Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

As we are into the summer season, which in the UK means the Henley Royal Regatta, Wimbledon tennis tournament and so on, we defy the raging winds and torrential rain with our favourite cocktails for hot weather.

Always partial to a good old G&T, I am more than open to suggestions for alternative spirits based drinks.

Whisky and soda...

Rum and coconut water...

Whiskey and Coke...

Which is the most refreshing and why?

Well my go to is G&T with a slice of lime, so I'm not much help. Although my brother's wedding included Mojito Diablo, which was lime/soda/mint with tequila instead of white rum. That was top notch considering it wasn't a G&T.

If it's a fancy drink I'll have a Harvey Wallbanger

(now Galliano is back to it's original recipe)

otherwise G&T is always good

(as long as you don't put a diet tonic in, I've found other diet soft drinks I like, but have yet to find a diet tonic that works for a G&T)

Daughter bought me a mint plant specifically for summer time Mojitos. Very refreshing.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Wife is a fan of Moscow Mules.

Daughter also found me a recipe for a bourbon cranberry slushy drink that was surprisingly good (though I had to buy a bottle of Jim Beam Black so as not to waste good bourbon on it).

Margaritas, lemon drop martinis, and tequila or Pyrat rum on the rocks (lots of crushed ice). Also rum and coke.

Dark and Stormies.

Like a rum and coke, but with ginger beer.

Bloody Mary and Moscow Mules.

moscow mules are always good, but not necessarily summer-ish. Plus the ginger beer/soda can have quite a bit of sugar in it. I try to avoid sugar in excess for the most part.

gin and tonic is hard to beat any time of the year. I would also put in a half shot or so of blue curacao or whatever plus a wedge of lemon. You don't want it dark blue but just a nice sky blue tone to it. The sight of the drink alone almost makes my mouth water.

I also like johnnie walker black mixed with unflavored soda water and lime. It's refreshing, carbonated but also has the whisky taste...without the harshness of the alcohol.

Gin and tonic is an absolute classic; Dark and Stormy's my personal favorite.

Beers by the fire...

Had about 8 of these a day from my trip to the Dominican Republic... Caipirinha!

HOW TO COCKTAIL: CAIPIRINHA

Feel like you’re on a beach in Rio with this simple, classic tropical drink from Brazil. Top San Francisco bartender H. Joseph Ehrmann shows you how to make a Caipirinha.

INGREDIENTS:

Half a lime, cut into wedges
2 tsp Sugar (or 1 oz simple syrup)
2 oz Cachaça
Garnish: Lime wheel (optional)
Glass: Double Old Fashioned
PREPARATION:
In a double Old Fashioned glass, muddle the sugar and lime. Fill with ice and add the cachaça. Stir briefly and garnish with a lime wheel if desired.

Daiquiris and Whiskey Sours. I love the fresh citrus on a hot day. Mint Juleps and Mojitos are also great. Pina Collada's are good if I have access to a blender.

Of course, if I were to say what I drink most often in the summer, it would be "Beer, preferably cooler than air temperature".

Ale.

Possibly Mead when I can source it.

Kraken rum and apple juice. Sounds disgusting, tastes wonderful.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Ale.

Possibly Mead when I can source it.

You ever get to this side of the pond, drop me a PM...we just had an award-winning Meadery open up within a half mile of us. Been there for tastings, very nice!

For summer time libation, I'll go with a Grey Goose martini, w/2x fresh Bleu Cheese stuffed Olives...shake it until you get an ice flow on the top of the glass when poured...ahhhhh. My wife is a fiend for Moscow Mules in the summer, I think we have enough copper cups in the house to start minting pennies if there's a shortage. Always have to be prepared for when company drops by.

 Thargrim wrote:


I also like johnnie walker black mixed with unflavored soda water and lime. It's refreshing, carbonated but also has the whisky taste...without the harshness of the alcohol.

This is...interesting, I may have to try it.


Captain and cherry Coke is my personal go-to, but the wife has been experimenting with different fruit, juices, and Vodka. I'll come back with any success stories

 BigWaaagh wrote:

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Ale.

Possibly Mead when I can source it.

You ever get to this side of the pond, drop me a PM...we just had an award-winning Meadery open up within a half mile of us. Been there for tastings, very nice!

Is there different kinds/qualities of mead available? I bought a bottle of mead from a National Trust shop the last time I was in England, (Bodiam Castle, the site of Sir Lancelot's heroic "rescue" of the prince who just wanted to sing ), and while it was pretty nice, it was also pretty much like drinking very thin honey. I could not finish a glass of it.

 feeder wrote:

 BigWaaagh wrote:

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Ale.

Possibly Mead when I can source it.

You ever get to this side of the pond, drop me a PM...we just had an award-winning Meadery open up within a half mile of us. Been there for tastings, very nice!

Is there different kinds/qualities of mead available? I bought a bottle of mead from a National Trust shop the last time I was in England, (Bodiam Castle, the site of Sir Lancelot's heroic "rescue" of the prince who just wanted to sing ), and while it was pretty nice, it was also pretty much like drinking very thin honey. I could not finish a glass of it.

There are many different variations of Mead, indeed! Here's the website of the local Meadery, take a peek.

http://www.wildblossommeadery.com/

I'm not sure if it goes by a different name or is common outside of the midwest US, but I rather enjoy an Ice Pick. It's basically just iced tea with vodka, fruited as appropriate. Substitute half the vodka for flavored as appropriate, or full on flavored if you want something sweeter.

Used to not be summer until I drank a couple of those, though I also enjoy a good bloody mary as well.

I once sat in a Cuban resort drinking nothing but Coke and Rum for an afternoon.

It was both a happy memory and my only memory of that day.

Most refreshing: Corona with a slice of lime

For a summer evening: Rum and Coke

Refreshing has to be vanilla icecream with lemonade (not the real type) poured on top.

As for a summer evening that would be a hot chocolate because in the UK summer evenings are cold, wet and miserable...

I like a Dark and Stormy but I prefer it with less ginger beer than usual or it gets a bit too hot.

Pimm's, obviously

 feeder wrote:

 BigWaaagh wrote:

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Ale.

Possibly Mead when I can source it.

You ever get to this side of the pond, drop me a PM...we just had an award-winning Meadery open up within a half mile of us. Been there for tastings, very nice!

Is there different kinds/qualities of mead available? I bought a bottle of mead from a National Trust shop the last time I was in England, (Bodiam Castle, the site of Sir Lancelot's heroic "rescue" of the prince who just wanted to sing ), and while it was pretty nice, it was also pretty much like drinking very thin honey. I could not finish a glass of it.

Oh gods yes!!

First, there's Honey Wine, which is not a true Mead. That's literally grape wine flavoured with honey.

Mead is fermented from honey, and has no grapes.

Then there's Dark Mead and Light Mead. Dark Mead tends to be sweeter, Light Mead drier.

You can also get different flavours, things like Berries and that. Definitely worth seeking out a variety. I favour Viking Blood and Moniack meself.

Zymurgorium make a very good mead, and a variety of other good drinks.

http://zymurgorium.com/

I would not call it a good summer drink though if diluted with soda water or something and plenty of ice it might work OK.

#obligatoryv White Russian comment.

If you have trouble finding cachaca (a vile drink, BTW), the caipirissima uses rum andvthe caipvodka uses vodka instead of cachaca.
Long Island Iced Tea is also quite nice.

Sangria, gimme that alcohol soaked fruit, tastes good and I assume it fights off scurvy.

As a former bar tender the usual suspects are a million miles more popular than anything more interesting, but a few that people may wish to try..

Cider over ice (that's British, alchoholic stuff, not the US version)
Sea Breeze - grapefruit and cranberry juices with vodka
Gin, Lime and Soda, a dash of angostura bitters make this, I preferred to keep the tonic instead of the soda.
White wine and soda. Yawn.

Also making sure all your components are refrigerated (including the glassware) and freezing your garnishes (lemon and lime slices etc) can make a hell of a difference to the serving temperature you can achieve, and really, all we're shooting for is as cold as possible and tastes nice!

I cannot drink the booze, but i find a nice cold ginger ale to be one of the most refreshing things

or a boston cooler for ice cream days