Sip on These Two Start-of-Summer Mocktail Recipes
Holy schmoly: Monday is Memorial Day. Did it creep up on you the way it did on us?!
We can’t help but reflect on how vastly different this year’s Memorial Day will look a little different from years past. A pesky pandemic will put a crimp in our unofficial-start-to-summer celebrations. And with every day feeling like a weekend, lately, it’s almost hard to distinguish between every days and start-of-summer holidays.
But we won’t let a pesky pandemic put a crimp in our patio-sitting plans. Here, we share recipes for both a cocktail and a mocktail to welcome the warm weather. Feel like saying, “We salute you, summer” with us? We’ve got you covered.
We put a low-cal Spiritless spin on this recipe for bourbon punch from Southern Living, which originally calls for ginger ale. It’s perfect for spending a warm afternoon with a couple of friends — at an appropriate six-foot distance, of course. Hang onto this recipe for once you have your Kentucky 74 in hand, so you can “go halfsies” by subbing our booze-less beauty for the bourbon.
Ingredients
- ½ cup simple syrup
- 5 limes (squeeze ‘em good!)
- 2 cans lime La Croix
- 2 cups chilled sparkling wine
- 1 ½ cups bourbon
- 1 lime, thinly sliced
To Make
- In a big ol’ punch bowl (or that fancy drink dispenser you never use), combine simple syrup, lime juice and bourbon.
- Gently add La Croix and sparkling wine.
- Garnish with thinly sliced limes and enjoy! Extra points if you serve this punch highball glasses with half the rims rolled in lime juice and granulated sugar.
Citrus Mint Non-Alcoholic Cocktail
This beautiful non-alcoholic cocktail from How Sweet Eats is perfect just the way it is, but we jazzed up our version with muddled grapefruit and refreshing mint. This recipe will make two drinks… but don’t feel obligated to share!
Ingredients
- 2 grapefruit slices
- 1 cup grapefruit Italian soda
- 2 limes, squeezed
- 1 can lime La Croix
- Two sprigs of mint
- Crushed ice
To Make
- Drop a grapefruit slice into two glasses. Muddle fruit gently until the fruit releases its pulp and essential oils from the peel. (You could top this with a little sugar to sweeten it up if you so desire!)
- Add the crushed ice, soda and lime juice. Stir to combine.
- Pour in your seltzer water. Garnish with a sprig of mint and enjoy.
