Sip Into Summer

As we ease out of spring, let’s sip into summer with some refreshing drinks that are perfect for any occasion. We’ve put together a list of five easy, no-fuss drinks so that you don’t have to run around trying to find unicorn hair or elderberries and lavender syrup. Simply whip up these delicious thirst quenchers in a few minutes using everyday items, and sometimes a bit of sneaky alcohol.

Lemonade with a Twist

Bring on the lemonade! But wait, how about adding a twist? You can have such fun with lemonade and the flavours you can play with are endless.

For all lemonade you need to make something called Simple Syrup. To make this simply add equal parts water and sugar in a saucepan, heat until sugar is dissolved, stirring continuously. The longer you simmer the mixture, the thicker the syrup will be. Once the sugar has dissolved you can add flavours such as lemon rind, mint, cinnamon sticks, or even berries. Simply add the flavour you want, turn off the heat and allow the syrup to steep. In the case of fruits like berries, simmer the syrup mixture until the berries have broken down, then remove from the heat.

Blueberry Lemonade

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
¾ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup blueberries

Add your blueberries once the sugar has dissolved and simmer until berries break down. Strain the mixture using a fine sieve or cheesecloth. Allow the mixture to cool. Once cooled, mix the blueberry infused syrup with the lemon juice and 5 cups of chilled water. Serve over ice and enjoy! Garnish with extra berries if desired.

Blackberry Bourbon Iced Tea  

3 cups of fresh blackberries ¾ cup sugar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 ½ L water
6 good quality black tea bags
ice, as needed
good quality bourbon, to taste
fresh mint sprigs to garnish

In a large bowl, combine the blackberries, sugar and chopped mint. Mash it together (with a potato masher or fork). Bring the water to the boil, remove from heat and add the 3 tea bags. Let it steep for approximately 3 minutes. Remove the tea bags and pour the tea over the mashed blackberry mixture. Let the mixture sit at room temp for at least an hour for the flavours to blend nicely.

Pour the mixture into a jug through a strainer, pressing on the solid pieces to get all the juices out, then place in the fridge to cool for at least two hours.

Serve the blackberry tea over ice with a shot or two of bourbon, garnish with the mint sprigs and enjoy.

Green Tea and Orange Cooler

7 green tea bags
½ cup agave nectar (Okay, I know I said no weird ingredients. This is the only one, I promise!)
1 orange, sliced
4 cups water

Bring water to boil, remove from heat and add the teabags. Let tea steep for about 7 minutes, remove the teabags and stir in the agave nectar. Let the tea cool before pouring it into a jug along with 2 cups of ice and another 2 cups of water. Add the orange slices and serve.

Watermelon Slushie

5 cups diced, seedless watermelon
2 tablespoons sugar 1 lime, juiced
Combine the watermelon, sugar and lime juice,
plus one cup of ice, in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

Berry Sangria

750ml rose wine
1 cup strawberries, thinly sliced
½ cup raspberries
½ cup blackberries
½ cup blueberries
¼ cup sugar
1 can (355ml) Sprite or Lemonade

In a large jug mix together the rose wine, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and sugar. Let the mixture chill in the fridge for at least an hour. Serve over ice with the Sprite or Lemonade.