Cocktails, Anyone?

Spring is here and summer is just around the corner serve up one of these fun, yummy summer cocktails at your next summer BBQ or celebration.  For kids or non drinker these are just as great virgin.


Watermelon Crush

Ingredients:
8 cups seeded, cubed watermelon (about 4 pounds)
1 1/3 cups light rum
1½ cups freshly squeezed orange juice, or more to taste
½ cup orange liqueur
¼ cup powdered sugar, or more to taste
2 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice

Directions:
Put the watermelon cubes in a plastic freezer bag; freeze for at least 8 hours Puree the watermelon and the remaining ingredients in batches in a blender or food processor until smooth, scraping down the sides occasionally. Combine the processed mixture well. Serve in a large old pickle jar or punch bowl and scoop the mixture into Mason jars, tin cups, or other festive glasses.

Dragon Fly Punch

Ingredients:

2 parts Alizé Gold Passion
2 parts Bacardi Limon
Splash of Canton Ginger Liqueur
Splash of Cranberry juice
Splash of Lime juice 
Splash of Ginger ale

Directions: Mix all ingredients together in a shaker. Pour over ice and serve.

 Lemon Verbena Ice Tea 

Ingredients:

• 1/2  cup  sugar
• 1/2  cup  water
• 1  cup  lemon verbena leaves
• 4  cups  ice
• 6  cups  brewed tea, chilled
• Mint leaves (optional)
• Lemon wedges (optional)

Directions:

Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until sugar dissolves. Cool sugar syrup completely.

Cook lemon verbena leaves in boiling water 1 minute. Drain and plunge into ice water; drain.

Combine sugar syrup and verbena leaves in a blender; process until smooth. Cover and chill overnight. Strain sugar syrup through a fine sieve into a bowl. Place 2/3 cup ice into each of 6 tall glasses; add 1 cup brewed tea and 2 tablespoons sugar syrup to each serving, stirring to combine. Garnish with mint leaves and lemon wedges, if desired.