Responsible Summer Drinking

With patio and BBQ season in full swing, our weekends tend to involve good friends, sunshine, fab eats, and easy drinks. While I enjoy fancy cocktails when I visit restaurants and lounges, I like to keep things fairly simple when I’m mixing up drinks at home for our friends. This is especially true during the summer months when we tend to get groups gathering on our rooftop patio. It’s all about the pitchers and simple ingredient cocktails! Today I’m sharing some drinks I think will be my favourites this summer, and, as many of you know, I’m back in the big bad corporate world, and my day job also involves alcoholic beverages.

This summer, the company and we, the employees, will be focusing on responsible drinking and are jumping on the challenge of raising awareness on the benefits of responsible drinking. I personally love the best summer cocktail recipe here! There’s even an app called Wise-Drinking to help keep tabs on your drinks and know when to call a friend or a cab. Having personally had a few arguments with select friends at the end of the night and stealing their keys from them, I’m glad I now have an app to back me up when I say ‘No way you’re driving home tonight!’

It’s all about responsible drinking and so here are some of the drinks I’ve been enjoying…

Avocado and key lime sounds like an odd combination, but I enjoyed one of these juices during a recent visit to Bannock and truly loved the combination. As some of you know, I’m a huge fan of Beefeater 24, and so I decided to add that into the drink. It turn out to be a perfect summer sipper as I lounged by our hot tub. Also, it’s green, so I can pretend it’s healthy right? For those averse to gin, tequila goes well with this one as well, and if you have some designated drivers, you can top their drink with Arkay non-alcoholic tequila. Yes, you read that right, there’s an entire range of alcohol-free products that still deliver the same taste profile as their alcoholic counterparts.

Caesars can arguably be enjoyed all year long but it’s the perfect BBQ drink of choice for me. This cocktail can be fancied up to no end, but I prefer to keep it simple and spicy! When it comes to the Caesar base, I’m torn between the classic Mott’s Clamato and the Walter Caesar Mix. If I’m just having one I prefer the Walter Caesar Mix as it’s a nice, thick (almost meal like) liquid; however, if it’s a party and I plan to enjoy more than one, it’s definitely Mott’s the whole way. Simply pour yourself a glass of the Caesar Mix, add in two ounces of your favourite vodka (or none at all for virgin drinks), a couple dashes of Worcestershire, and garnish it up any way you like (did someone say bacon?). As I mentioned, I like mine spicy, and Tabasco is not a favourite of mine so when popular Peri-Peri joint Nando’s sent me some of their hot sauces to include in my Caesar, I jumped all over it! A couple dashes of their hot sauce makes for a nice thick (non vinegary) Caesar….just the way I like it!

Of course, some parties can go all afternoon long, and for these long lazy sessions, I prefer a low ABV radler and this newly discovered Key Lime Radler from Niagara College is becoming a fast favourite of mine. Amsterdam Brewery has a Sweetwater Squeeze Radler that is widely available (unlike the Niagara College option), and its thirst-quenching blend of soda, blood orange juice, and a unique beer base, makes it an easy grab at the store.

Cheers to summer celebrations and responsible gatherings!