Peach Sun Tea and Bourbon Cocktail {#drinkthesummer}
I’m on a serious mission to “eat the Summer”. Local produce is abundant (and almost overwhelming) at the moment. And I want to taste it all. I want to fill my belly with heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, blueberries and everything in between. In hopes that when Old Man Winter arrives, I’ll be able to retain some warm memories of the sweet, juicy flavors that this season has to offer.
But why should we just “eat the Summer” when we could also drink it? Farm-to-glass is just as important as farm-to-table. And that’s exactly what today’s post is all about. Welcome to the 2016 addition of #drinkthesummer! A crazy awesome round-up of bloggers bringing their best seasonally-inspired cocktail and mocktail recipes to the internet. I hope you’re thirsty!
I couldn’t think of a better recipe for #drinkthesummer than something that was actually created with the heat of the Summer sun. So I made a sun tea with fresh peaches, lemon and a little maple syrup. And I made damn sure to use the ripest, juiciest peaches that I could find for maximum peach flavor. I highly suggest you try and do the same.
Sun tea is all about patience. You’ll want to let your tea brew in direct sunlight for 4-6 hours. And then give it some time in your refrigerator to chill before serving. So be sure to start your journey early in the day if you want to enjoy these Peach Sun Tea and Bourbon Cocktails as an evening sipper.
If you prefer, you can certainly serve this as a non-alcohol beverage. But the splash of bourbon and peach brandy is a nice addition, in my humble opinion. I hope you try it out.
You can find links to all the other bloggers recipes on Sherrie’s blog right here. There are over 50 amazing recipes being contributed this year. Hooray! And I want to send out a big thank you to Sherrie for organizing the event and bringing us all together to #drinkthesummer!
Cheers,
Liz
Ingredients
- For the Peach Sun Tea
- 8 cup pitcher or mason jar
- 7 black tea bags
- 2 peaches, sliced
- 1 lemon, quartered
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 5 cups water
- For the Cocktails
- Peach Sun Tea
- Bourbon
- Peach brandy
- Ice
- Peach slices for garnish, if desired
- Fresh mint leaves for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- Make the sun tea. Add the tea bags and sliced peaches to your pitcher/jar. Squeeze the juice from the lemon into the pitcher/jar and then drop in the spent rinds. Add the maple syrup and water. Stir to combine. Seal your pitcher/jar and place it outside in the direct sun for 4-6 hours, stirring/shaking two or three times during this time.
- After the tea has brewed, transfer your pitcher/jar to your refrigerator to chill.
- Make the cocktails. For one cocktail, strain 1 cup of the peach sun tea into a glass with ice. Add 1 1/2 ounces (= 1 shot) of bourbon and 3/4 ounces (= 1/2 shot) of brandy. Stir to combine. Garnish with peach slices and fresh mint, if desired. Enjoy immediately.
Rhubarb-Raspberry Margaritas
I’m pretty excited about the internet this week. Mostly because of tacos.
But also because of nachos, enchiladas, guacamole, margaritas and basically all of the other amazing recipes that go along with Cinco de Mayo. It’s one of my favorite “eating days” of the year (it might even have a leg up on Thanksgiving!), and I know that a lot of my food blogging friends share in my excitement. I can’t wait to see all the creative, drool-worthy Mexican-themed dishes coming down the pipeline this week. I think I’m going to need a second stomach.
I’m kicking things off this week with these Rhubarb-Raspberry Margaritas. Because it’s Monday and I think we need a little boost. The kind of boost that can only come from a shot of tequila delivered in a fruity, perfectly pink cocktail with a tongue tingling salty-sweet rim. Am I right?
You’ll almost always find rhubarb and strawberries paired together in recipes. Their complimentary tart and sweet flavors play off each other perfectly. And it’s a duo that I love using in everything from baked goods to frozen treats. But for this cocktail, I opted to use raspberries to provide the “sweet angle” instead of strawberries. The results are equally (if not even more!) appealing. And it’s got me now thinking about other ways in which I can combine rhubarb and raspberries in the future.
Oh and let’s talk briefly about the vanilla-scented, salty-sweet rim. It’s da bomb. Seriously. Don’t skip this part. It takes these margaritas to a whole new level of awesome. And it only requires a couple of extra minutes of work. Totally worth it.
I really didn’t need any convincing to create a margarita recipe for Cinco de Mayo. But when Kate from Hola Jalapeño announced that she was hosting an entire #margaritaweek on her site, I jumped at the chance to participate. Check out her blog roll here, where she’ll be posting the links to the margarita recipes from the other participating bloggers all week long. You’ll find lots of cocktail inspiration for Cinco de Mayo. And for all the warm, sunny months to come!
Cheers,
Liz
Ingredients
- For the Rhubarb-Raspberry Syrup
- 2 cup sliced rhubarb
- 1 pint (6 ounces) raspberries
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- For the Vanilla Salt-Sugar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons salt
- Seeds from 1/2 scraped vanilla bean
- For the Cocktails
- Vanilla Salt-Sugar
- Ice
- Rhubarb-Raspberry Syrup
- Fresh squeezed orange juice
- Fresh squeezed lime juice
- Tequila
- Orange liqueur
- Fresh cilantro for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- Make the rhubarb-raspberry syrup. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the rhubarb, raspberries, sugar and water. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. Then strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl, using a spatula to press down on the solids to help remove as much of the liquid as possible. Discard the solids. Transfer the collected liquid to a clean, re-sealable container and refrigerate until chilled.
- Make the vanilla salt-sugar. Add all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Use a fork to toss them together, working until the vanilla bean seeds are well distributed. Transfer to a small re-sealable container and store at room temperature.
- Prepare your glasses. Spoon some of the vanilla salt-sugar mixture out onto a small plate. Moisten the rim of your glasses with a little bit of lime juice. Then press the rim of the glasses into the salt-sugar mixture. Add ice to the glasses and set aside.
- Make the cocktails. For one cocktail, add 3 ounces of the rhubarb-raspberry syrup, 1 1/2 ounces of orange juice, 1 1/2 ounces of lime juice, 1 1/2 ounces of tequila and 3/4 ounces of orange liqueur to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously. Then strain into one of your salt-sugar rimmed glasses. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
1. If you don’t have a cocktail shaker, you can use a mason jar with ice and a re-sealable lid.
