Top Memorial Day Drinks

Memorial Day kicks off the summer for many of us. If you're going to be barbecuing outside this Memorial Day, you may need some cool drinks to help you beat the heat. Here's my top summer drinks.

Lunar Lemon Quencher

Your ingredients will be: 1 ½ can frozen margarita mix, 1/2 cup rum, 6 ounces of lemonade, 5 cups of ice, and lemon (for garnish). Mix the margarita mix, lemonade and rum. Add the ice and blend until uniform, and garnish with lemon slices if you desire. This recipe yields five servings.

Aqua Pearl

For this drink you'll need several items: ¾ cup soursop (guanabana) juice or pineapple juice, 6 tablespoons gin, 4 teaspoons lemon juice, 1 ½ teaspoons blue curacao liqueur, 4 teaspoons Simple Syrup, 4 dashes of angostura bitters, and ice cubes. Mix the ingredients in a cocktail shaker, add ice, and shake well. Strain into glasses. An orchid is sometimes used as garnish.

Caipirinha

Ingredients for this one are as follows: 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, 1 lime (cut in wedges), and 2-2 ½ ounces cachaca. Cachaca is a Brazilian brandy. Put a lime wedge in each glass (old-fashioned or small highball), add sugar, then add the cachaca. Stir, then add crushed ice and stir again.

Bees Knees II

For this drink you'll need: 2 cups gin, one 8 ounce jar of honey, 1 can pineapple juice and 1 can grapefruit juice. Combine all ingredients in a blender until frothy. Then simply pour and serve.

New Orleans Hurricane

This drink calls for 2 ounces light rum, 2 ounces passion fruit flavored syrup, 1 cup lemon-lime soda, 1 ounce rum, 1 ounce lime juice, and ½ cup ice. Combine the ice, light rum, passion fruit syrup, soda and lime juice in a shaker. Shake and pour into a large glass. Float the other rum on top. This drink is best with a straw.

Colorado Bulldog

This drink would be best for the coffee fanatic. The ingredients are: 1 jigger vodka, 1 jigger coffee flavored liqueur, 1 cup crushed ice, 1 can or bottle (12 ounces) of cola, and 1 ounce of light cream. Use a 16 ounce glass and fill it 1/3 with ice. Add the vodka and coffee liqueur, then fill with cola, leaving 1 inch at the top of the glass. Then add the light cream, filling within a half inch of the top of the glass, and stir.

Sources:

www.evite.com

epicurious

allrecipes.com