Today, in the US, we honor the men and women who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom. We are grateful.
Memorial Day is also the unofficial beginning of summer for many so to celebrate, we came up with some fun and classic summery cocktails. Enjoy!!
Sea Breeze Cocktail
While perusing a cocktail book from the 1930’s, that I got for Christmas, I discovered what sounded like a great summertime cocktail. With a little research I found that the Sea Breeze began as a gin based cocktail in the 1930’s. It included gin, grenadine and apricot brandy.
In the 1960’s there was a cranberry panic when some cranberries were found to have traces of a herbicide that caused cancer. In order to promote cranberries Ocean Spray began publishing recipes using cranberries and cranberry products. In those recipes someone saw fit to include a cocktail. a takeoff of the Sea Breeze. This cocktail included cranberry juice, grapefruit juice and vodka,
With a revival in the 1980’s , the Sea Breeze became the cocktail we know today. It is a beachy, summery vodka based cocktail with a fruity finish. Enjoy one today! ~~Kay
P.S. You can still use Vodka or Gin!
- 1 1/2 oz Vodka
- 3 oz Cranberry Juice
- 1 oz Grapefruit Juice
Add ice to highball glass and pour in the ingredients. Stir. Garnish with a lime wedge.
(I like to squeeze the lime wedge into the drink before drinking. i like the little kick of the citrus).
Glass: Highball glass
Garnish: Lime wedge
Planter’s Punch
This is a classic tropical drink and there are as many versions of it as there are islands in the Caribbean. I tried a classic recipe that is supposed to be from Trader Vic’s, the quintessential Tiki Bar and one that I created with what I had on hand—which is what the island bartenders do. ~~Lynda
Trader Vic’s Planter’s Punch
- 2 oz. rum (I used Cruzan Aged Rum)
- 1/2 oz. grenadine
- 1 oz. fresh lime juice
- 1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp. sugar
- Soda water to top off
Place all ingredients except the soda water in a shaker with ice. Shake well until chilled and sugar dissolves. Strain into tall, ice filled glass. Garnish with lime wheel or whatever fruit you have on hand. Umbrella optional.
I also tried another version made with orange juice and dark rum. I found several recipes for this version that called for pineapple juice but since I didn’t have any on hand, I just used straight orange juice. If you have pineapple juice, try it with 2 oz. orange juice and 1 oz. pineapple juice.
- 2 oz. dark rum (Cruzan Black Strap is my favorite)
- 3 oz. orange juice
- 1/2 oz. grenadine
- Juice from one lime
Add ingredients to tall glass filled with ice. Garnish with lime and fruit if available.
As always, thanks for reading. Hope everyone has a fun and safe Memorial Day.
