Summer Cocktails

    Courtesy: Lilian Woo
    Courtesy: Lilian Woo

    Are you getting thirsty? Here’s some tips from a well-known mixologist to serve up beverages to keep your friends and family cool this summer.

    FOX News Radio’s Lilian Woo reports on ways to quench your thirst with these summer drink ideas:

    If your guests have a thirst for something exotic, look to the most popular distilled alcoholic beverage in Brazil: Cachaca from sugarcane.

    For the signature Kaiffirinha drink from award-winning mixologist Richard Woods start with:

    Woods: “Four leaves of kaffir lime leaves which you would infuse with a bottle of Cachaca.”

    That infusion ready in 24 hours.

    Woods: “Take an ounce and a half of your Cachaca, and add one of lime juice, one of simple syrup: which is one part sugar one part water, churn that with some crushed ice, and garnish it and then serve it with a straw.”

    Woods, who crafts cutting edge cocktails for the Sushisamba restaurant empire, including London’s Duck & Waffle says punch is another summer crowd pleaser.

    The formula:

    Woods: “Basically, it’s one of sour, two of sweet, three of strong and four of weak.”

    For the ‘strong’, Woods likes a bottle of Pimms and half a bottle of bourbon. Two bottles of lemonade or juice for the weak, citrus for the sour element and sugar for the sweet which also comes from the Pimms.

    Woods: Add a little bit of a twist to that and cut up a couple of slices of pineapple a sprig of sage or of tarragon with cucumbers, some strawberries and maybe a sprig of mint.”

    Let rest, and just before guests arrive add ice.

    Lilian Woo, FOX News Radio.

    For more great food and drink ideas, check out the Fox & Food podcast