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DINING

Spirits of NJ: Summer cocktails you can make at home

Michael Politz
Correspondent
Summer cocktails.

Summer will be upon us Thursday, June 21, and in preparation for those hot, Jersey summer days, here are some great, easy cocktails to make and sip while you are either barbecuing or relaxing by the beach.  

Most of these drinks are made with common ingredients that you can find laying around your house, but if there are some that you don't have on hand, feel free to improvise! 

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Summer Mojito

Ingredients

  • 3 ounces white rum
  • 2 brown sugar cubes (white sugar cubes can also be used)
  • 5 springs of mint
  • 2 limes wedges
  • 1-2 strawberries
  • club soda

Instructions

  1. In a mixing tin, add the mint, strawberries, lime and sugar and muddle. If you don’t have a muddler, anything to macerate these ingredients together works.  
  2. Add the rum and ice and shake until the tin gets cold.  
  3. Pour the tin into an empty highball glass and top the rest of the highball off with club soda. 
  4. Garnish with a lime wedge.
An Old Fashioned with a summer touch.

Summer Old Fashioned

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ ounces Kentucky bourbon
  • 1 orange slice
  • Juice of 2 lemons (discard the rind)
  • 2 Luxardo cherries (maraschino can also be used)
  • 5 dashes peychards bitters
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • Lemon-lime soda to top

Instructions

  1. In a rocks glass, muddles the cherries, orange, lemon juice, bitters and honey together.  
  2. Top with ice and fill the rest of the glass with lemon-lime soda. No garnish is needed as it's already in the glass!
A margarita.

Margarita

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces Anejo Tequila (Silver or Reposado can also be used based on preference)
  • ½ ounce Cointreau
  • ½ ounce fresh-squeezed orange juice (you can also use store-bought)
  • ½ ounce agave syrup
  • Juice from half of a lime

Instructions

  1. Put all ingredients in a mixing tin with ice and shake vigorously for about 30 seconds.  
  2. Pour into a chilled, salted martini glass and garnish with a lime and salt, if you choose to do so. 
Orangeade.

Hard Orangeade

Ingredients

  • 3 ounces vodka
  • 1/2 ounce Grand Mariner
  • 3-4 orange slices

Instructions

  1. In a mixing tin, muddle the oranges till they are mostly juice, and then add the vodka and Grand Mariner.  
  2. Add ice and shake for about a minute (the colder the better).  
  3. Strain and pour ingredients into a chilled martini glass and garnish with an orange.   
Columnist Michael Politz

Michael Politz, a lifelong New Jersey resident, has worked in the restaurant and bar industry for 20 years. He currently bartends at Water and Wine Ristorante, an upscale Italian eatery and bar in Watchung. His beer, wine and liquor column, Spirits of N.J., appears Wednesdays.