8 Refreshing Recipes to Help You Beat the Summer Heat
We’ve rounded up recipes for our favorite cocktails and frosty treats that will transport your taste buds to cooler weather.
Over the years, we’ve featured dozens of delicious drinks and dishes on the pages of our monthly issues, and now that summer is swiftly approaching, we’re looking back for some icy inspiration for thirst-slaking sips.
Grab your cocktail shakers, stock up on some of our favorite Arizona-made ingredients (yay local businesses!) and bring the fun of happy hour to your home with these 8 refreshing recipes.
1. Lavender Fizz
This ambrosial cocktail uses a lavender-infused honey syrup to offset tangy lemon and herbaceous gin. Try it with Western Sage Gin from Thumb Butte Distillery, a complex liquor boasting hints of citrus, sage and fennel.
Get the recipe for this cocktail and read all about Arizona-grown lavender here.
2. Sonoran Cold Brew
Get your caffeine fix while enjoying a southwestern twist on an Irish coffee created by Miguel Mora, lead barman at Scottsdale’s Straight Up whiskey bar. This smoky, spicy, sweet concoction is packed with local ingredients, including Cartel coffee, Más Mole bitters from AZ Bitters Lab and single-malt Del Bac whiskey.
Get the recipe and brush up on your locally made whiskey knowledge here.
3. Bougainvillea Flower Water with Hibiscus
A simple recipe using fresh bougainvillea flowers and a hint of hibiscus creates a non-alcoholic refresher perfect for poolside sipping for the whole family.
Get the recipe here.
4. Frosty Mexican Paletas
The brainchild of Alizia Alonzo, head pastry chef at Zinc Bistro, these boozy popsicles are full of fruity flavor and dusted with homemade chile-citrus seasoning.
Get the recipe for this playful twist on classic sangria here.
5. Kingston Fog
The first in a series of tea-infused cocktails we featured from mixologist Justin Arellano of Phoenix’s Camby Hotel, the Kingston Fog mixes light and dark rum with Pimm’s and Earl Grey simple syrup for a sophisticated sipper.
Get the recipe and read more about the inspiration behind this creation here.
6. Spicy Heaven
Bleu Hibiscus tea-infused tequila gives this tropical-tasting tipple its striking turquoise hue. A spin on the classic margarita, the Spicy Heaven uses lime, triple sec, muddled cilantro and jalapeno to impart a south-of-the-border flavor. Try local brand Cruz Silver Tequila for a traditional blanco liquor that will take on the color of the blue tea well.
Get the recipe here.
7. Pineapple Ginger Zinger
This cocktail gets its fresh, fruity flavor profile from green tea infused with pineapple, hibiscus and blueberry. Alcoholic ginger beer is the base ingredient, but it can be made with non-alcoholic ginger beer for a kid-friendly variation. Don’t forget the zesty lime juice and a sprig of rosemary for extra oomph!
Get the recipe here.
8. Sichuan-Hibiscus Gin and Tonic
Inspired by the cuisine of Phoenix’s sister city, Chengdu, China, this exotic take on a gin and tonic features Sichuan peppercorns, gin, hibiscus syrup and a splash of absinthe.
Get the recipe and read more about how we’re inspired by our beautiful sister cities here.
