These Memorial Day Cocktails Will Make Your Weekend

Hello, summertime. Sunblock is out, shorts are on, and nothing sounds quite as good as a nice cold cocktail. Memorial Day weekend is a great time to experiment with new recipes. Whether you’re looking for a drink that’s red, white and blue or just something that feels like pure summertime, we’ve got some seriously delicious boozy drinks that you’ll be excited to try.

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Break out your bar cabinet. It’s time to get sipping.

True-blue cocktail recipe

Recipe from Celebrations at Home

Serves 1

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces blue curaçao
• 1/2 ounce coconut rum
• 3 ounces ginger ale
• Maraschino cherry or sliced fruit star (for garnish)

Directions:

1. Combine the blue curaçao, coconut rum and ginger ale and pour it over ice.
2. Garnish with a maraschino cherry or sliced star fruit

Raspberry-peach prosecco recipe

Recipe from Table for Two

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Serves 10

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces frozen raspberries
• 2 cups peach nectar, chilled
• 1 bottle prosecco, chilled

Directions:

1. Put the frozen raspberries in a large glass pitcher or dispenser. Top them with the peach nectar and prosecco.?
2. Fill the rest of the pitcher or dispenser with ice cubes. Stir and serve cold.

Grilled pineapple-jalapeño margarita? recipe

Recipe from Platings and Pairings

Serves 2

Ingredients:

For the jalapeño-infused tequila

• 1 cup silver tequila
• 1 jalapeño, sliced into rings

For the cocktail:

• 4 (1-inch thick) slices grilled pineapple, chilled (instructions provided in recipe)
• 1-1/2 ounces jalapeño-infused tequila
• 1/2 ounce triple sec
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1 lime’s juice)
• 2 tablespoons agave nectar (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup water
• Crushed ice
• Citrus salt or kosher salt (for rimming your glass)
• Lime wedges (for garnish)

Directions:

For jalapeño-infused tequila

1. In a clean container with a lid, put the tequila and jalapeño slices. Shake to combine, and allow the flavors to meld for 12 to 24 hours, depending on how spicy you’d like it. Once the flavor has developed to your liking, strain the jalapeños and discard them.?
2. The tequila will keep for up to 1 year. Store it in the freezer for best results.

For the cocktail

1. To get your grilled pineapple, cut 4 (1-inch-thick) rings, discarding the rind and removing the core. Preheat your grill to medium-high and oil it lightly. Grill your pineapple for 4 to 5 minutes on each side until you get nice grill marks and it begins to soften slightly.? Place the grilled pieces in a bowl and allow them to cool completely in the refrigerator.?
2. In a blender, add the jalapeño-infused tequila, triple sec, 2 slices of the grilled and chilled pineapple (and any juices that have accumulated in the bowl), lime juice, agave nectar, vanilla extract and water. Blend until smooth, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the pulp from the pineapple.?
3. To salt the rim of a glass, run a lime slice or pineapple wedge around the lip of your glass and dip it into salt to cover.?
4. Add crushed ice to your glass, pour in your margarita mixture, and garnish it with extra grilled pineapple and/or lime wedges.?

Boozy Arnold Palmer recipe

Recipe from Waiting on Martha

Serves 1

Ingredients:

• Lemonade
• 2 ounces vodka (Citron or regular)
• Ice tea
• Mint, rosemary, basil or thyme (for garnish)

Directions:

1. The night before, pour the lemonade into ice cube trays and freeze.
2. Fill each glass with lemonade ice cubes, and add the vodka, filling it up with ice tea.
3. Stir, garnish with your herb of choice and enjoy.

Peach-basil Moscow mule recipe

Recipes from Whitney Bond

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces peach vodka
• 24 ounces ginger beer
• 1 large lemon (quartered)
• 1/3 cup fresh basil

Directions:

1. Fill four glasses (preferably copper cups, but any cocktail glass will work) with ice.
2. Add 2 ounces of vodka and 6 ounces of ginger beer to each glass.
3. Squeeze one quarter of a lemon into each glass, then add a couple of pieces of fresh basil.
4. Stir all the ingredients together.

Cucumber-melon sangria recipe

Recipe from Garnish with Lemon

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1 (750-milliliter) bottle dry white wine
• 3/4 cup gin
• 2 tablespoons superfine sugar
• 1/2 honeydew melon, cubed
• 1/2 seedless cucumber, sliced
• 1/2 cup packed fresh mint leaves
• 1 cup sparkling water or club soda

Directions:

1. In a large pitcher, combine the white wine, gin, sugar, honeydew melon, cucumber and mint leaves and still well. Refrigerate at least 3 hours (more if possible).
2. Just before serving, pour in the sparkling water and gently stir to combine. Serve over ice.

Recipe from Recipe Girl

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

• 2 bottles dry white wine (sauvignon blanc is good)
• 1 cup triple sec
• 1/2 cup berry-flavored vodka
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup simple syrup
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1-1/2 cups hulled and sliced strawberries
• 1 cup raspberries
• 1-1/2 cups pineapple chunks

Directions:

1. In a large punch bowl or pitcher, combine the white wine, triple sec, berry vodka, lemon juice, simple syrup, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and pineapple chunks and stir well. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours.
2. Serve well chilled with a good scoop of fruit floating in each drink or serve over ice.