Wet Your Whistle

 

Summer is the perfect time to serve fun drinks at your family dinners. Here are a few we found this summer.

 

Copycat Hawaiian Punch

Ingredients:

1 cup water
2 cups strawberries, sliced
3 cups pineapple juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 cups Dixie Crystals Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
1 cup raspberries
2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup lime juice

Directions:

Add water, sugar, and berries to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Press berry syrup through a fine mesh sieve into a beverage container or punch bowl. Discard berry pulp.

To the berry syrup, add pineapple juice, orange juice, lemon juice, and lime juice to a beverage container or punch bowl.

Pour punch into a glass. Top with sparkling water or ginger ale, if desired.

Source: Dixie Crystals website. You can find it here.

Notes: This stuff is really potent. You won't be diluting the flavor by adding sparkling water or ginger ale. In fact, I would highly suggest it.

 

Copycat Sonic Cherry Limeade

For one drink:

1 can of 7 Up or Sprite
2 maraschino cherries
1/2 lime wedge
Ice
2 tbsp. Maraschino Syrup (Grenadine Syrup)

Directions:

Place 2 cherries and 1/4 lime in the bottom of your drink.

Add ice and then your soda.

Add 2 tbsp. maraschino/grenadine syrup and juice from 1/4 lime.

Source: Lil' Luna. You can find it here.

Notes: We skipped the cherries and made this in a beverage container. We added lime juice (with pulp) and grenadine syrup to taste.

Berry Lemonade

Ingredients:

8 cups cold water
2 cups sugar
3 cups fresh lemon juice (from 15-16 medium lemons)
3 strips lemon peel (3 inches by 1 inch each)
1 cup raspberries
1 cup blackberries
Ice cubes
Seltzer or club soda

Directions:

Prepare sugar syrup: In 4-quart saucepan, heat 4 cups water with sugar and lemon peel to boiling over high heat, stirring occasionally. Cover saucepan and boil 3 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat.

Meanwhile, in food processor, pulse berries until pureed. Pour into medium-mesh sieve set over large bowl and press berry mixture with back of spoon to remove seeds; discard seeds.

Remove peel from syrup; stir syrup into berry puree with lemon juice and remaining 4 cups water.

Makes 13 cups (about 12 servings). Pour into large pitcher with tight-fitting lid.

Cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days. Serve over ice. Add seltzer to taste; garnish with berries and lemon slices.

Source: Good Housekeeping. You can find it here.

Notes: This was good and refreshing...but I forgot to take a picture of it! Darn it!