Summer Cocktail Recipes Made Simply With President’s Choice Lemonades
What’s more refreshing in the summer than lemonade? A cocktail made with a lemonade base. Try these summer cocktail recipes, many can be prepared ahead for your next party, or any night of the week, cause you don’t need company over, you should just spoil yourself.
Calamansi & Cucumber Slush
This isn’t the corner store slush of your childhood. A combination of sweet-tart PC® Calamansi Lemonade, cucumber (yes, there’s even a vegetable in here), and gin is the ultimate refresher. This recipe is easily scaled up for a crowd—friends who slush together stay together.
Ingredients
- 1 mini cucumber peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup (83 mL)PC® Calamansi Lemonade
- 2 tbsp (30 mL or 1 oz) gin – try Copper Penny
- 2 tbsp (30 mL or 1 oz)PC® Black Label Simple Syrup
- juice from 1/4 lime
- 1 ¼ cup (310 mL)ice cubes
- 1 sprig of basil, for garnish
- 1 lime wheel, for garnish
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend on high until slushy, 10 to 15 seconds.
- Pour into a highball glass. Garnish with basil and lime.
- To serve a group, multiply the recipe by the number of guests, blending in batches if needed. Pour slush into a large pitcher, add basil and lime wheels, and serve these summer cocktail recipes.
Pomegranate Lemonade Frosé
“This is the grown-up version of my favorite childhood summer drink,” says PC® Chef Amanda Barnier. Her take is a far cry from classic sugary convenience store slush drinks – it’s loaded with frozen rosé wine and gets a sweet-tart punch from PC® Pomegranate Lemonade. Another one of those great summer cocktail recipes.
- 1 bottle (750 mL)rosé wine (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) – we used Sea Cider Ruby Rose or Temperance Cherie
- 2 tbsp (30 mL)whole green cardamom pods
- 1/2 cup (125 mL)simple syrup (see tip, below)
- 4 cups (1 L)PC® Pomegranate Lemonade, chilled
- fresh or frozen pomegranate arils (optional)
- fresh mint sprigs (optional)
Instructions
- Pour wine into 13 x 9-inch (3.5 L) metal cake pan or glass baking dish. Freeze until flaky, 5 to 6 hours. (If using non-alcoholic wine, stir with a fork once or twice throughout to prevent it from freezing until solid. The alcohol in traditional wine keeps it from completely freezing.)
- Meanwhile, crush cardamom on a cutting board using the bottom of a small saucepan until slightly cracked; scrape into a saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring often, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add simple syrup to a saucepan; bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, until cooled to room temperature.
- Break up wine into chunks using a fork or wooden spoon. Combine wine and lemonade in a blender (see note below on working in batches). Strain cardamom syrup through a fine-mesh strainer into a blender. Blend until slushy. (Depending on the size of your blender, you may need to add half each of the wine, lemonade, and syrup to the blender and blend in batches.)
- Divide among serving glasses. If using, garnish with pomegranate arils and mint.
- Try this: Look for simple syrup in the drinks section of the supermarket, or make it yourself. Bring 1 cup (250 mL) each granulated sugar and water to a boil in small saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Let cool slightly, then refrigerate until chilled. Use 1/2 cup (125 mL) for this recipe; refrigerate the rest in a sealed jar for up to 1 month.
Pink Lemonade Kicker
Light and lively tart-sweet PC® Black Label Pink Lemonade Sparkling Beverage is ready to mix into pink and pretty sippers perfectly suited to cocktail parties, summer barbecues, and other gatherings.
Ingredients
- 1 bottle (750 mL)PC® Black Label Pink Lemonade Sparkling Beverage (perfect for many summer cocktail recipes)
- Half Lemon, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup (75 mL)Each gin and vodka
- 1/2 cup (125 mL)Raspberries
Instructions
- Combine sparkling beverage; lemon; gin; vodka and raspberries in pitcher; stir gently. Pour into ice-filled glasses.
Frozen Watermelon Mint Lemonade
Fresh mint adds a refreshing hit to this summery sipper. For a grown-up version, blend in a little vodka or white rum. Garnish with lemon slices, fresh watermelon wedges, or fresh mint. *Chef’s Tip: Hand-tearing the mint leaves and blending them in at the end keeps the herb from discoloring the slushy.*
Ingredients
- 1 bag (500 g) PC® Frozen Watermelon Chunks
- 2-1/2 cups (625 mL) PC® Original Lemonade
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) lightly packed fresh mint leaves, roughly torn
How to Make
- Blend and this will be one on the repeat in your batch of summer cocktail recipes.
