Summer punches and sangrias will bowl you over
If you recall gleeful summers running through sprinklers and knowing when to head back home by the setting sun, you no doubt quenched your warm weather thirst with a pitcher of icy Kool-Aid (or at least, Capri Sun pouches).
The parents unearthed the marital punch bowl to accompany canapés with their friends before dad suited up as grillmaster. You might not have the aquarium, wood paneled walls and taxidermic fish on the wall, but you can evoke those sunny feelings by silencing the cell and mixing some Technicolor, refreshing adult punches, pitchers and large-batch cocktails for your next get-together.
Sangria
It's time to elevate your poolside or deck drinking from brewskis and rosé to "olé" with sangria and its colorful fruits bobbing with festivity. Sangria is easy to make for two, a foursome or a crowd and is typically batched in a pitcher or even a punch bowl.
The Spanish beverage has been a big hit at Weber Grill where it's hatched seasonally. The summer version is perfect to pair with lounging on the patio according to Dave Heller, General Manager of Weber Grill Restaurant in Schaumburg. "Our Sparkling Blood Orange Sangria is a fresh combination of fizzy prosecco, vodka, blood orange and pomegranate which pairs well with seafood," he said. The restaurant is also featuring a refreshing citrus rum sangria that diners are loving with seafood appetizers like tuna poké; entrees such as cedar planked salmon and seared Gulf shrimp with ancho butter sauce; and salads like the Gulf shrimp Waldorf salad. "A glass or pitcher of sangria pairs well with anything," Heller explained, "and we offer a great variety of light food options for summer (try the chopped shrimp cocktail served in a gazpacho sauce with avocado for another flavor profile from Spain). You don't need any special equipment to mix up a pitcher or bowl of sangria - a drink full of sunny spirit and spunk.
Punch it Up
Gin is having its moment and the spirit is much more versatile than a mere mix with tonic. Hendrick's, which practically set the stage for the modern gin movement when it was launched in 1999, recently released Midsummer Solstice, a gin geared to consumers for home bars. Mattias Horseman, Brand Ambassador for Hendrick's Gin, describes Midsummer Solstice as a deeply floral gin that is a lighter, crisper take on Hendrick's House Style making it perfect for those summer Day-casions. "The Solstice is when everything is blooming and the taste and aromatic properties of flowers are at their peak of sensory glory," he said. "Lesley Gracie, Hendrick's Gin's master distiller who an obsessive gardener, devised this special version of Hendrick's Gin infused with an array of floral essences that capture the gorgeous sensory intensity of midsummer." Get it at Binny's Beverage Depot and enchant your guest with Super Bloom Punch.