– SUMMER COCKTAILS –
3 X NO ALCOHOL
Is summer already getting to your head a bit? And can you not wait every day for the moment you can close your laptop to quickly secure a spot on the terrace? And then it's already eleven o'clock in the evening and you're wobbling on your bike home from the wine. With a bit of a heavy head, you start the morning again. Recognizable? Now that's not a problem at all and it really belongs to summer. And hey, how often do we have days like this in the Netherlands?
You don't have to drink alcohol, you might feel a bit better the next day. I give you three festive virgin cocktails. And if you don't like that, just add a splash of vodka?
Summer Melon
Here's what you need for 2 glasses:
– A quarter of a melon
– Mineral water
– Ice cubes
– Pear juice (organic pear juice is the tastiest)
– 1 tablespoon liquid honey
– Juice of half a lemon
Peel the melon and remove the seeds. Put the melon together with a few generous splashes of (chilled) water and lemon juice in the blender. Pour the drink into the glasses with ice cubes. Add a bit of pear juice and a teaspoon of honey. Stir well. If you have a piece of melon left, it can look nice on the rim of the glass or add a piece of mint to the drink.
Virgin mojito
Here's what you need for 4 glasses:
– A bunch of mint
– 2 limes
– 4 teaspoons cane sugar
– Crushed ice (you can also crush ice cubes in a tea towel)
– Ginger ale
Put about 6 mint leaves in a glass, along with 2 lime wedges. Muddle everything together with a muddler (or the handle of a wooden spoon). Add a generous mound of crushed ice to the glass and top it off with ginger ale. Stir well and taste to see if you're satisfied. Then add a bit more sugar if it's not sweet enough.
Mint & Apple juice
Here's what you need for a large pitcher:
– 1 small bunch of mint
– 1 lime, sliced
– Ice cubes
– 750ml bottle of sparkling apple juice
– Cane sugar (optional)
Really easy. Take a large pitcher and add plenty of ice cubes. Pour in the apple juice and add the lime slices and lots of mint. Done. Even better if you let it sit in the fridge for a while, so it's extra cold. You can also add some mint leaves to the glass as a garnish. If you want to make it a bit sweeter, you can add a scoop of cane sugar.
Enjoy the summer!
