GLW Team: Our go-to Summer Cocktails & Mocktails

We love a good cocktail / mockatil around here, and it is without a doubt that Summer is Montreal is the place to be for just that. The GLW team is sharing their go-to summer drink for you to try:

1- Katherine’s pick: Sparkling Passion Fruit Mocktail

Ingredients

1/2 cup of sparkling water
1/2 cup of ginger beer
one passion fruit (emptied out)
mint
lemon

Mix it tall together, top it with mint and a squeeze of lemon on ice! Cheers!

2- Ashley’s pick: Paloma

A traditional paloma cocktail consists of tequila, lime juice, and grapefruit soda. My recipe is a fresher version of this classic combination. Here’s what’s in it:

Tequila – Use any good-quality blanco tequila in this recipe.
Grapefruit juice and club soda – Swap the traditional grapefruit soda for a mix of grapefruit juice and sparkling water. For the best flavor, use freshly squeezed grapefruit juice!
Lime juice – Along with the grapefruit juice, it makes this drink deliciously tart.
Agave nectar or simple syrup – Because I don’t use soda in this recipe, I balance the sour/tart flavor of the grapefruit and lime with something sweet. I call for a small amount of agave or simple syrup, but don’t hesitate to add more to taste.
Salt – For the rim of your glass use coarse sea salt, but kosher salt would work here too.
Ice – A paloma cocktail is always better on the rocks!

Rub the rim of a highball glass or margarita glass with a grapefruit wedge, and dip it in a small plate of salt. Add the tequila, grapefruit juice, sparkling water, lime juice, and sweetener to the glass, stir to combine, and add ice to fill the glass. Sweeten to taste, and garnish with a grapefruit or lime wedge. Enjoy!

3- Eleni’s pick: Watermelon Marg

Prepare the fresh watermelon juice

You will need a blender for this part of the recipe process. Fortunately, blending watermelon (as long as it’s not frozen) does not require the fanciest, most expensive machine out there.

Simply fill a large blender with ripe, cubed watermelon and blend until juiced. At this point, you may wish to strain your blended watermelon through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any solids or leftover seeds (this step is completely optional). Note – You only need 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) of watermelon juice per cocktail. Expect to have leftover watermelon juice unless you plan to make a large batch of this yummy drink.

Prepare your glass

If you plan to salt the rim of your glass, run a lime wedge around the rim of each glass. Invert your glass and dip the top into the chili salt mixture, tilting the glass slightly to completely coat the surface. Fill each glass with ice cubes and set it aside.

Make your margarita

To make your margarita, add the watermelon juice, lime juice, tequila, and a scoop of ice to a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously to combine. Taste and adjust.

All watermelons taste different and everyone has his or her own personal preference when it comes to cocktail sweetness – does it need more watermelon juice? Lime juice? Sweetness?

4- Emma’s pick: Moscow Mule

This classic Moscow mule recipe uses vodka, ginger beer, ice, and lime to create a refreshing cocktail that has nothing to do with Moscow or mules, but after a few sips of this vodka-based concoction, no one will care!

Ingredients

1 ½ fluid ounces vodka
½ fluid ounce lime juice
ice cubes
½ cup ginger beer
1 lime wedge for garnish

Instructions

Pour vodka and lime juice into a mug; add ice cubes and ginger beer. Stir to combine.
Drop a lime wedge into the mug for garnish. Enjoy!

5- Marley’s pick: Lychee Martini

Ingredients

Vodka
Grand Marnier
Lychee syrup
Lychees

Instructions

If you want a more spirit-forward cocktail, remove the lychees from their natural juice and store them for a couple of days submerged in vodka or gin. Resist the temptation to overindulge!
Use ice cubes, not crushed ice, when shaking all the ingredients. When shaken, ice cubes will give it that coldness you want. The crushed ice will dilute your drink.
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice cubes with no room for them to move around. If the ice cubes move around too much when you shake them, you will have ice fragments lost in your drinks, which will water down your drink.
If you have time, place your martini glasses inside the freezer for a few minutes before serving. The cold glass is always welcome but not necessary.
The lychees fruits are delicious every way you choose to serve them in your cocktail. Either drop two in your glass before filling it. Or use a cocktail pick, pass them thru, and either place them over the rim or inside your drink. Whatever you do, enjoy them.

6- Gio’s pick: Lemonade Aperol Spritz