5 Easy Summer Drinks

1. Mojito – Originally concocted to ward off illness, let this refreshing drink cool you down on a hot summer day!

Ingredients:

• 6 mint leaves, plus additional for garnish
• 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) lime juice
• 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) simple syrup
• 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) Beach Time Distilling Silver Rum
• 2 to 4 ounces (½ cup) soda water

Directions:

• In a cocktail shaker, muddle the mint leaves.
• Add the lime juice, simple syrup, and rum. Fill the cocktail shaker with ice and shake until cold.
• Place ice into a glass, and strain in the liquid. Top off the glass with soda water. Garnish with additional mint leaves.

2. Red Sangria – Enjoy this chilled or blend with ice for a frozen treat!

Ingredients: 

• 1 orange
• 1 green apple
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 bottle Harvest Ridge Winery Blue Hen Blue wine, chilled
• ¼ cup brandy
• ¼ cup orange liqueur, such as Cointreau
• 1 lemon, sliced into rounds
• Sparkling water, for serving (optional)

Directions:

• Chop the orange (leaving the peel on) and apple into bite-sized chunks, then add them to the bottom of a pitcher. Sprinkle them with sugar and stir. Let them sit for 20 minutes at room temperature.
• After 20 minutes, pour in the wine, brandy, orange liqueur, and lemon rounds. Stir and refrigerate 1 to 4 hours. (Don’t go beyond 4 hours or the fruit texture starts to degrade.)
• Pour the sangria into ice filled glasses and top with a splash of sparkling water (if desired). Add fruit to each glass, preferably on long skewers for easy snacking.

3. Bay Breeze - Enjoyed best from the beaches of the Delaware Bay!

Ingredients:  

• 1 ½ ounces (3 tablespoons) 100% pineapple juice 
• 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) Painted Stave Distilling Premium Vodka 
• 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) 100% unsweetened cranberry juice (do not use sweetened or cocktail) 
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup or simple syrup 
• 1 lime wedge 

Directions:

• Add the pineapple juice and vodka to a glass and stir. Fill the glass with ice. 
• In a shot glass or small pitcher, combine the cranberry juice and syrup and stir. 
• To make a layered drink look, tip the glass of pineapple juice slightly and pour the cranberry mixture alongside of glass so that it can glide to bottom. Otherwise, just pour in the cranberry and maple and stir. 
• Garnish with a lime wedge and serve. 

4. London Mule – Layered with botanicals, this cold drink is the perfect cocktail for relaxing on the patio on a hot summer night.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 ounces Beach Time Distilling Beach Fin Gin
• 1/8 fresh lime wedge, muddled
• 6 ounces ginger beer
• Ice, for serving 
• For the garnish: lime wedge

Directions

• Muddle the lime in cocktail glass, add the gin.
• Fill with ice and top with ginger beer. Stir and enjoy!

5. Citrus Cooler - The perfect cocktail for cooling down during the summer months!

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Dogfish Head Distilling Co Analog Vodka
• 1 oz. Fresh Orange Juice
• 1/2 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
• 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup

Directions

• Shake all ingredients with ice.
• Strain into a rocks glass.
• Garnish with orange twist.