Hot enough for you? Then dive into a cool, tall drink — the kind they serve in the tropics — because, hello, lately that’s what it feels like outside. These drinks are made with the fruit of the tropics, sweet (and colorful) purees of papaya, watermelon, mango and banana. Add them to the juices of pineapples and freshly squeezed oranges, lemons and limes, and you have a summer sipper that will keep you cooler than a sun-dappled pool.
Maybe you need a break from fruit drinks. Then consider an iced latte with Kahlua. Do your tastes lean toward iced tea? This time, it gets a lemon-infused punch (there’s that fruit essence) with flavored rum.
Made with alcohol or without, these drinks spell R-E-F-R-E-S-H-I-N-G. (If you don’t want alcohol, simply substitute sparkling water.)
BLUEBERRY LEMONADE
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups water
3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 cup fresh blueberries
4 mint leaves
Rose’s Lime Juice
Superfine sugar
Ice
Directions
1. In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring water to a boil. Add sugar and cook until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.
2. Strain lemon juice through a fine-mesh sieve into water. Mix well, cool and transfer to a tightly sealed glass jar or pitcher and refrigerate.
3. When ready to serve, rub rim of a 16-oz. tumbler with Rose’s Lime Juice and dip rim of glass into superfine sugar.
4. In a cocktail shaker, combine 1/4 cup blueberries and 1 mint leaf and muddle until mint is broken down.Transfer mixture to prepared glass, fill with ice, top with lemonade and stir. Repeat with remaining glasses.
PAPAYA DAIQUIRI
Serves 1
Ingredients
2 ounces light rum
1 ounce fresh lime juice, plus 1 full-moon lime slice, for garnish
1 teaspoon superfine sugar, or to taste
3/4 cup diced ripe papaya
1/2 cup ice cubes
Directions
1. Combine rum, lime juice, sugar, papaya and ice cubes in a blender and process until smooth.
2.Pour into a chilled wine glass and garnish with the lime slice.
ECCO FREDDO
Serves 1
Ingredients
1 small slice of watermelon
1 teaspoon sugar
1 ounce pineapple juice
2 1/2 ounces pinot grigio
Ice
Directions
1.Muddle a slice of watermelon with the sugar. Add the pineapple juice and wine. Pour with ice into a shaker and shake vigorously.
2.Pour into a highball glass and garnish with watermelon and pineapple slice.
KAHLUA FRENCH VANILLA ICED LATTE Serves 2
Ingredients
3 ounces Kahlua French Vanilla
1 ounce vodka
1 ounce milk or cream
2 ounces chilled coffee
Ice
Directions
1. Shake together the Kahlua, vodka, milk and chilled coffee.
2.Pour over ice and garnish.
LEMON SPARKLER
Serves 1
Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces limoncello
1 1/2 ounces fresh sour mix
Ice
3 ounces sparkling wine
Directions
Combine the limoncello and sour mix in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into chilled martini glass. Top off with sparkling wine. Garnish with a long lemon twist and mint sprig.
JAMAICAN BANANA COOLER
Serves 2
Ingredients
2 ounces light rum
1 ounce clear creme de cacao
1 ounce half-and-half
2 scoops vanilla ice cream
1 very ripe banana (the riper, the better)
1 cup ice cubes
Directions
1.Combine the rum, creme de cacao, half-and-half, ice cream, banana and ice cubes in a blender; process until smooth.
2.Pour into two chilled wine glasses. Sprinkle dark chocolate shavings on top, add cinnamon sticks and serve.
DO THE MATH
Ingredients for alcoholic beverages usually are measured in ounces rather than in the cups and teaspoons typical of other recipes.
Here are their equivalencies:
1/3 ounce = 2 teaspoons
1 ounce = 2 tablespoons
2 ounces = 4 tablespoons
