Recipes: Rum-tastic Summer Cocktails!

This summer I am obsessed with any delicious concoction featuring RUM!  Rum is the ultimate summertime beverage, calling to mind those amazing tiki bar/beach party movies like Gidget (circa 1959) with Sandra Dee and her dreamy leading men The Big Kahuna and Moon Doggie...and Beach Blanket Bingo with Annette Funicelo and Frankie Avalon!?

Summer always takes me back to those classic "The Brady Bunch go to Hawaii" re-runs or any episode of Gilligan's Island, The Love Boat or Fantasy Island! Besides...wouldn't any of those tv shows or movies be much funnier with a few fresh & fruity cocktails made with rum?! ;)

My current favorite is the Mai Tai...created by the legendary Trader Vic (Victor Bergeron) in 1944 and introduced to the Hawaiian islands in the 1950s. Mai Tai is Tahitian for "out of this world" as declared by his guest when creating this new drink for her. I love this quote about Trader Vic: "His pungent vocabulary and ribald air made him a popular host, as did his potent tropical cocktail concoctions and delicious Americanized adaptations of Polynesian food." Visit Trader Vic's website, you will learn the story behind this adventurous man and his penchant for making the world's best rum cocktails!

                                                         

Trader Vic's Original Mai Tai

• 2 ounces 17-year-old Jamaican rum
• 1/2 ounce orgeat (almond syrup)
• 1/2 ounce orange curacao
• Juice of one fresh lime
• 1/4 ounce rock candy syrup or Simple Syrup
• Lime slice for garnish
• Sprig of mint for garnish
• Shake ingredients and pour into an ice-packed glass. Garnish with lime and a sprig of mint.
• Makes 1 serving.

Mel's Raspberry Lime Mojito

This is a staple at my house in the summer time! So easy to make...and very few calories! Enjoy!

• 1.5 ounces Bacardi rum (clear)
• Seltzer water (flavored raspberry or lime)
• 1/2 ounce of Simple Syrup (or omit to save calories)
• 1/2 lime, cut into wedges
• A few sprigs of fresh mint
• A small handful of fresh (or frozen) red raspberries
• Pour the rum into tall metal shaker (or pint glass).
• Add in the fresh mint, raspberries and lime wedges, muddle with rum in the bottom of the glass with a wooden spoon.
• Shake ingredients and pour into an ice-packed glass.
• Add in simple syrup & fill the glass with Selzter.
• Garnish with lime and a sprig of fresh mint.
• Makes 1 serving.

Planter’s Punch

  

•1-1/2 oz. dark Rum
•1/2 oz. lime juice
•1/2 oz. lemon juice
•3 oz. orange juice
•1 teaspoon white sugar
•Dash of grenadine syrup
•Ice to fill
•Fill a tall glass with ice.
•Combine all ingredients in a shaker, and strain into the glass.
•Garnish with a fancy umbrella, a cherry & orange slice.
[Source: Tastings.com]

Recipes: Summertime Cocktails (Like A Virgin)!

It's been a lovely summer full of festive parties, baby showers, birthdays and BBQ's! I wanted to share some of the most delicious drink recipes my friends and I have come up with! Not everyone wants to get a "buzz" on when out for dinner...so, especially as I'm 7 months pregnant...I am really enjoying these creative, alchohol-free cocktails this summer!

Rachel & Hania's Pineapple Lemonade
Make a big pitcher...and be prepared to keep making more...as your guests with LOVE this new twist on a lemonade cooler!

• 1/2 pitcher lemonade - Newman's is good
• 1/2 pitcher pineapple juice
• Fresh sprigs of rosemary and/or mint
• Serve in a tall glass of ice with a lemon slice...enjoy!
• Keep virgin, or add in a shot of your favorite vodka or rum
  

MEL's "MAMA-JITOS"

While I love my cocktails with alcohol, I'm expecting my first baby in September so needed to move into "virgin" mode! I thought it would be nice to share some of my fave "mocktails" that everyone can enjoy!

• Add a few pinches of fresh mint to a tall glass
• Squeeze a few limes wedges into each glass
• Muddle limes and mint together with wooden spoon
• Optional: I love to add in fresh or frozen raspberries...or, watermelon or blueberries, or any favorite fruit!
• Add in a good amount of ice cubes to fill the glass
• Pour in 7Up or Sprite (it's easier than making simple syrup, but if you are a purist, make simple syrup & use plain or flavored seltzer)
• Optional: Add a splash of cranberry or pineapply juice
• Keep virgin, or add in a shot of your favorite rum
  

"LIKE A VIRGIN" WHITE SANGRIA
Nothing says summer in Spain...or Boston...like a big pitcher of Sangria. I have grown fond of white sangria lately...and here is an easy recipe to make the virgin version, either white or red.

• Fill 1/2 pitcher with non-alcoholic white wine, sparkling grape juice or apple-cider (found in most grocery stores)
• Add a few diced lemons, limes, oranges, peaches, strawberries, frozen raspberries...or, watermelon or blueberries, or any favorite fruit!
• Top off the pitcher with either orange, cranberry or pineapple juice (your time to experiment with flavors here!)
• Add in a good amount of ice cubes
• Top off with a little plain or flavored seltzer
• Serve in big wine glasses with extra fruit
• Optional: Add in a dash of cinnamon or fresh mint
  
  
  

"NOT SO BLOODY" MARY
No Sunday Brunch is complete without the classic Bloody Mary...so here goes on my recipe...and make mine extra spicy!

• Fill a tall pint glass with ice cubes
• Add 3/4 full of V8 tomato juice (regular or spicy)
• Add a tall stalk of celery, lemon and/or lime wedge
• Optional: Add a dash of pepper, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce or horseradish, to taste
• Optional: Add in olives, pickled beans, or any other veggies you have
• Keep virgin, or add in a shot of your favorite vodka