It has been a blessed, gloriously hot summer so far.  We are long over-due, for those of us Eastern Canadians who have endured back-to-back cold winters and cool summers.  Of course, not everyone has the luxury of escaping the heat with a refreshing plunge off the dock.  Whether you are on the dock this weekend, or sweltering in the city without AC,  we have just the remedy for you:

Iceberg

Prepare slushy margarita:

• 2 parts tequila / 1 part cointreau /1 part lime juice (or cheat and use a mix)
• enough ice for a thick slush;  blend

 In a tall (ideally frosted!) beer glass:

• Wet rim of glass with lime; rim with salt
• Pour beer to 1 inch top of glass (any beer with a light-ish lager taste – Dos Equis, Heineken, Modelo; not Corona…too cliché)
• Top with 2-3 inches of slushy margarita

 

Song Pairing:  Walkin’ On The Sun, Smash Mouth

A few days this summer have felt a bit like walking on the sun.  Icebergs to the rescue!

If any cocktail needs to be made by the pitcher, this one is it!  Beyond it being a crowd pleaser of a beverage, couldn’t everyone use a little more zen in their lives?  Not sure if it can promise full enlightenment, but certainly relaxation;  maybe even a dose of letting go of that which you can not change…

The flavours of this concoction are lovely, with just enough sweetness and sparkle from the elderflower water, mingling with your favourite green tea.  I use Tazo Zen — a not-too-grassy green, but it’s worth experimenting with the array of green teas available.

 

Zen Lemonade

For a pitcher (~6 drinks):

• 1 cup green tea (any kind, but Tazo Zen is perfect)
• 1 cup simple syrup
• 1-1/2 cups gin (Georgian Bay is lovely)
• 1 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 2 cups sparkling Elderflower water
• Lemon for garnish

1. Steep tea per normal method; allow to cool
2. Make simple syrup (boil 2 c water & 2 c sugar; remove from heat as soon as it hits boil);  allow to cool
3. In pitcher, stir first four ingredients; refridgerate
4. Just prior to serving, add Elderflower water
5. Pour in highball with ice 
6. Garnish with lemon wheel

 

Song Pairing:  Pinch Me, Bare Naked Ladies

It’s a perfect time of year…

You like the zing of a Dark & Stormy cocktail (spiced rum, ginger beer, bitters), but there’s something about it that screams Fall.  A cozy fireside sort of cocktail, when you’re wrapped up in a blanket reading a good book.  Hardly the hankering when it’s gorgeous July, with seemingly endless daytime and sun on the dock well into evening.

But the zing…   Since we certainly don’t want to urge on Fall, how about a summer twist on this fall favourite?  A subtle twist, but nonetheless just enough to ditch the blanket & fireside imagery for more suitable sunshine & shimmery waters.  My new summer fav…

 

Dock & Stormy

• 1-1/2 oz spiced rum
• 1/8 ripe medium peach
• 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 3 oz ginger beer

1. In cocktail shaker, muddle the peach wedge with lemon juice and bitters.
2. Add rum, and fill shaker with ice
3. Shake & strain into glass filled with ice
4. Stir in ginger beer;  garnish with peach slice

 

Food Pairing:  Avocado on grilled sliced baguette

Slice baguette (or whatever carb you have around), and brush both sides lightly with olive oil and quick grill (1-2 minutes per side).  Add a couple avocado slices and salt & pepper to taste.  Or really, add whatever you’ve got in your fridge…just about anything tastes amazing on grilled baguette!  Cheese, hummus, shrimp, proscuitto, the peach slices leftover from the cocktail, etc.  You get the idea.

Song Pairing:  My House, Flo Rida

Not sure why, but I love this song.  Probably because it makes me feel cooler than I actually am.  But, welcome to my house!