It is hot and steamy in Central Virginia. Typical weather for mid-July. My favorite time of day is six o’clock, when I pour myself a cold drink and escape with a good book for a brief period before the hectic dinner hour arrives. I wanted to share some of my favorite summertime drink with you. Nothing too sweet. Simple and refreshing.
1 cup cucumber vodka
1 cup tonic water
1/2 cup cucumber juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup simple syrup (equal amounts sugar and water heated until sugar dissolves; cool)
Handful fresh mint leaves
Ice cubes, for serving
Divide the ingredients in half, add each half to a cocktail shaker and shake to combine. Pour over rocks glasses filled with ice and serve.
Recipe courtesy of Bobby Flay
Squeeze the juice from half a lime (about 1/2 ounce) into a copper cup; drop in the lime shell. Add ice cubes, then add 2 ounces of vodka and fill the cup with ginger beer. If you must substitute ginger ale for the ginger beer, mix in a small amount of fresh, grated ginger to give it a little burn.
1 1/2 parts Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka or Firefly Skinny Tea
3 parts lemonade or water with lemon juice
Image courtesy of Inside Cuisine
Ocean Spray Sparkling Cranberry (I like the diet version) and vodka. Easy-peasy.
Image courtesy of Pinterest
Handful of blueberries and mint.
Stolis blueberry vodka.
Sanpellegrino Lemonata Sparkling Lemon Juice.