Let’s Drink to Summer!

June 27, 2017

A fruit-filled, kid-friendly drink or an adult-pleasing cocktail are welcome treats on hot summer days. So, slip into something more comfortable, like a pair of flip flops and shorts, and stir things up!

KID-FRIENDLY DRINKS

Kids love watermelon, which makes this blended drink perfect for family barbeques and summer parties. Mama’s Gotta Bake blitzes watermelon and cucumber in a blender with mint, sugar, salt and lime. Your mouth is watering, right?

Lemonade is a hands-down warm-weather favorite for any age, and you can do it the old-fashioned way, with a slice of lemon (and serve it in a mason jar with a striped straw!), or you can give it one of these fruity twists.

Sparkling Blueberry Lemonade might turn your lips, teeth and tongue blue, but it’s a tasty thirst quencher. And so is the Strawberry-Limeade Slushie from Inside Bru Crew Life. (And both are easily cocktails with a jigger of vodka!)

Sober Julie offers up her super simple non-alcoholic version of a mojito with simple syrup, limes and mint leaves. Or you can go pineapple wild with juice from the prickly fruit, plus white grapes.

Mango Raspberry Punch with 7-Up® is a low-calorie drink that will hit your kids’ sweet spot all season long. Some of these drinks are habit-forming and may be your go-to refresher, long after summer’s over!

ADULT BEVERAGES (wink)

Meet Margarita’s sassy sister, the Pink Señorita. The salt-rimmed glass is still a must, but you’ll be tickled pink with this sweet and sour (and salty!) drink.

Let Chrissy Teigan tickle your taste buds with her signature Strawberry Pepper Thai cocktail. Her video at Delish.com shows you exactly how to shake it. Be a name-dropper and make it for friends!

This recipe for Lemon Mint Bourbon Sparklers uses a make-ahead lemon-mint syrup plus club soda and bourbon.

Not a bourbon drinker? Try a Delish.com Sour Watermelon Slushie! Soak ¼ cup of Sour Patch® Watermelon gummies overnight in vodka, add lemonade, Sprite® and crushed ice! Sippin’ candy for adults only!

ALTERNATIVE SUMMER SIPPERS

Coconut Lavender Lemonade looks exotic and tastes out of this world. A simple lavender syrup is the secret to this drink that you can boil up and chill beforehand.

Like grapefruit? For some, it’s a bit of an acquired taste. Same goes for rosemary, so this Grapefruit and Rosemary Mocktail from The Casual Craftlete might be for discriminating palates only! The recipe calls for pink grapefruit juice, sparkling water and simple rosemary syrup.

The Ginger Basil Grapefruit Mimosa is another grapefruit drink, again probably an acquired taste, and can easily be transformed into a sangria with a little white wine.

If you like Thai iced tea at $3-$4 a glass, you’re going to love knowing how to DIY. White on Rice Couple offers up a video tutorial noting the different options for the creamy layer. Choose from half-and-half, whole milk, coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk and even low-fat milk.

For more summer drinks to refresh your backyard barbeques – with and without alcohol – check out these additional 30 recipes from Better Homes and Gardens!

DRINK IN SOUTHSHORE

Start your blenders for these summer refreshers in the classy kitchens at Southshore, the master-planned community in Aurora next to the lake. Tour the brand new models from Richmond American Homes and Century Communities’ latest home designs at The Hills in Southshore! The brand-new ranch and two-story homes are priced from the upper $300s to the $700s.