recipes with sylvie :: summer cocktails

hello there, how are you doing? it’s friday friends, how great is that? any nice plans for the weekend? i’m happy that the temperatures got a little lower, because it was almost unbearable! that and all the noise coming from the construction work on my street, was driving me crazy! and as i was talking about the weekend and summer temperatures, i have a special thing for you! well sylvie has a special treat! as you know we usually do this feature on the last friday of every month, and sylvie is our guest-blogger with a roundup on recipes focused on a theme she chooses! you can read more about sylvie and check on all the features published so far here! and as i was saying, sylvie brought a delicious roundup and perfect for summer – cocktails! and now it’s up to sylvie!

“summer is here; a season filled with picnics on the beach, warm evenings, and dinners served al fresco.  you can’t help but be happy during the summer months; the world opens up, windows and back doors are swung open to welcome the mild breeze inside and everyone seems more relaxed while life slows down. during summer the best drinks are full of flavor and just plain refreshing. enjoy these summer-inspired drinks for picnics, parties or just while hanging out with friends this season.  a cool glass of any of these is just right on one of those lovely, long, lazy summer days.”

sparkling pineapple mint juice | summer drink ideas from sylvie of gourmande in the kitchen– i first fell in love with the idea of a pairing pineapple with mint when i did the blueprint cleanse. their juice was so good that i had to recreate a version of it at home.  the sweet yet acidic taste of fresh pineapple combines perfectly with fresh mint and a little sparkling water adds some fizz.

cardamom berry smash from sam at today’s nest – sam tells us this cocktail is as sweet as summer with a deep flavor of fresh black berries and with exotic spices from the cardamom syrup. it’s a refreshing relief to the summer heat. you’ll need a cocktail shaker, a double old fashioned glass, your favorite london dry gin, green cardamom pods, fresh blackberries, heaps of ice, and fresh mint to whip one up yourself. the key ingredient to this summer creation is the fresh cardamom syrup which has a distinct citrusy flavor profile that matches nicely with the light gin.

blood orange sangria from katie of epicurean mom – katie offers us a wonderful citrusy sangria to help cool us down. i just love the vibrant crimson color of this sangria.  lime and blood orange also complement each other beautifully in this twist on a classic summer sipper.

watermelon lemonade from najwa of delicious shots – with watermelon popping up everywhere in the summer it’s only natural to get your fill while you can.  watermelon lemonade is what najwa turns to on a hot summer day. with few ingredients you can have a refreshing drink the whole family can enjoy or you turn it into a signature cocktail for a party or by adding vodka or the alcohol of your choice. if you have leftovers, she tells us this makes fabulous popsicles as well!

oh watermelon lemonade?? this must be so delicious! i love watermelon and two days ago i made lemonade, because it was so hot, all i could think of was something really fresh and not too sweet! i’ll be trying this last cocktail for sure! i really enjoy these recipes, because sometimes i lack of new ideas about drinks! and it would be so great to host a summer dinner here at home and delight the guests with something different than cold beer! ok, really cold beer tastes wonderfully in this time of the year, but as we can make this into an alcoholic cocktail, that might do the trick! and now i’ll be gone for today! i hope you can catch up on this week’s posts and stay tuned on facebook!

ps. images were all courtesy of the authors! thank you all for collaborating with this feature!