Sweetened iced tea and sangria are as much a summer signature as baseball and barbecue. Cocktails are an amazing way to cool off as temperatures rise, or can help warm up any celebration. If you want to add some fresh excitement to a seasonal drink, spices, spirits and fun servings can make a summer drink shine.
Here are three tricks to help make your summer cocktail unique:
Color your cocktail
Summer is full of color, from the plush flowers and leaves to the brighter colours of clothing and even the rainbow colours of youngsters’s ice cream. Let the richness of color motivate your summer cocktails.
Create cheer with a vibrant green by tossing basil or mint in your choice of clear spirit. Cheer up your guests with bright red thanks to fresh summer tomato juice. Liquid watermelon gives any cocktail a pink hue, while crushed raspberries or blueberries add a rich, textured appeal.
season
Whether you want to add a hot zest to the coolness of a cocktail, or balance the sweetness of a mixed drink, spices and herbs are an amazing way to layer flavors in a drink. Herbs like basil and mint are staples for summer cocktails, but experimenting with other herbs and spices can produce some memorable combinations.
The heat of chipotle salt can be the perfect coating for a sweet, fruit-based drink. Cardamom adds an exotic flare to traditional cocktails like the Moscow Mules, while traditional iced tea gets an Asian treatment with the addition of Five Spice Powder.
Try these two spice-packed and uplifting summer cocktails from Simply Organic, a producer of premium-quality USDA-certified organic seasonings and condiments:
Watermelon Margarita with Chipotle Salt Rim
What’s cooler than a watermelon on a hot summer afternoon? Kicking off the heat with smoky chipotle salt, that is what it’s!
Ingredients:
4 cups of frozen watermelon chunks
1/2 cup silver tequila
1/4 cup lime juice (about 3 to 4 limes, juiced)
2 tablespoons of cane sugar
2 tablespoons of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon Simple Organic Chipotle Powder
Direction:
In a blender, combine the watermelon, tequila, lime juice and cane sugar. Blend until smooth.
In a small plate, mix the salt and chipotle powder. Wet the rim of the glass with a piece of watermelon or water and dip it in chipotle salt. Serve instantly.
Five Spice Iced Tea Cocktail
A classic summer drink, iced tea gets an Asian-inspired treatment in this recipe.
Ingredients:
6 glasses of water
2 large oranges, quartered, plus more for garnish, sliced
5 black tea bags
1 tablespoon of Simply Organic Five Spice Powder
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 cups Triple Sec
Simple Organic Cinnamon Stick, for garnish
Direction:
In a saucepan over high heat, bring the water to a boil. Squeeze the juice from the oranges into the water, then add the squeezed oranges.
Add the tea bag, five spice powder and honey. Gently shake the tea and let it sit for 10 minutes.
Into a half-gallon pitcher, strain the tea through a fine-mesh strainer. Add Triple Sec and serve over ice. Garnish with fresh orange slices and cinnamon stick.
Nice presentation
Summer cocktails are all about cool fun, and you can underscore that theme by serving unique summer drinks in creative containers. For example, rather than pouring sangria into a wine glass, try serving it in a clear dessert bowl to show off its vibrant color. Plus, the wide bowl makes it easier to access and eat the fruit when the sangria runs out.
Serve your spiced iced tea in a mason jar with a lemon wedge for garnish. Or, dip your Cardamom Moscow Mule into a copper cup to give guests the cool visual effect of condensation on the metal.
For more summer cocktails infused with spices, visit http://summer.simplyorganic.com/summer/.
Article Submitted by BPT
