These Fruity Summer Cocktails Actually Taste Good
Get into the summer spirit!
Matt Armendariz, 2013, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved
Fruit-filled cocktails are the ultimate summer bevy. The sweetness and acidity of summer fruits pair deliciously with your favorite spirits, wines and beers. When trying out new cocktails it's easy to feel like a mad scientist rather than a mixologist — so we're pouring out some of our fruitiest recipes to help you "shake" that feeling. From blackberry floats to rose spritzers we've got all the cocktail recipes you need to sip your way through summer.
Looking for a dessert-inspired cocktail to top off your evening? Well, Sunny Anderson has a "berry" boozy float recipe just for you! She starts by making her own blackberry puree with a potato masher (yes, the potato masher can be used to make more than your Thanksgiving side-dishes). Press the smashed fruit through a sieve before mixing it into your float. This ensures that all of those pesky seeds have been removed. The result? A creamy, dreamy blackberry float — and the sweetest way to end a hot summer day.
Matt Armendariz, 2013, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.
Bobby Flay's frozen martini is about to change your summer cocktail game. Equal parts sugar and water boiled together creates a sweet syrup that can be added to any of your favorite summer cocktails. Watermelon puree and simple syrup poured into ice cube trays is a simple way to ensure that you get the desired slushy texture when blending up the finished martini.
Tara Donne, FOOD NETWORK : 2012, Television Food Network, G.P.
Summer is the best time of year to enjoy sweet, juicy peaches, so why not add them to your favorite light beer? Giada De Laurentiis adds both peach nectar and sliced peaches to her fruit-filled beer cooler and sweetens it up a bit with ginger-infused simple syrup. When infusing the ginger, Giada recommends you bring the sugar mixture to a boil and then reduce it to a simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved. This ensures a smooth syrup and even smoother beer.
While capturing summer in a cup seems like an impossible feat, Trisha Yearwood opts to capture the flavors of summer in her tropical cocktail with pineapple juice and coconut rum. You will be feeling like you are vacationing in the tropics with this island-inspired cocktail. Garnish with sliced pineapple and orange to make your drink tiki bar-worthy.
Nothing says summer quite like watermelon. Pureed watermelon creates a sweet backdrop for the gin and sour mix in this vibrant drink. Add sparkling rose before serving. Trust us, your guests will be bubbling with excitement when they see these!
Matt Armendariz, 2013, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved
You are going to want to rose all day when you try Bobby Flay's rose sangria spritzer. The beauty of making your own sangria at home is that you can sweeten your drink to taste or add your favorite fruit combinations to make a drink that is uniquely yours. Cheers to that!
Matt Armendariz
Shiver me timbers! This ice and fruit float is going to keep your spiced rum nice and cold for as long as it takes your last party straggler to walk the plank (or diving board). Let the ice and fruit float sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before placing the fruity island in the center of your punch bowl.
There are many reasons why you may want to forgo the booze this summer, but that doesn’t mean you can't enjoy all the fun drink concoctions summer has to offer! This mango mocktail is light and refreshing and will leave you sippin' happy.
Visiting the Hamptons this summer? Perhaps you just want to pretend like you are sipping on a classy beverage in your beautiful garden of a backyard? While Ina Garten doesn't have to pretend, she shared a fruity Cosmopolitan to help us get just a bit closer to making this dream a reality. So grab your martini glasses, pomegranate juice and a "good" bottle of vodka and get to shakin'.
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