By Chef K. Marie Paulk
Well, here we are again, summer. Personally, I cannot believe half the year is gone, but the days are longer, vacations are in the air, and I am sure people are ready to fire up the grill, either in the backyard (my favorite place with my pups), at a park, or campground with friends and family. However, rather than talking about everyone’s favorite summer meal, I’m going to tell you about what must go with it—the beverage.
Water, while very important to our health, is not my “go-to” drink for my summer dinner parties. I was thinking about something a bit more robust … either an alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink that pairs well. White and red wine are at the top of my list, but I read somewhere: “With a glass of wine, you have a drink … but with a pitcher, you have a party.”
During the summer, my personal go-to drink is a gin and tonic. I love the flavor, but believe it or not it has been served to me without a lime, an ingredient which I feel makes the drink; if you don’t have a lime in the drink, it is not complete, plus it needs to be served in a tall glass with lots of ice (presentation in drinks is important). It could be, for example, a simple squeeze of a lime to finish the drink. Normally, I would only drink one of these before dinner, which makes this drink, for me, an aperitif (aperitif from the Latin word aperire, meaning to open). Aperitif is a pre-dinner drink often served with an appetizer to stimulate the appetite, and it can be a glass of wine or again, like me, a very dirty gin martini. In Greece, they go for ouzo; in Italy, cocktails are made with bitters; and in France, anise-flavored drinks are found.
Sangria is a very popular summer drink. I like the drink because it is not too heavy and because it has a lot of infused fruit. I have read that Sangria may not be from Spain. The first English language reference to sangria comes from the 1730s when the drink was more often called sanaree. Popular in London, not Spain, it was actually a gin punch, but they used wine instead to avoid the high taxes placed on gin. Some believe the sangaree come from West Africa word sangara, or from an Urdu word sakkari, which means sugared wine.
You can discuss its origins over a glass. I like to follow these simple rules when making sangria:
- Pick a wine that you enjoy, but use an inexpensive bottle.
- Pair the wine with fresh fruit, letting the fruit steep for at least 2 hours before you serve. Just note that if using citrus, the white pith will add a bitter taste, so do not steep more than 1 day ahead.
- Add sweetness with a liqueur.
- Balance the sangria with the right amount of sweet and sour. If it is too sweet, add citrus juice, and if it is too acidic, add sweetener. Make it simple by using simple syrup, honey, agave nectar, or more liqueur. Simple syrup is liquid gold: stir together 1 ½ cups of sugar and 1 ½ cups of water over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Let cool, then strain, cover, and chill. It will keep for two
- Never put ice in your pitcher: when it melts, it will water down sangria. Chill the sangria in the refrigerator and serve over ice.
- Top the sangria with a bit of sparkle, like soda water, ginger ale or a sparkling water.
Another summer drink I like is a Michelada, which is nothing more than a simple mixture of beer and hot sauce. When I lived in West Texas, we drank these in place of margaritas. You will never find it made the same way.
A simple recipe is:
- 1 lime wedge
- Seasoning like Chilimon
- Ice
- Dash of hot pepper sauce
- Dash of Worcestershire sauce
- One 12 oz. beer (my personal preference is Pacifico)
Just run the lime around the rim of the glass to moisten, put the seasoning onto a small plate and dip the rim of the glass. Fill the glass with ice, and add lime juice, hot pepper sauce, and Worcestershire into the glass. Add the beer, then sprinkle with more seasoning and serve.
I could go on and on with summer drinks, so I’m sure by now you might be thinking I have a problem. Not to worry, I am just a social drinker, although one drink I really want to try this summer is the Jalisco Flower, a recipe that caught my eye because it is made with fresh ruby red grapefruit juice. Nothing better than fresh squeezed grapefruit, and the recipe is simple:
- ¼ cup of ruby red grapefruit juice
- 3 tbs. of St. Germain elderflower liqueur
- 2 tbs. Blanco tequila
- Ice
- Brut champagne
Combine the first three ingredients in a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Cover and shake at least 20 times and strain into two flutes. Top each with champagne and garnish with grapefruit twists.
Flavored waters might be a way to go, especially if you are entertaining with underage folks attending. Nothing better on a hot summer day than watermelon basil water, blackberry sage water, or cucumber mint water. All pretty simple to make, plus they will not be loaded with a lot of sugar or artificial sweeteners and dyes.
Enjoy the long summer days, and stay hydrated!
