How To Make The Perfect Summer Cocktails To Beat The Heat

Cocktails are the perfect way to cool down and refresh yourself from the hot days of summer.  

Below are three delicious non-alcoholic cocktails made with fresh fruits and vegetables that will certainly cool you down on a hot humid day.  

Limonana

Ingredients

• 1 ½ ounces mint syrup (below)
• 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
• East Imperial Yuzu Tonic
• Mint sprig
• Mint Syrup
• 1 packed cup fresh mint
• 1 cup simple syrup (1 part sugar and 1 part water)

Directions

Fill a collins glass with ice. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add 1 1/2 ounces mint syrup and 1 ounce fresh lemon juice, and shake until chilled. Pour into glass. Top with East Imperial Yuzu Tonic. Garnish with a mint sprig and a lemon round.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Add 1 packed cup fresh mint to boiling liquid, and cook for 17 seconds. Using a strainer, transfer mint to the bowl of ice water. Strain, and squeeze out excess water. Blend mint with 1 cup simple syrup (1 part sugar and 1 part water). Strain through a fine-mesh sieve.

Watermelon

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

• 3 ounces watermelon juice
• ¾ ounce pomegranate-Aleppo pepper syrup (below)
• ½ ounce fresh lime juice
• Watermelon cube
• Pomegranate-Aleppo Pepper Syrup
  • ½ cup pomegranate juice
  • ½ cup turbinado sugar
  • 4 ½ teaspoons pomegranate molasses
  • ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes
  • ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
  • Directions:
  • Fill a collins glass with crushed ice. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine 3 ounces watermelon juice, 3/4 ounce pomegranate-Aleppo pepper syrup, and 1/2 ounce fresh lime juice. Shake until well chilled, then pour into prepared glass. Garnish drink with a watermelon cube skewered on a toothpick.
  • Pomegranate-Aleppo Pepper Syrup
  • In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup pomegranate juice, 1/2 cup turbinado sugar, 4 1/2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses, 1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes, and 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a simmer, whisking to combine. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a heatproof bowl. Let cool completely.
  • Lime

    Ingredients

    Ingredient Checklist

    • 1 ounce fresh lime juice
    • 1 ounce freshly pressed cucumber juice
    • 1 ½ ounces parsley syrup (below)
    • 1 dash celery bitters
    • Ground cumin
    • Parsley Syrup
      • 1 packed cup fresh parsley
      • 1 cup simple syrup (1 part water and 1 part sugar)

      • Directions

        Instructions Checklist

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          Fill an old-fashioned glass with ice. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add 1 ounce fresh lime juice, 1 ounce freshly pressed cucumber juice, 1 1/2 ounces parsley syrup, and 1 dash celery bitters. Shake until chilled; pour into glass. Garnish with ground cumin.

        Parsley Syrup

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          Bring a pot of water to a boil. Fill a bowl with ice water. Add 1 packed cup fresh parsley to boiling liquid; cook for 17 seconds. Transfer parsley to a bowl of ice water. Strain, and squeeze out excess water. Blend parsley with 1 cup simple syrup (1 part water and 1 part sugar). Strain through a fine-mesh sieve.

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        •                             Limonana Cocktail Source: Shape.com

                                                             

                                                    Watermelon Cocktail Source:  Food Network