Favorite Summertime Drinks

Summer is just around the corner and that means it is time to start making my favorite summertime drinks. These drinks are so tasty, and I look forward to them every year. In fact, I grow large pots of sweet basil and mint specifically with these drinks in mind.

Moji-tea

Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray

Ingredients

1 quart water plus 1 cup, divided
4 tea bags, either Irish or English breakfast tea
1 cup sugar
12 sprigs fresh mint
3 limes, juiced

Directions

Bring 1 quart of water to a boil, turn the heat off and add the tea bags and let steep until cool. Place the sugar and 1 cup of water in a sauce pot over high heat, bring up to a boil to dissolve the sugar and then turn off the heat, allow to cool.
Place the mint springs in a large pitcher, add the cooled sugar water and cooled tea along with the lime juice, stir to smash around the mint in the liquids. Pour over ice and serve.

Italian Lemonade

Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

2 cups lemon juice, about 12 to 15 lemons
2 cups Basil Simple Syrup, recipe follows
2 cups cold or sparkling water
Ice
Lemon twists, for garnish

Directions

Mix lemon juice, Basil Simple Syrup, and water together in a pitcher. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Pour over ice filled glasses and garnish with a lemon twist.

Basil Simple Syrup:

1 bunch fresh basil, washed and stemmed
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
In a saucepan combine basil, sugar, and water and simmer until the sugar is dissolved, 5 minutes. Cool, strain the simple syrup, and store in the refrigerator.

You might be thinking "basil in lemonade?! that is crazy!". Don't let that stop you from trying this drink. It is such an interesting, and delicious combination of flavors.

We often turn this into a cocktail by mixing equal parts vodka and lemonade. Because the lemonade has such a bold flavor, you can hardly taste the vodka at all. That can be good and dangerous at the same time :)

Since both recipes include a simple syrup, they are pretty sweet. However, the mint adds a nice contrast for the tea, and the tartness of the lemons balances out the sweetness in the lemonade.

CHEERS!