Cocktails & Coolers
Here's some classic cocktails and fruit drinks that perfect for BBQs,  pool parties, and summer
get-togethers.

The Perfect Margarita
Watermelon Margies     Sangria
Rumbero     Citrus Punch     Melon Cooler

The Perfect Margarita - Serves 1
Ingedients:
1/2 Lime, juiced
2 Oz. Tequila
1/2 Oz. Cointreau
Sea Salt or Salt
Crushed Ice

Method: Wet the rim of a cocktail glass with the rind from the lime. Line the glass rim with salt by twisting it in a small saucer or plate of salt. In a cocktail shaker, combine the tequila, Cointreau, and lime juice. Add ice, and shake until well chilled. Strain into the cocktail glass and serve. 


Watermelon Margies - Serves 4
Ingredients:
6 1/2 Cups seedless watermelon, cubed and frozen
1 1/2 Cups Tequila
1 Cup Triple sec
1/4 Cup Fresh Lime Juice
1 Lime
Salt

Method: Mix the lime juice, tequila, and Triple Sec. Chill for about 3 hours. Wet the rim of glasses with a lime wedge, and dip the into a plate of salt. Puree the melon cubes and chilled juice, and pour into glasses. Garnish the glass with a slice of lime and/or watermelon.


Sangria - Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 Bottle Dry Red Wine
1/3 Cup Fresh Lime Juice
1/2 Cup Fresh Orange Juice
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 Peach or Plum, sliced
Ice

Method: Mix lime juice and orange juice with sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Pour into a pitcher with the wine, and chill for a few hours. Pour into glasses filled half way ice. Add peach or plum slices to Sangria. Decorate the rim of the glass with a peach, plum, orange or lime slice and serve.


Rumbero - Serves 2
Ingredients:
2/3 Cups Dark Rum
1/4 Cup Pineapple Juice (unsweetened)
1/4 Cup Guava Juice
2 Tbsp. Cointreau
2 Tbsp. Fresh Lime Juice
2 Slices of Pineapple or Lime (optional)
2 Maraschino Cherries soaked in rum for 3 days (optional)
Ice

Method: In a pitcher, mix all the ingredients except for the ice. Fill half of the glasses with ice, then pour in the cocktail. Add a cherry if desired, and serve with a slice of pineapple or lime on the rim of the glass.


Citrus Punch - Serves 8
Ingredients:
4 1/2 Cups Fresh Orange Juice
3 3/4 Cups Fresh Pink Grapefruit Juice
3/4 Cup Fresh Lime Juice
1/2 Cup Sugar - superfine is the best
1 Orange
1 Lime
1 Lemon
Ice

Method: In a large punch bowl, mix the orange juice, grapefruit juice and lime juice. Add the sugar and mix until dissolved. Chill for about 2-3 hours. Peel and thinly slice the lime, lemon and orange. Before serving, float the fruit slices in the punch. Keep the punch bowl chilled over ice. To serve, ladle the punch into ice filled glasses that are decorate with a fruit slice.


Melon Cooler - Serves 8
Ingredients:
5 1/2 cups cubed melon, seeds removed
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
4 cups water

Method: Mix the melon, sugar, and lime juice in a blender. Pour the mixture through a sieve and into a bowl. Stir in the water, then pour into a punch bowl. Chill for about two hours. Mix well and serve over ice. You can garnish the glass with a cherry, lime slice or melon slice.