5 Summer Produce Cocktails

Although oft accused being of 'the heavy handed pour' disposition, I really do make a mean cocktail..albeit one that usually leaves someone on their bee-hind or asleep. I honestly blame this habit on my Grandparents because apparently after a few decades in the foreign service entertaining diplomats in the middle of the jungle makes you this way. There's a very specific Grandpa story I like that we refer to as "the beetle and the drambuie". Long story short (saving you about three hours here if Grandpa was telling it), they put drops of drambuie on the floor and watched the beetles come get drunk and get carried off by ants. So yes, heavy handed pouring: Wouldn't you want those people sleepy and out of your house too? That plus as we know south of the Mason Dixon line, a good cocktail is preeeetty much crucial at any given gathering (it's how we deal with relatives- KIDDING).

For this month's Recipe Redux spirits challenge I tapped into my existing, let's see, at least 34 custom clean cocktail recipes I've done for Swooned and pulled my favorite summer produce ones. Yes, that's right: produce in cocktails. You have a CSA, you have cocktail ingredients. I make produce party ready. 

1. Beets: Pink Velvet Cake Milkshake

2. Zucchini: Sake Bomb! 

3. Blackberry: Berry Coconut Cream 

4. Extra Garden Veggies: The Very Veggie Bloody Mary 

5. Blueberry: Lavender Blueberry Lemonade 

There you go! Five automatic cocktail recipes based on fresh, summer ingredients. Cheers!