Icy cold, sweet and tart cocktails and mocktails are a joy to sip on a hot summer day. Let’s start with the sweet…during a recent visit to Wine Gourmet I met Martha Bourlakas that created Storied Goods Sugar Cubes.
Becky Ellis
Owner of Storied Goods Martha Bourlakas (right) and her daughter Sarah (left)
It all started with a champagne cocktail that she sipped when her family lived in Louisville, Kentucky. The traditional champagne cocktail recipe includes a sugar cube that is dropped into the champagne with a bit of bitters and a twist of lemon. She enjoyed the cocktail and wondered if it could be made even more special by dressing up the sugar cube with fanciful flavor and decoration.
At home, she concocted organic sugar cubes with organic rose petals to make the prettiest accompaniment to the classic champagne cocktail. These lovely sugar cubes won the Virginia Living Magazine’s Made in Virginia’s 2018 Award.
Storied Goods rose petal, whiskey (perfect in a Manhattan cocktail) and brown sugar flavored sugar cubes are available at Wine Gourmet.
Then on to the tart…there’s so many ways to enjoy lemonade this summer – here’s some festive and refreshing lemonade mocktails/cocktails:
Cherry Lemonade Cocktail
Becky Ellis
Cherry Lemonade cocktail
This delightful summery cocktail can be made with or without the alcohol.
Mocktail (makes one mocktail):
- 3 ounces homemade lemonade concentrate (recipe below)
- 1.5 ounces cherry juice
- ¼ cup Perrier sparkling water
- Maraschino cherries with stems for garnish
- Large ice cube with a lime slice frozen in the cube (optional)
Place lemonade concentrate and cherry juice in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled glass. Add Perrier sparkling water and stir lightly to combine all ingredients. Add the ice cube and garnish with maraschino cherries.
Make It A Cocktail:
Add to the mocktail:
- ¾ ounce vodka
- 1 teaspoon Maraschino Cherry Liqueur
- 2 “Filthy” Black Cherries for garnish (cherries available at Tower’s ABC Store) – omit the Maraschino cherries in the mocktail recipe
Homemade Lemonade Concentrate:
- 1 cup white, granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice
Place the sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Stir so that the sugar dissolves completely and remove from heat. Add the lemon juice to the sugar mixture and stir to combine. Chill until ready to serve.
Lemonade Moscow Mule
Mocktail (makes one mocktail):
- ½ cup homemade lemonade concentrate
- ½ cup ginger beer
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- Fresh spearmint leaves
- Lime slices and mint sprigs
Place lemonade concentrate and lime juice in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously with ice. Muddle mint leaves with a muddler or back of a wooden spoon in a frozen copper mug or cocktail glass. Strain the lemonade/lime juice mixture into the mug/glass with the mint. Add ginger beer. Stir lightly to combine ingredients. Add ice cubes to fill the mug/glass. Garnish with lime slices and mint sprigs.
Make It A Cocktail:
Add to the mocktail, in the cocktail shaker and shake with the lemonade/lime juice mixture:
- 1 ½ ounces vodka
About the Writer:
Following her career in healthcare dining and nutrition management, Becky Ellis followed her passion to create Bubblybee, a champagne and food blog. Her motto is "Don't wait to celebrate! Pop the cork now!" She loves to share tips for entertaining with bubbly. Find her creative recipes and champagne tasting notes at bubblybee.net and Instagram @bubblybeeboop.