Techniques
Transform Your Summer Cocktails in 3 Ways!
Create the Sunniest of Sips with These Simple Summer Tips!
There’s nothing quite like a bright cocktail on a lovely sunny day. With summer here and in full swing, it’s impossible not to soak up the season’s delicious flavour staples and combinations. Sweet and tangy fruits, refreshing herbs, fragrant florals; it’s paradise for our palate! Using these ingredients as our guide, let’s kick our cocktails up a notch and make the most of summer’s flair.
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1. Infuse your syrups with summer produce! ⇩
Syrups are one of our favourite ways to experiment and play around with the flavours of our cocktails. With a base simple syrup (that’s equal parts sugar and water), anything is possible— infusing it with some summer fun will make for a delightful twist! Explore our examples:
ADD Fruit TO YOUR SYRUPS 🍓
Summer offers a plethora of fruit to choose from: juicy berries like raspberry or blackberry, light and zesty tropical bounty like passion fruit or pineapple, or delicate stone fruits like peach and plum. Simply incorporate your favourite harvest into your base syrup, and voilà! An elevated summer sip awaits.
Try a raspberry syrup in @tarynstastingtables‘ Berry Blossom:
INFUSE YOUR SYRUPS WITH FRESH FloralS 🌸
For something softer and more fragrant, opt for a floral syrup such as rose, chamomile, or lavender. This addition will offer a lovely sensation on your back palate and light flavour complexity unlike anything you’ve ever tasted.
Try it yourself in @maplechutney’s Blush Crush cocktail!
*TO MAKE THE Rose SYRUP
Add ½ cup sugar and ½ cup water to a small saucepan and let it simmer, until the sugar has dissolved. Add in ½ cup dried rose buds or petals. Let it simmer for 2 more minutes and then remove from heat. Cool to room temperature, then strain and store it in the refrigerator.
**TO MAKE THE Rose Lime Sugar
Add ½ cup sugar, ¼ cup dried rose petals and zest of 1 lime to a small bowl. Using your hands rub the sugar till it is infused with flavours of lime and rose. This makes more than you need for the drink. It can be stored in a jar and used later.
Keep it classic with herbal syrup from the garden 🌿
For lush green garden vibes, look no further than herbaceous syrups, featuring easy-to-grow backyard herbs. Explore the range of savoury to refreshing by adding rosemary, thyme, basil or mint!
Try a homemade thyme syrup in @takestwoeggs‘ Yuzu Highball.
*TO MAKE THE Thyme SYRUP
Heat ½ cup of water and ½ cup of granulated sugar in a small sauce pan on medium heat. Stir until combined. Add 5 sprigs of fresh thyme, lower the heat, and let simmer for 5 minutes. Strain and let cool before using.
Check out the articles below for more syrup inspo!
2. Garnish with all the botanicals ⇩
It’s often said that we eat with our eyes, so we get our first taste of summer in the same way! The perfect garnish provides a multisensory experience making your sips that much more interesting. Check out our go-to summer garnishes below!
Herbs 🌱
Think about your favourite dishes. Many of them are topped with some chopped herbs to add some lovely green colour to lift the presentation as well as add some fresh aromatics. You can do the same with cocktails, especially for that moment when your nose hits the garnish when you take a sip. Aren’t mojitos even better with that big, refreshing scent of a bushy mint sprig?
Fruits 🍋
Fruit is obviously delicious and beautiful, so highlight those ingredients through an edible garnish! For an added bonus, as they get soaked in the cocktail, there will be a tasty treat waiting for you after your last sip!
Flowers 🌺
Who doesn’t like receiving a summer-themed bouquet? Topping your drinks with seasonal blossoms adds a lovely touch of romance that’s sure to make anyone feel special. Make sure you only use edible flowers since some varieties can be toxic when ingested!
Bonus: Pineapple Fronds 🍍
Pineapple fronds may not have much of scent nor would you eat them, but is there anything better to get in the tropical mood? Feel free to go all out with this garnish and give your cocktail the crown it deserves!
3. Lengthen your cocktail! ⇩
When you’re feeling especially hot on a sweltering day, you just want a bigger drink! It may seem tricky at first when trying to maintain the flavour without excessive dilution, but when done properly, lengtheners can make your cocktail even more sippable. Read on for our favourite examples!
Soda Water ✨
This is a great option for when you don’t want to tamper too much with your cocktail. Soda water simply stretches out the flavour profile and adds some refreshing effervescence! Think of the Gin Rickey or Southside Fizz— the base drinks taste delicious on their own, but adding that soda water helps lighten and open them up.
Tonic Water 🥂
Sometimes used interchangeably with soda, tonic water can similarly extend the flavour profile of your cocktail while also contributing its own bitterness for complexity. Try this especially if the main ingredients lean in the sweeter direction for further balance or if you’re looking for an overall bitter edge!
Juice 🧃
Juice isn’t just for kids! Whether you choose something sweet or tangy, this will definitely make your summer cocktails delicious and easy for sipping out on the patio!
Tea 🫖
Most of us have probably had tea hot toddies, so why not make a summer equivalent? Using chilled tea can yield great results: black tea is our favourite to accentuate our botanical recipe, but green or herbal would be delicious with complementary ingredients.
We hope this gives you an idea of how to elevate your cocktails this season! It’s certainly been a hot one out there for most of us, so anything helps when trying to quench our thirst in the sweltering sun.
For more cocktail inspiration, you know where to look: check out our Instagram, Cocktail Page, or Blog!
Sip responsibly!
