Limeade Kombucha Cocktail. Photos: Lunds & Byerlys
What’s the best way to beat the heat? Sometimes, it comes by way of tart meets fruity, a pinky batch beverage or a lemonade (adult style) to punch up your taste buds. Our friends at Lunds & Byerlys weigh in with some of their favorite ideas.
Limeade Kombucha Cocktail
On a very hot day, we love a glass of limeade. It has that juicy, sweet mid-tongue pucker that’s so refreshing and addictive. Here, we’ve combined it with GT’s Unity kombucha, which tastes like cherries and coconut. It gives the cocktail a punch-like flavor, a light fizz and a very pleasant acidic bite. (Not into coconut? Use any flavor of kombucha.)
- 6 limes
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 quart cold water
- 2 cups ice
- 6 oz. vodka
- 16 oz. kombucha (We used GT’s Unity kombucha.)
Juice five of the limes into a pitcher. Slice the remaining lime into rounds; set it aside. Add the sugar and water, and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Drop in the ice and lime slices. Add the vodka; stir. Add the kombucha, gently stir and serve immediately.
Rosé Sangria
Settle in for a citrusy, sweet-tart, super-easy-drinking summer batch cocktail. When we were dreaming up this recipe, we set some goals: Taste-wise, we wanted to create something fruity, refreshing and delightfully drinkable. Aesthetically, our guiding principle was “pink on pink.” The result is a curated sangria you won’t want to miss. With cranberry, lemon, grapefruit-rose vodka, strawberries, raspberries and orange, it’s got a mélange of fruit flavors, but the mix isn’t overwhelming or slapdash. Each fruit and flavor was intentional and, together, they give this cocktail a distinct, delicious taste. Feel free to play around with the vodka. If grapefruit-rose flavor isn’t your thing, try cucumber, watermelon or unflavored vodka or whatever strikes your fancy.
- 1 750 milliliter bottle rosé wine
- ½ cup Ketel One Botanical Grapefruit & Rose vodka
- ½ cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- ¼ cup sweetened cranberry juice
- 4 Tbsp. simple syrup, plus more as needed
- 1 cup strawberries, sliced
- 1 cup raspberries
- 1 orange, thinly sliced
- 2 cups sparkling water
- mint sprigs, for garnish
In a large pitcher, whisk together the rosé, vodka, lemon juice, cranberry juice and simple syrup. Taste and adjust the sweetness by adding 1 Tbsp. of simple syrup at a time, if desired. Add the strawberries, raspberries and orange slices. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for two hours or up to overnight to allow the fruit to infuse. Right before serving, add the sparkling water, and stir to combine. Serve the sangria and fruit in glasses filled with ice. Garnish each glass with a mint sprig.
Low-ABV Berry Lemonade Cocktail
This drink is lemony, with complex undertones and an outsized amount of pucker. It’s super tart and refreshing and goes down easily, though not wantonly. It’s got surprising depth, almost like it has iced tea in it, which simultaneously adds to the complexity and the drinkability.
As refreshing as it is complex, this low-alcohol cocktail would be perfect at any warm-weather gathering or event, but here’s what we’re gonna do with it: Invite a few friends over to the patio, make up a pitcher and spend a day in the sun.
- 1 cup seedless raspberry jam
- ¾ tsp. kosher salt
- ¾ cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 750 milliliters amontillado sherry
- 1 cup blanco tequila
- ice
- 1 pint raspberries, for garnish
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced, for garnish
- ½ English cucumber, thinly sliced, for garnish
- 10 fresh mint leaves, for garnish
- 1 liter tonic water
In a large pitcher or beverage dispenser, add the raspberry jam and salt. Slowly pour in the lemon juice, stirring constantly to incorporate the juice into the jam. Add the amontillado sherry and tequila, and stir to combine. Fill the pitcher halfway with ice, and garnish with raspberries, lemon slices, cucumber slices and mint leaves. Top the pitcher off with the tonic water, stir to combine and serve immediately.
Katie Tomsche is the content manager for Lunds & Byerlys. Sip more at lundsandbyerlys.com.
