need tasty, fruity, recipe to satiate alchoholics

July 6, 2007 1:15 PM

Am having a going away cookout for a friend. Does anyone have a nice refreshing mixed alcoholic drink recipe to fill our gatorade cooler with.

Was thinking about just mixing some fruit, ice, and booze and letting the cards fall where they may, but some suggestions would be helpful. BTW everyone attending is a pretty accomplished drinker, so strong would be good. Will be a warm, bocce ball throwing day.

posted by travis08 to food & drink (28 answers total)

The most refreshing hot weather drink EVER is a Pimm's Cup.

Muddle:
Lemon slice
Lime slice
Cucumber slice

Add:
Ice

A couple shots of:
Pimm's

Top with:
Ginger ale
Soda Water
posted by dersins at 1:29 PM on July 6, 2007 [2 favorites]

Pimms.
posted by holgate at 1:29 PM on July 6, 2007

I do the fruit punch thing, and it always goes down well. (Lots of) Gin, vodka, lemonade, tropical juice, soda water, tins of fruit cocktail, pineapple chunks and passionfruit, and a crushed E (or a few) if you think the crowd will take it :)
posted by goo at 1:30 PM on July 6, 2007 [1 favorite]

(obviously, multiply that by the size of your cooler...)
posted by dersins at 1:30 PM on July 6, 2007

Arse. Here's the corporate link and a bloggier one.
posted by holgate at 1:31 PM on July 6, 2007

Hmm, never even heard of pimm's. Is this something I could batch make and have sit in a big gatorade cooler all day? Seems like the gingerale and soda water would go flat.

The goal is to just have people be able to walk up to the cooler with a cup and fill up at their leisure. Like football players.
posted by travis08 at 1:33 PM on July 6, 2007

And...the fruit punch mixed with champagne is great.
posted by goo at 1:33 PM on July 6, 2007

A gatorade cooler is not the place to be making any real mixed drink. The strongest proof grain alcohol in your area, water, ice, and kool aid mix will do.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 1:34 PM on July 6, 2007 [1 favorite]

Limeade with a bit of Gin is the best hot-weather drink there is.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 1:36 PM on July 6, 2007

I'd go with tropical fruit juices and rum. Put some ice in the cooler, but have a separate cooler with just ice, so people can put some fresh ice in their cups.

Use real juices, not from concentrate for better flavor. Also, I'd suggest adding some fresh squeezed lime juice to the juice, especially if you buy bottled or frozen.
posted by jeff-o-matic at 1:37 PM on July 6, 2007

I am partial to the mojito myself. It's a great warm weather drink.
posted by feloniousmonk at 1:41 PM on July 6, 2007

Refreshing and summer says Gin to me - Gin, Rose's Lime, and Soda would be easy, or maybe pineapple juice instead of lime. I think soda or something should be part of the mix, since it sounds like there will be a lot consumed on a hot day. The key's going to be keeping it cold, and using a mixer (soda, sprite, whatever) and making long drinks out of it.
posted by pupdog at 1:42 PM on July 6, 2007

You should also be able to batch mix mojitos, you'll just need to make sure to stir it before you pour yourself a new cup.

Sangria can also be a great warm weather drink, particularly when made with white wine and pears. It can be a little too sweet if you're not careful though, so be judicious with the sugar if your recipe calls for it.
posted by feloniousmonk at 1:43 PM on July 6, 2007

I also suggest making a big ol' jar of mojitos. It's like drinking a magical refreshing limeade, and then suddenly, you realize you're tipsy. It's the true meaning of summer!
posted by Greg Nog at 1:49 PM on July 6, 2007

Is this something I could batch make and have sit in a big gatorade cooler all day?

Just mix it when you arrive: one 75cl bottle Pimm's, ~2 litres of fizz, chuck in the fruit, ice on the side, serves 20. Take a ladle for stirring and serving.
posted by holgate at 1:51 PM on July 6, 2007

For Independence Day, I made a big pitcher with the following proportions:

8 oz watermelon juice (chunks pureed in the blender)
4 oz vodka
2 oz simple syrup
1 oz lime juice (about 1 lime's worth)

It's a very refreshing, very adaptable recipe. In it's basic form, it isn't carbonated, so it would probably hold up well in the cooler. I quadrupled the recipe, discovered I liked a smidge less , a bit more vodka, and a touch more lime, played around with muddling in ginger and mint, and topped it off with splashes of club soda.
posted by mostlymartha at 1:57 PM on July 6, 2007 [1 favorite]

Gin and lemonade, or limeade as already suggested. I'm a huge fan of Pimm's, but I don't see how you'd keep the fizz going in any low-hassle fashion. Pimm's goes well with lemon/limeade, too, but all the cucumber slices and mint it requires will clog your cooler's spout.

Don't cheap out on the gin and, though. Fresh-squeezed lemonade is not that much of a hassle, and so much nicer.
posted by kmennie at 1:59 PM on July 6, 2007

Oooh mostlymartha has reminded me. One of the most delicious things, ever, is:

take a whole watermelon
cut a hole large enought to fit a bottle neck in the top
upend a bottle of vodka in the hole
freeze for a few hours
cut in half, then pieces and enjoy!!

You need a freezer large enough to hold a watermelon, but...YUM!! Pureeing the vodka watermelon (watermelon daiquiris mmmm - white rum would work just as well I'm sure) would also be great.
posted by goo at 2:07 PM on July 6, 2007

I think sangria is your best bet (I'm partial to red over white, myself). Sweet, fruity, refreshing--not terribly alcoholic, sure, but this way people can drink more of it. Also have gin and tonic on hand--that's my idea of a quintessential bocce ball in one hand, glass in the other drink.
posted by cosmic osmo at 2:15 PM on July 6, 2007

Rum punch is what you're after. The "recipe" as taught to me in Jamaica goes like this:
1 part sour
2 parts sweet
3 parts strong
4 parts weak

sour = lime juice
sweet = simple syrup or a flavored syrup like grenadine
strong = rum
weak = some combination of fruit juice and water

For the weak, orange juice, pineapple juice, and a tropical fruit nectar (mango is my favorite) works well.
posted by TungstenChef at 2:43 PM on July 6, 2007 [3 favorites]

How about caipirinhas? This site describes how you might have to get sort of medieval with the muddling on a large scale, but they are very tasty. Substitute vodka for the cachaca if you can't find it, or some other liquor (I've heard of half silver tequila, half rum too).
posted by cabingirl at 2:47 PM on July 6, 2007

Pimm's Cups is/are lovely, and they'll make you feel all British and classy while slowly getting buzzed. Like getting sloshed at Ascot or Wimbledon.

On July 4th, we had a pitcher full of Rum Buck's, which was like fresh squeezed lime-ade from grownups. There's a recipe here .
posted by foxy_hedgehog at 2:57 PM on July 6, 2007

Oooh, I have a great recipe that I used last Christmas and have made twice since then, including this summer. It's a little fruity and a little spicy, but really tasty! I found it because it got rave reviews from Epicurious.

The only step to this recipe besides mixing liquids together is making a concentrated juice from raw ginger. This step basically consists of cutting up a bunch of raw ginger and putting it in a pot to simmer. It makes your kitchen smell DELICIOUS! Make alot of this (double or perhaps triple the recipe) so that you'll have a big supply of the ginger juice on hand and don't need to repeat this step. You can freeze the leftovers if you want. (I used 1/4 of the sugar suggested here, but YMMV.)

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients
For ginger syrup
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 cup thinly sliced unpeeled fresh ginger (1/4 lb; from two 5-inch-long pieces)
For punch
3 cups unsweetened pineapple juice, chilled
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (3 to 5 lemons)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (4 to 6 limes)
3 cups sparkling water, chilled
4 cups ice cubes
Garnish: lemon and lime slices

Preparation
Make ginger syrup:
Bring water, sugar, and ginger to a boil in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes, then remove from heat and steep, uncovered, 15 minutes. Pour syrup through a sieve into a bowl, discarding ginger. Chill, covered, until cold, about 2 hours.
Make punch:
Stir together ginger syrup and fruit juices in a punch bowl or pitcher. Stir in sparkling water and ice.

Gourmet, December 2004

So delicious!
posted by onlyconnect at 3:04 PM on July 6, 2007 [1 favorite]

A couple notes, the rum they drink in Jamaica is much stronger, 160 proof or higher. If you're using regular 80 proof (and be sure to use white rum) you'll need more. Also the traditional recipe uses water and a fruit flavored syrup, it was invented by poor folks who wanted to stretch their rum out. Fresh fruit juice makes a tastier concoction but you'll need to adjust the syrup depending on how sweet it is. Finally if you want a uniquely Jamaican twist, add 6 whole allspice berries per bottle of rum and let set at least over night, preferably a few days.
posted by TungstenChef at 3:04 PM on July 6, 2007

I have a recipe for 5 gallons of Mai Tai. I concocted it for a yearly tiki party a friend throws.
If you're interested, email me.
posted by Thorzdad at 3:17 PM on July 6, 2007

I think sangria is your best bet (I'm partial to red over white, myself). Sweet, fruity, refreshing--not terribly alcoholic, sure, but this way people can drink more of it.

Another vote for sangria -- it goes so well with grilled meat and cookouts! My version is terribly alcoholic. But what's nice about sangria is that if you keep bottles of club soda nearby, anyone can "lighten" up his or her own beverage if they care to (pussies), without sacrificing flavor -- it tastes equally fabulous carbonated.

And, sangria is far less work. Nothing needs to be stirred before serving, nothing to muddle, nothing to buy from a specialty store (Pimm's and cachaça aren't always easy to find).

I like to make it the morning of the party or the night before if possible, and let it stand in the fridge. It's a pretty loose-and-fast recipe, easy to double or triple, and it can all be adjusted to taste.

1 jug of cheap red table wine (I go for the Gallo merlot... don't waste the money on good wine, you're just going to pollute it)(don't get the pre-made stuff marked "sangria", it's nasty)

1/2 cup or so of sugar

The juice of three or four oranges and lemons, and throw the squished fruit in after for extra flavor if you like

1 cup pre-made orange juice

1 cup brandy

1 cup white rum

I have a big glass sangria jar so I'll put in lemon and orange wheels about an hour before serving, for presentation, but if you're making it in a Gatorade cooler, no need. If the cooler will be standing outside, fill some clean Ziplocs with ice and toss them in; the sangria will stay cooler inside the cooler.

Put a few glass marbles in the bottom of the cooler so that they will filter fruit pulp and keep your spigot from getting clogged.

If you start to get low during the party, just continue to add ingredients to your "starter batch," no need to begin again from scratch.

Some people I know swear by a half-cup or so of Grand Marnier or triple sec in the mix, but I'd rather just up the orange juice and brandy for the same trouble and one less ingredient. But seriously, you could put in whatever you wanted -- I've done variations with a champagne topper to make the sangria sparkling... I know people who add peaches for flavoring... and apples because they hold up well in the liquid and then you can eat them after they (and you) are all marinated... I've done it without the brandy when we only had rum and the liquor stores were closed. It's a total stone-soup recipe, whatever you have on hand as long as you stick to the basics of wine, rum and orange juice.

One reason that I wouldn't imagine batch mojitos would work here is that it seems like the muddled mint would just break down into leafy green goo if sitting in the bottom of a cooler all day.
posted by pineapple at 3:29 PM on July 6, 2007 [1 favorite]

Pimm's cups are the most refreshing summer drink ever, but they will suck if you serve them from a gatorade cooler over the course of a day.

What you need is a white sangria, like pineapple said. Find any recipe for white sangria that calls for Cointreau (NOT triple sec or peach schnapps), brandy, and peaches or nectarines and you can be pretty sure you're using a good recipe.
posted by mds35 at 5:17 PM on July 6, 2007

Margaritas for the masses? Just mix tequila, lime juice (either fresh or bottled), triple sec or Cointreu, a dash of sugar and ice. Don't forget Kosher salt for the glasses.
posted by Smalltown Girl at 10:05 PM on July 6, 2007