Kick Off Memorial Day Weekend With These Great Summer Cocktails

Memorial Day Weekend is the unofficial start to summer, and with parties and barbecues going on all weekend, the celebrations call for refreshing cocktails to share with friends and family. Here are some easy recipes that can be batched for a crowd or scaled down for an intimate party of two.

Always Daydreaming

Colorado’s Old Elk Distillery has an impressive lineup of American ultra-premium whiskies to savor during this season. This refreshing cocktail uses Bourbon, berries and grapefruit for a splash of colors and flavors.

• 12 oz Old Elk Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• 8 oz Raspberry syrup
• 12 oz Fresh squeezed grapefruit juice (about 3 grapefruits)
• 1 oz Fresh lime juice
• Top with soda water or Prosecco
• Fresh raspberries and mint for garnish

Combine all ingredients except sparkling water or Prosecco in a pitcher and stir. Add ice before serving to chill. Pour into a cocktail glass with fresh ice and top with soda water or Prosecco. Garnish with fresh raspberries and mint.

Raspberry syrup

Mix equal parts water, sugar, and raspberries in a pot. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Chill overnight and strain. One cup each water, sugar, and sliced strawberries will yield approximately 10 punches of syrup.

Melon Daze

• 1 Whole baby watermelon
• 6 oz Old Elk Bourbon
• 6 oz Lustau Amontillado Sherry
• 3 oz Cocchi Americano Vermouth (or another blanco vermouth)
• 3 oz Fresh lime juice
• 8 Whole blackberries
• Sprigs of fresh basil
• Ginger Ale

Cut the top part of a baby watermelon, scoop out fruit. Blend scooped watermelon and strain out the pulp for fresh juice. Add Old Elk Bourbon, sherry, vermouth, lime juice and watermelon juice to the hollowed out watermelon. Top with ginger ale and stir. Garnish with whole blackberries and fresh basil. Serve with multiple straws or cut a small hole in the bottom of the watermelon for a dispenser.

Mumm Sparkling Spring Fizz

● 1 part Malfy Arancia, chilled

● 4 parts Mumm Sparkling Brut Rosé

● 2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Garnish: Cracked cinnamon stick and a Meyer lemon wheel.

Build in a glass for an individual drink or add to a pitcher and stir gently to serve a crowd.

Spicy Aji Margarita

With pickle flavors and probiotics appearing on everything, why not add them to a cocktail? This spicy take uses Olive My Pickle’s lineup of Pickle Juice LiveBrines for a sezty drink that checks all the boxes.

• 1 serrano chile, muddled
• 1.5 oz fresh lime juice
• 1 oz Olive My Pickle’s Aji Amarillo Pepper & Mango LiveBrine
• 2 oz Tequila
• .5 oz Triple sec

Shake with ice in a cocktail shaker. Stain and serve up in a Martini glass, or over ice in a margarita glass, with a salt and chile rim if you like.

Heartfelt Fizz

Prepare a pitcher of this fizzy passion fruit cocktail to serve 4-6 people.

8 oz Keeper’s Heart Irish + American Bourbon

4 oz Fresh-squeezed lemon juice

3 oz Simple syrup

3 oz Chinola Passion Fruit liqueur

1 bottle Champagne (or any dry sparkling wine)

Pour first three ingredients into a gallon pitcher filled with ice; stir well to chill. Add bottle of Champagne, slowly, and stir very gently and briefly to mix. Serve in Champagne flutes or coupe glasses.

Corzetti’s “Pizza Spritz”

From the innovative team at Corzetti in San Francisco, this savory spritz is a delightful fusion of classic Italian flavors for a unique twist on the fizzy favorite.

.75 oz La Sirene Bitter Artigianale

.25 oz Oregano syrup (Recipe below)

.25 oz Fresh lemon juice

1 bar spoon jaline jolution (*Recipe below)

.25 oz Club soda

3oz Lambrusco

Combine all ingredients in a white wine glass & serve over ice. Garnish with a piparra, olive and cherry tomato on a pick

Oregano Syrup

• 32g dried oregano
• 400ml hot water
• 400g superfine sugar

Combine all ingredients in a large cambro and let infuse for 15 minutes (preferable to set a timer.) Strain through a large mesh strainer and refrigerate

Yield: Approx 780ml Shelf LIfe – 2 weeks DO NOT USE FLOWERING OREGANO