Pick-me-ups to help beat the summer heat
By Jacey Gibb, Distribution Manager
Previous Pour Boy installments have homed in on the world of cocktails, but it’s the summer and as good a time as any to deviate from the norm. Instead of cocktails, I’m writing about three of my favourite boozy beverages, preferably sipped on a sunny deck or in a backyard.
The first recipe I have for you is sangria. One of sangria’s greatest feats is how versatile and forgiving it is. You can use any type of wine, add any combination of fruit, and serve it during any stage of its life (sangria tastes as good a week later as it does 24 hours after combining the ingredients).
Hand-squeeze a couple of lemons and oranges, then add equal parts red wine and sparkling wine. Don’t worry too much about the quality of wine; there are so many flavours going on here that no one will notice if you use Naked Grape or something equally cheap. Give the liquid a couple of stirs, then add a few splashes of apricot brandy. From there it’s time to add your fruit. Feel free to add whatever you have kicking around, but my go-to is an apple-mango-watermelon combo. Give the sangria a final stir and then store in an airtight jar or bottle to help preserve the fizz. Make sure to serve the sangria chilled and with a spoon, so folks can enjoy the fruit!
Next up, we take on the iconic piña colada. Blame it on the notorious song, but I always found piña coladas a tad overhyped—that is, until Bon Appétit released their version back in 2016. This recipe strikes a nice balance between creamy, sweet, and boozy, even though the staggered blending and freezing can drag the process out.
Dice up one fresh pineapple into small chunks and then freeze for several hours. Add frozen pineapple, 12 ounces of cream of coconut (not to be confused with coconut milk), 4 ounces of unsweetened coconut milk, half a 2-6 bottle (375 mL) of white rum, 4 tbsp of lime juice, a generous splash of dark rum, and 3 cups of ice to a blender, and blend until smooth. Here’s the crucial part: Place the blender (mixture still inside) in the freezer for 30 minutes, and then slightly re-blend right before serving. This gives the piña colada a nice consistency while still being chilled.
The final summer beverage to receive the official Pour Boy endorsement is the peach Bellini. They’re infamous for being overly sweet, but this adapted recipe from blog Sugar Spun Run has a manageable level of sweetness.
Add equal parts frozen peaches and Prosecco to a blender, followed by one-ninth of the same measurement of peach schnapps. (Similar to the sangria, don’t worry too much about using the highest-quality booze here; the peach flavour will do most of the heavy lifting.) Blend the ingredients until smooth and then serve immediately. Depending on your preference, I’ll sometimes add more frozen peaches to increase the thickness, while other recipes call for extra sugar or simple syrup. Dealer’s choice!
So there you have it. Three favourite recipes to sip on as you melt away in a patio chair somewhere. Just remember to pair each of these drinks with a healthy serving of SPF 30.
