Are you planning a get-together with friends and need ideas for refreshing drinks? Not too sweet and not too strong, these amazing cocktails are sophisticated, just like the women (and men) to whom you’ll want to serve them this summer.

Purple Rain

 

The Purple Rain drink was inspired by the name of Prince’s sixth album and film in which he starred in. Widely regarded as one of the greatest artistic talents, Prince is known for his vocal range and sexually provocative lyrics. His music touches parts of you that you didn’t know you had. 

The Purple Rain drink is a variation of the Long Island Iced Tea. The blue curacao and the grenadine give this cocktail its purple shade. When poured after mixing with the blue curacao, the grenadine’s gradual sinking into the cocktail evokes the imagery of heavy rain.

Ingredients

– 1 ½ oz. vodka

– 1 oz lemonade

– ½ blue curacao

– ¼ oz grenadine

In a shaking glass with ice, combine vodka, lemonade, blue curacao, and grenadine. Shake well. Pour mix into a glass and garnish with a slice of lemon.

The Caipirinha

An accidental discovery in the sugarcane plantations of Brazil was what led to the creation of The Caipirinha. Legend has it that in the early 1600s, Brazilian slaves accidentally left sugarcane juice out in the heat. And by doing so, they created cachaça, which is considered a distant cousin to rum. It spread quickly throughout the region but developed a reputation as a ‘common man’s liquor. Over time, however, it made its way into all social classes. 

By mixing in common local ingredients, the first cachaça cocktail was born. Bold and full of untamed flavor, this cachaça drink is combined with sugar and lime. The Caipirinha has expanded beyond Brazil and is now enjoyed around the world. 

Ingredients

• 4 lime wedges

 -2 tsp of sugar 

 -2 oz. Cachaça 

Mix up the sugar and lime wedges together in a glass until the sugar is dissolved and the lime juice is released. Fill the glass with ice and pour in the Cachaça. Stir for a split second.

The Vodka Martini

Crisp and clean, this drink is mixed with dry vermouth. With The Vodka Martini’s mysterious past, it’s no coincidence that one of modern fiction’s most famous spies, James Bond, was partial to this august cocktail. Perhaps one of the most popular and well-known drinks today, it’s assumed to have originated in America during the 1950s. How was it that Vodka was first used to make a Martini and who mixed it? No one can say definitively. But what people can say, is whether they enjoy their Martinis shaken, or stirred.

Ingredients

• 2 oz vodka

• 2-3 drops dry vermouth

•  Lemon twist (or green cocktail olive) 

Stir the liquid ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Run the lemon peel around the rim, twist it over the drink and drop it in (or garnish with an olive).

The Deep Negroni

Rich, dark and similar to The Americano cocktail, this drink is made with the addition of gin. At a bar in Florence, Italy in 1919. Count Camillo Negroni, a fan of the traditional Americano cocktail, made a unique request to the bartender. Make it an Americano, but add a little more something. The bartender quickly stirred up something new. The Count approved and it was duly named in his honor. After that, it wasn’t uncommon to hear local patrons request, ‘I’ll have an Americano. But make it the Negroni way.dark,

Ingredients

• 1 oz campari                                                                                                                                                               
• 1 oz gin

• 1 oz sweet vermouth

• 2 to 3 oz chilled club soda (optional)

• Orange slice 

Build all ingredients in a glass filled with ice. Stir to mix. Top with club soda, if desired. Garnish with the orange slice.

Millionaire Margarita 

 As a variation of The Margarita, this classic cocktail takes it to the next level. Drier, stronger, and more complex than the original, this Premium Silver Tequila drink is mixed with 100th anniversary Grand Marnier. Although there’s no solid proof as to The Margarita’s true origin, all accounts say that it was a woman who inspired this enticing classic cocktail. According to some, she was a young American socialite from the Deep South. The Millionaire Margarita can be found on bar menus across the globe.

• Ingredients
• 1 oz orange Liqueur

• 1 oz premium silver tequila

• 1 oz fresh lime juice

• 2 lime wedges (optional)

• Kosher salt (optional) 

Fill the prepared glass with ice. Shake the liquid ingredients vigorously with ice. Strain into the prepared glass. Squeeze the remaining lime wedge over the drink and drop it in.

Option:

 Rub a wedge of lime around the rim of a chilled margarita glass and salt the rim.