Chase an Endless Summer with These Grilled Summer Cocktails!
Put down your pile of newly bought school supplies and run to the kitchen to whip up these amazing grilled cocktails so you can prolong summer just a wee bit longer! It’ll be a blend of the greatest elements of summer; the grill (or grilled flavor), sweet fruit and enjoying yummy cocktails while reminiscing on all the fun adventures you had over the last couple of months. Check out these three must-make grilled summer cocktail recipes below.
Caramelized Strawberry Lemonade
- 1 Meyer Lemon, sliced into ¼ inch slices (Tip: Meyers are much less tart than standard lemons)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2-3 medium strawberries, hulled and cut into quarters
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 ounce lemon vodka
- 5 ounces lemonade
Lay out your lemon slices on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Take your cooking torch and caramelize the sugar and brown the lemon slices. Let cool slightly, flip them over and caramelize the other side in the same manner. In a shallow bowl, combine your cut strawberries, the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon sugar and muddle the ingredients with a pestle or back of a wooden spoon until most of the strawberry chunks have been broken down. In your drink shaker, combine ice, vodka, lemonade and your strawberry mixture and gently shake. Pour into a glass and garnish with a slice of caramelized lemon. **Omit the vodka for an easy non-alcoholic version.
Grilled Watermelon Margarita
- 1 cup of grilled watermelon, cut into small pieces
- 1 ounce tequila
- ½ ounce of simple syrup
- Juice of 2 limes
- Small slices of grilled watermelon, including the rind, for garnish
- Basil leaf for garnish
Pre-heat your grill to medium-high. Slice your watermelon into ½ inch thick pieces. Lay your watermelon in a single layer on your grill until you get nice deep grill marks. Flip slices and grill the other side. Remove the rind and cut up 1 cup of your grilled watermelon. Save the rest of the slices for garnish. Combine the watermelon cubes, tequila, simple syrup and lime juice in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour over ice (or put ice cubes in your blender in the previous step for a blended margarita version) and garnish with a basil leave and grilled watermelon slice. **Omit the tequila and substitute with limeade for a yummy non-alcoholic grilled mocktail version.
Toasted S’mores Cocktail
- ½ ounce marshmallow or whipped flavored vodka
- ½ ounce chocolate liqueur
- 5 ounces milk
- ½ ounce chocolate syrup
- mini marshmallows (or you can use 1 regular size for each serving
- 1 graham cracker, finely crushed
Such an iconic pairing of flavors, I couldn’t forget to include a grilled s’mores cocktail in the mix! Ok, so this one includes toasting rather than grilling, but infusing a charred element in your cocktail is really the key point, no matter what tool you use to achieve it. When it comes to marshmallows, I’m the kind of person who likes mine charred so that the outer skin slides off to reveal the warm, ooey, gooey center of the mallow. Marshmallows shouldn’t be eaten any other way! This drink would be perfect in the evening just as the sun sets and the temperatures drop. Cancel your evening plans, put on the jammies and grab a blanket, because this is an ‘Imma get cozy and savor every last drop’ kind of drink. Even light the fire if you really want to stretch out those summer evenings.
For these drinks, you can serve them hot or cold. For the hot version, warm your milk before mixing with the other ingredients. In a drink shaker, combine vodka, chocolate liqueur, milk and chocolate syrup and gently mix. To serve, coat the rim of your glass with chocolate syrup then dip the glass onto a plate filled with your crushed graham cracker. Pour your mixed cocktail into your rimmed glass then add a small handful of mini marshmallows or 1 regular marshmallow on top. Use your kitchen torch to toast the marshmallows to perfection. Chocolate lovers can also add in a square of chocolate as garnish for the ultimate grilled s’more cocktail experience! **easy enough to turn this into a simple and non-alcoholic s’mores hot/cold chocolate by omitting the liqueur and vodka.
So there you have it. Three fairly easy and enjoyable grilled summer cocktails that will help you extend those summer hours long after the back-to-school bell has rung. Just remember to grill and chill your way through school lunches and the kids’ CORE math, because it just might help you survive the school year!
