Favorite Summer Drink Recipes

  • September 09, 2020
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During the summers of my childhood, the highlight of many hot afternoons was sipping homemade lemonade, root beer or tea. What fun we had under the oak trees at Aunt Belle’s slurping the beverages chilled with ice that had been crushed by beating ice cubes wrapped in a towel with an old hammer! These days, what with the plethora of bottled, canned and ready-to- mix drinks on the market, half the fun, that of gathering ingredients and making the concoctions, is gone. With the summer stretching before me, nieces and nephews, some of them with their own young children, are already calling to set aside some time to spend in my tree-shaded yard with plastic swimming pools, I’m gathering some old-time drink recipes.


LEMON CREAM SODA

2 quarts water

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice, or more to taste

3/4 cup light brown sugar, or more to taste

1 teaspoon vanilla

Club soda * optional

Crushed ice

In a large pitcher combine the water, lemon juice, sugar and vanilla. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Serve over crushed ice and top with a splash of club soda.

TEA PUNCH

6 individual size tea bags

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup fresh lemon juice

1 cup pineapple juice

1/4 cup grenadine

1 quart chilled ginger ale

Combine the tea bags with 2 cups of boiling water and steep. Discard the bags. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Add the fruit juices and grenadine. Chill for several hours. When ready to serve, add the chilled ginger ale. If you have fresh mint, use a sprig for garnish.

GRAPE ICE SLUSHY

3 1/2 cups water

3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 (12-ounce) can frozen grape juice concentrate, undiluted

Combine the water and sugar in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the remaining ingredients, stirring until the grape concentrate is completely melted. Pour the mixture into freeze trays or a plastic bowl. Freeze until firm. Stir several times during the freezing process. The adults can enjoy these cooling drinks.

BOURBON PUNCH

Makes about 3 quarts

1 (6-ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed and undiluted

1 (6-ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed and undiluted

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

2 cups bourbon

1 (2-liter) bottle lemon-lime carbonated beverage, chilled

1 (10-ounce) bottle club soda, chilled

Combine the orange juice, lemonade, lemon juice and bourbon and mix well. Chill for several hours. When ready to serve, add the lemon-lime beverage and club soda and mix. Pour over crushed ice to serve. Hors d’ouevres can be as simple as cheeses and crackers, but if you want to take a little more effort, here are some easy tasty treats.

THE BUSHWACKER

Makes 2 servings

3 to 4 scoops vanilla ice cream

Ice

1 1/2 jiggers dark rum

1 jigger light rum

1/2 jigger Creme de Cocoa

1/2 jigger Kahlua

Dash of 151 rum (optional)

Put the ice cream and liquors in a blender and pulse to blend. Add the ice to an inch or two to the top of the blender container and blend until smooth. If the mixture freezes, add a few drops of water. Pour into an old-fashion glass and top with a dash of the 151 rum.

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