This is the perfect cocktail for summer and a real beat the heat treat! The recipe comes from Partybluprints’ reader Sara Gorski, the winner of our “Lenox’s “Drinks of the Season”  Giveaway.

Sara’s Frozen Cherry Mojoto Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 oz white rum
• 1/5 oz simply syrup (make this ahead by dissolving 2 cups sugar, 1 cup water, and 3 limes zested)
• Half cup of frozen pitted cherries
• 4 mint leaves
• 1 cup ice

Directions

• Blend and serve! (Makes one)
• Garnish with a mint sprig

Image credit from Missadventure At Home Blog check it out for recipes to go with your Frozen Cherry Mojito.

This is the perfect patriotic cocktail for the Fourth of July. It’s as American as apple pie and delicious too! Don’t just go for a gimmicky drink because it’s red, white and blue, serve up something that taste great and at the same time captures the soul of America on her birthday.

Apple Pie Martini

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 oz. vodka,
• 1/2 oz. cinnamon schnapps
• 2 oz. pressed apple juice
• 1 oz. cranberry juice
• ice
• graham crackers

Directions

Shake all the ingredients over ice and then strain into a chilled martini glass rimmed with finely crushed graham crackers. Garnish with an apple slice.

Make an “American Mix” with these great tunes to enjoy with your cocktails:

Born in the USA – Bruce Springsteen

American Girl – Tom Petty

All American Man – Kiss

R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. -  John Mellencamp

All American Girl – Carrie Underwood

American Baby – Dave Mathews

God Bless the U.S.A. – Lee Greenwood

Surfin USA – The Beach Boys

Back in the U.S.A. – Chuck Berry

American Pie – Don McLean

America – Simon & Garfunkel

Living in the U.S.A. – Steve Miller Band

We?re an American Band – Grand Funk Railroad

American Land – Bruce Springsteen

Bon Jovi – Miss Fourth of July

American Made – George Thorogood

Freedom – The Isley Brothers

America the Beautiful – Ray Charles

If you want to know what the buzz is on Hilton Head Island, try out Pool Bar Jim’s. With blenders humming from noon till 8pm this island favorite is open 7 days a week.

Jim Lisenby, a.k.a “Pool Bar Jim”, a famous figure in the world of Frozen Cocktails has created over 1,000 recipes during his 35+ years on the Island. I can tell you for sure, I’ve never tasted one that I didn’t love and couldn’t possibly pick a favorite. The hardest thing to do is to pick just one, while smelling the ripe peaches, mangoes and strawberries coming from behind the bar.

Jim was kind enough to share his 3 best secrets for blending the best frozen drinks:

1. Always use fresh fruit and make sure it is ripe.

2. Don’t use ice straight from your freezer. Large ice cubes sit on top of the blades of your blender and will give you chunks, so make sure to chop ice into smaller pieces before blending. Let the ice melt a bit, ice from the freezer is frozen too hard and won’t give you a smooth cocktail.

3. Create a prep station, have fruit cut in advance and all the ingredients at an arms reach.

Here is Jim himself at Pool Bar Jim’s – Marriott Grande Ocean, Hilton Head Island, SC.  If you have a passion for frozen drinks and can’t get to Hilton Head, try Jim’s second book Pool Bar’s Jim Tropical and Exotic Frozen Drink’s.  You can visit his website to learn more here PBJ >

Sangria is the perfect summer party punch. Make up a batch and enjoy with friends at any of your summer celebrations. Sangria is great with barbecued food, especially those that are spicy! Be adventurous and add in fruits that you like, try apple (make sure it has no wax), strawberries, peaches, etc… Here is a great recipe to get you started.

Recipe
makes 6 cups

• Ingredients
• 1 orange, in wheels sliced thin
• 1 lemon, in wheels sliced thin
• 2 tablespoons fine granulated sugar
• 1 bottle chilled dry red wine
• 1/2 cup cognac
• 1/4 cup Grand Marnier
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 cup chilled seltzer or club soda
• 1/2 cup Blueberries
• Ice cubes

Directions

Pour red wine into a pitcher. Squeeze the juice from the lemon and orange wheels in to the red wine and then add the lemon and orange. Add sugar, cognac, Grand Marnier, and orange juice. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Chill until ready to serve. When ready to serve add ice cubes, blueberries and stir in seltzer.

Cheers to Dad this weekend!  This one is from the man himself, Arnold Palmer, and it’s a classic.  Serve it straight or spiked, Dad’s pick.

Recipe for an Arnold Palmer (one cocktail)

• 5 oz Lemonade
• 5 oz Iced Tea

Blending Instructions:
Combine ingredients in a highball or tall glass with ice, stir and enjoy

Spiked Arnold Palmer
Inspired by a cocktail from Lure bar

1 cup packed mint leaves, chopped
2/3-cup sugar
1-cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup freshly brewed tea, chilled
1 1/2 cups vodka
Crushed ice for serving
Fresh mint springs, optional for garnish

1. Combine chopped mint and sugar in a large bowl or pitcher.
2. Stir in lemon juice, iced tea, and vodka.
3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
4. Fill six 6-8 ounce festive glasses with crushed ice. Pour mixture over. Garnish with mint and lemon springs.

Serves 8.

Hosting at your Hive? Create a buzz and change the rules the next time you entertain.  Swap a glass of wine for a Bees’ Knees cocktail when you serve a cheese plate.  The cocktail, with its honey scent and flavor, complements a cheese plate perfectly (Gin and Cheese? yes: read) .

The Bees’ Knees? After a bit of googling, I discovered there is no definitive origin for the term. One theory is that Bees carry pollen back to the hive in sacks on their legs. Therefore the phrase may allude to the concentrated goodness to be found around the bee’s knee, but there is no evidence for this explanation. The Bees’ Knees appears to have been a very popular phase in 1920s America, when it was coined for referring to hipness or coolness. I think it’s just fun to say and yes it’s a very hip and cool cocktail filled with lots of goodness. Hope you will try one and enjoy!

Bee’s Knees

Ingredients:

• 2 oz gin
• 3/4 oz honey syrup*
• 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
• ice

*Make honey syrup by mixing equal parts hot water and honey. Stir until dissolved.

Directions:

• Combine all ingredients in a shaker.
• Shake vigourously and strain into a chilled glass.
• Garnish with a lemon twist.

For an added twist try dried lavender blossoms ( Epicurious has a wonderful recipe)

My Picks for awesome ingredients!

• For Gin:  Bulldog Gin
• For Honey:  Tupelo Honey, by Savannah Bee

Recipe Adapted from The Standard Bartender’s Guide by Patrick Gavin Duffy, 1966

Beefeater^®, the world’s most award-winning gin has just released a special Summer Edition.  Designed to reflect a more relaxed style of drinking, the limited-edition gin includes summery floral botanicals like elderflower, blackcurrant and hibiscus.  The light and delicate taste make it a must-have for summer parties, barbeques and picnics.

I love this beautiful bottle!

“Summer is a great time to experiment with gin because of its floral overtones and mixability with everyday ingredients,” said Maria Pribble, Senior Brand Manager for Premium Gins at Pernod Ricard USA.  “Evocative of a tranquil English summer day, Beefeater Summer Edition Gin blends beautifully with cranberry juice, lemonade or high quality tonic water, as well as fresh fruit, to create exceptionally easy and refreshing summer cocktails.”

Launching in June, Beefeater Summer Edition Gin will be available in 750ml at a suggested price of $19.99 in select markets.

When it comes to gin, these just may be the coolest cocktails of summer, so here’s what I will be serving.  

Beefeater Summer Cooler (based on jug serving 6 medium tumblers)

• 200ml Beefeater Summer
• 75ml of Elderflower cordial or liqueur
• Club soda or Ginger Ale
• Lemon

Garnish: Summer Fruits Glass: Pitcher

Pour Beefeater Summer over ice into the pitcher. Add the elderflower cordial or liqueur. Top with club soda or ginger ale and garnish with a squeeze of lemon and summer fruits.

Beefeater Summer and Cranberry

• 50ml Beefeater Summer
• Cranberry Juice

Garnish: Lime wedge Glass: Tall

Pour Beefeater Summer into a glass over ice. Top with cranberry juice. Squeeze the lime wedge into the glass and add as garnish

Beefeater Summer Martini

• 3 parts Beefeater Summer
• 1 part Dry Vermouth

Garnish: Blackberry and Raspberry on a cocktail stick Glass: Coupe glass

In a mixing glass, stir Beefeater Summer over ice with the Dry Vermouth until well chilled. Garnish and serve.

Images and Recipes via Beefeater^®

Here is our pick for a memorable Memorial Day Party Cocktail.

Beer Cocktail’s are perfect for Summer’s Patriotic Holidays and this recipe is our twist on the English favorite a Beer Shandy.  Years ago, it was commonplace to find people sipping lemonade and shooting the breeze on their front porch or in the yard on a summer day.  While our version of a nice tall cold one is more than lemonade, we’re all about kicking back with friends and family and sharing some good times while cooling off with a cocktail.  We appreciate that it’s not a Summer Holiday  celebration without beer (patriotic holidays account for the highest sale of beer), but we wanted to incorporate the spirit of sharing a nice cold old-fashioned lemonade – so we married the two for the perfect picnic “cooler”.

You’ll have lots of cold beer on hand, so all you need to do is make the fresh citrus concentrate, add tequila and beer, garnish and serve.  This twist on an old-fashioned drink is a great way to cool off your guests and get them in the mood to kick back and shoot the breeze.

Be a considerate host and offer a non-alcoholic beverage, simply substitute seltzer for tequila and beer.

Patriotic Picnic Cooler (Makes 1 Cocktail)

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• ½ Tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp. simple syrup
• 1 oz. tequila
• 5 oz. American brewed beer

Preparation:

• Make simple syrup by mixing equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan.  Heat on medium heat until sugar dissolves.  Cool, pour into container and refrigerate.  Juice lemons and limes, strain seeds and pulp.  Add ice, citrus juices, simple syrup and tequila to cocktail shaker.  Shake well and pour into cooler glass filled with ice.  Add beer and stir.  Serve with lemon wheel and straw.

Optional:  Prepare citrus concentrate ahead of party by combining citrus juices and simple syrup.  When ready to serve, pour over ice, add tequila, beer and straw; stir and serve.

image:  http://www.studentsineurope.com/2010/02/02/great-cocktails-europe-shandy/

Photo by Mark A. Vargas

Mangos are the perfect base for Spring Cocktails.  They are refreshing, packed with flavor and put thoughts of summer in my head.   A bonus with this recipe is that you can make more than one at a time, so invite some friends over to share.  Enjoy sipping and sitting on the patio, deck or lawn tonight or add Sizzling Shrimp Quesadillas and invite everyone to stay for a while.  See this delicious recipe from Good Housekeeping view>

Mango Martini Recipe

Ingredients

• Ice
• 7 ounces vodka
• 1- ounce vermouth
• 1/2 cup mango puree

Directions

To a martini pitcher add ice, vodka, vermouth, mango puree – stir.
Strain into martini glasses.

Foot Note: Mango puree can be hard to find depending on where you live: Here is a delicious online option.

Order online