Cool Cocktail Ideas for Hot Summer Days

Cool Cocktail Ideas for Hot Summer Days – We’ve got another burst of hot weather on the horizon apparently, and I can’t think of a better way to cool down than with a delicious cocktail.  I’d never considered using a dessert wine for summer cocktails, but a recent visit to review a restaurant in Kew (Hawthorn if you were wondering – review to come very soon) started me thinking:  At Hawthorn, I was offered a white port spritz – delicious and very refreshing.

So, inspired by the idea of using a sweet wine for summer cocktails, I was delighted to discover that Brown Brothers Orange Muscat & Flora (a delicious Australian sweet wine) was already on the case!

With its brilliant gold colour, zesty citrus note and a hint of honey and spice, it’s already one of my favourite ‘stickies’.

Brown Brothers Orange Muscat & Flora is a surprisingly inexpensive wine – £8.50 for a 37.5cl bottle in Tesco and it’s as versatile as it is delicious.  It’s fabulous with blue cheese or summer desserts, as well as being such a refreshing cocktail ingredient.

So here are a few ideas for you to try:

Orange Muscat & Flora & Fizz

Glass: Chilled Glass Champagne Flute 8-10oz

25ml Orange Muscat & Flora

100-125ml Pre-Chilled Regular or Lime Soda in Day Time or 100-125ml Champagne

(No ice)

Method:

1. Add Orange Muscat & Flora
2. Add Preferred Fizz
3. Drop Sugar Cube seasoned with drops of aromatic bitters

Garnish Options:

– Orange Twist

– Sugar Cubed angostura bitters

High Ball

Glass: Tall Glass or Wine Glass 14oz

50ml Orange Muscat & Flora

25ml Fresh pink grapefruit juice squeeze

15ml Campari

Soda roughly 100ml (Use glass rim as gauge)

Cubed ice

Method:

1. Build Ingredients into a glass with cubed ice
2. Topped a highly charged soda a few inches from top
3. Light Stir and Swizzle with a long bar spoon add more ice & straw

Garnish Options:

– Pink G Twist

– Rosemary

– Tall Straw

Use one, or a combination.

Prima Vera Fix

Glass: Tall Glass 12oz or Wine Glass or Copa 16oz

15ml sugar

4 lime wedges

50ml – 75ml Orange Muscat & Flora

125ml soda or tonic

cubed ice

Method:

1. Add bar spoon of caster sugar or 15 ml sugar syrup
2. Add 2 squeezed lime wedges
3. 3/4 fill glass with ice
4. Add 2 squeezed lime wedges
5. Add tonic or soda an inch from the top of the glass
6. Stir room bottom, Add more ice

Garnish Options:

– Lime Wedge

– Sprig mint

– Tall Straw

The Seasoned Gastronome