Malta Development Blog

Beat the heat AND the monotony with our favorite recipes.

Summer is in full swing, and the weather is heating up. Whether it’s a 4th of July party, you’ve finally finished redoing the back patio, or the girls are simply lounging poolside, everyone’s looking for a reason to celebrate outdoors. Nothing beats an icy adult beverage during times like these. After so many barbecues and alfresco parties, however, the same-old drinks start to get a little stale. While margaritas and sangria will always rule supreme as the alcoholic drinks of summer, these classic, refreshing cocktails will give your party a fun twist.

If Margaritas are your drink of choice, try a Gin Rickey or Mint Julep instead.

Gin Rickey

1 oz fresh lime juice

2 tsps fine sugar

2 oz white rum

Lime wheel garnish

Ice

Stir lime juice and sugar together in a cocktail shaker until the sugar grains dissolve. Add ice and rum; shake until cold, or 20 seconds. Strain over ice into a daiquiri or tall Collins glass. Garnish with a lime wheel on the rim, or in the glass.

Mint Julep

1 oz club soda

2 tsps fine sugar

1 small handful of fresh mint leaves

3 oz whiskey or bourbon

Fresh mint garnish

Crushed or snowy ice

Stir soda and sugar together directly into serving cup until sugar grains dissolve. Add a handful of mint leaves and muddle—or gently press without bruising— with a muddler or the back of a spoon. Add whiskey to the mix. Lastly, add crushed ice to the glass until heaping. With a long spoon, give the entire drink a quick swirl along the edges of the glass to stir. Garnish with mint leave and drink with a straw.

If wine-related drinks with a fruity twist (like Sangria) are your poison, a French 75 or Kir Royale will liven up your palate.

French 75

.5 -1 oz Fresh lemon juice

1 tsp fine sugar

1.5 oz gin

Ice

2 oz chilled champagne or brut

Lemon zest

Dissolve sugar in a shaker with lemon juice. Add ice to the shaker, and pour in the gin. Shake until chilled, or 20 seconds. Strain into a champagne flute and top off with sparkling wine. Garnish with a long sliver of lemon zest and cherry.

Kir Royale

Orange zest

.5 oz Chambord or Crème de Cassis

5-6 oz crisp sparkling wine, such as Cava

Small cut berries or grapes for garnish

Prep a champagne flute with an orange zest by twisting over the glass and quickly rubbing the bruised zest along the rim of the glass. Add Chambord to glass. Pour sparkling wine over Chambord after settling the glass should be around 75% full. Carefully drop fruit into the glass.

For larger parties, individual cocktails simply won’t do. These cold, refreshing drinks should be consumed right away, and you don’t want to be relegated to bartender duty while your soiree is going on without you. For summer barbecues and neighborhood get-togethers, throw together a punch bowl. The Brooklyn Fizz is one of the easiest and tastiest of the bunch.

Brooklyn Fizz Punch Bowl

1 c lemon juice

4-6 dashes of bitters

1 c St. Germain or Elderflower liquor

2 bottles of champagne or brut

2 bottles ginger beer (not ginger ale)

Citrus wheels, unpeeled

Pour all liquids into a punch bowl, gently stirring once. If desired, freeze citrus wheels and water in a Styrofoam bowl, creating a large decorative block of ice. Float additional citrus wheels on surface of punch.

Whichever drink you choose, your guests will thank you for the change in routine. Salut!