rosé with the port, Cointreau, cranberry juice, fruit and 3/4 cup of the spiced syrup. Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour. Serve over ice.

Vodka Thyme Lemonade

4 lemon wedges and superfine sugar
Ice
2 ounces Lemon-Thyme Syrup
2 ounces citrus vodka
1 ounce chilled club soda
1 lemon thyme sprig

Moisten the outer rim of a highball glass with 1 lemon wedge and coat lightly with superfine sugar. Add ice to the glass. In a cocktail shaker, muddle the remaining 3 lemon wedges with the Lemon-Thyme Syrup. Add ice and the vodka and shake well. Stir in the club soda. Strain the drink into the prepared highball glass and garnish with the lemon thyme sprig.

GIN AND TONIC

The Sungold Zinger

Sungold tomatoes with gin and elderflower liqueur.

If you can’t jaunt off to New Orleans try to make it at home:

The Sky Terrace at The Hudson Hotel in NYC

Sip on the Pimm's Cup

1 large pitcher
A lot of ice
1 750-ml bottle of Pimm’s Cup
3 750-ml bottles of 7UP or Sprite
1 750-ml bottle of club soda
1 cucumber sliced
1 lemon, sliced

Fill the pitcher with ice.
Add half the lemon and cucumber.
Fill the pitcher with 1 part Pimm’s and three parts 7UP or Sprite, adding several splashes of the club soda to cut the sweetness.
Fill tall glasses with ice and top each with a slice each of cucumber and lemon.
Pour the Pimm’s Cup mixture into the glasses.