Cocktails for The Dog Days

August 8, 2019 – The Summer of 2019 is almost in the history books but it’s still hot and we’re still inviting friends to gather around pool and patio for a final fling.  We’ve got some great cocktail suggestions to carry you from now through Labor Day.  They’re new, different and easy – we’re always big on easy.

RUM

Bacardi Rum has teamed up with model and former Miss Universe, Olivia Culpo, once again to create the perfect rum-filled sangria to cool off on hot summer nights. Made with Bacardi Lime, Olivia’s Summer Sangria is the refreshingly flavorful cocktail your taste buds have been craving.  Here’s her description:

“My Summer Sangria at the Back40 is inspired by one of my favorite drinks to make in the summer – Sangria! My brother is the bartender at our restaurant so he and I played around with different combinations until we found the perfect blend.  It combines the new Bacardi Lime flavored rum, Pama pomegranate liqueur, and prosecco.   It’s very light and refreshing so it makes a nice cocktail for summer! “

By the way, if you are weighing whether or not to invest in a bottle of Pama Pomegranate Liqueur, check their website for amazing recipes – even a flourless chocolate cake!

Olivia’s Summer Sangria

Exclusively at Back40 in North Kingstown, Rhode Island

1.5 parts Bacardi Lime Flavored Rum

0.5 part Pama Pomegranate Liqueur

1 part lemonade

Top with Sparkling Prosecco

Method: Shake ingredients and strain into a wine glass over ice, top with sparkling Prosecco. Garnish with a lime twist and edible flower.

TEQUILA

Tequila is the fastest growing spirit around the world and especially in the U.S.  High end brands – marketing types call them “aspirational” – such as Casamigos are especially popular.  So it’s safe to say if you serve a tequila cocktail you’ll have plenty of takers and be admired for being so trendy.

The recipe below calls for Combier L’Original Liqueur d’Orange.  Don’t panic.  This is a triple sec and every bar needs one.  What makes this version special is that it truly is the original triple sec created in 1834 in Saumur, France, by local confectioners Jean-Baptiste Combier and his wife, Josephine.  They operated out of their kitchen and shared a dream of inventing something new; something that had never existed before.  After much trial and error, they succeeded and happily, it is still available for us 185 years later.

This recipe for a sweet and spicy margarita comes to us from Casa Tua Cucina at Sak’s Brickell City Centre in Miami.

Raspberry Jalapeno Spicy Margarita

2 oz Casamigos Blanco Tequila

.75 oz Combier L’Original Liqueur D’Orange

1 oz fresh lime juice

.75 oz agave syrup

3-4 fresh raspberries

2-3 jalapeño slices

Salt rim

Method:  Salt the rim of a rocks glass. In a cocktail shaker, muddle 1-2 fresh raspberries and 1-2 jalapeño slices. Add all other ingredients and shake vigorously for 8-10 seconds. Double strain into the salt rimmed rocks glass. Decorate with 2 fresh raspberries and 1 jalapeño slice.

SELTZERS

Low alcohol, low calorie seltzers are the latest craze for health-conscious millennials and post-millennials (sometimes called Gen Z) but even if you’re over 40, anyone can enjoy a tall, refreshing, no sugar libation on a hot afternoon.  And they are so easy to put together you won’t even break a glow.  These recipes are courtesy of Heather Baird of Sprinkle Bakes, a baking and desserts blog.

Smirnoff Seltzer Pina Colada Splash

Yields 1 serving

6 oz. Smirnoff Seltzer Pina Colada

2 oz. pineapple juice (with no sugar added)

1 pineapple ring

1 maraschino cherry

Pineapple leaves or palm frond

Method:  Combine Smirnoff seltzer with pineapple juice in a cocktail stirring pitcher. Pour over ice in a tall cocktail glass. Add a skewered pineapple ring and cherry to the glass. Garnish with pineapple leaves or a small palm frond.

Smirnoff Seltzer White Peach Rosé Mango Punch

Yields 6 servings

48 oz. (4 cans) Smirnoff Seltzer White Peach Rose

2 cups mango juice (no sugar added)

2 fresh peaches, sliced

1 fresh mango, cubed

Mint sprigs for garnish

Method:  Pour Smirnoff Seltzer White Peach Rose and mango juice into a large pitcher. Stir. Add mango chunks and stir again briefly.  Serve in tall cocktail glasses filled with ice and garnish each glass with a citrus twist.

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