Hello Summer! The heat is on and it's time for entertaining outdoors. Impress your guests with a fresh, new signature drink this summer. It’s easier than you think to mix up cocktails you can enjoy right on your deck or patio.
Our first drink, the Dark ‘N Stormy, is the official cocktail of Bermuda and only needs 3 ingredients.
Dark ‘N Stormy 
What you need:
1.5 oz. Gosling’s Black Seal Rum (Dark Rum)
6 oz. Gosling's Ginger Beer (non-alcoholic)
Lime Wedge
Mix it up:
Fill a highball glass with Ice. Pour chilled Ginger Beer over ice until about ¾ full. Then slowly add dark rum until almost full. Rum will remain dark on the top of the drink until stirred. Serve with lime wedge. Squeeze lime into drink for extra flavor. Don’t let it’s simplicity fool you, the Dark ‘N Stormy will delight you with its surprisingly refreshing taste.
Next, we wanted to put a new spin on the traditional margarita. The Jalapeno and Cucumber Margarita from allrecipes.com fit the bill. Fresh cucumber slices & jalapenos give this a more bold, crisp flavor and when prepared in a glass pitcher it has a lovely presentation for serving. Get all the details here- and don’t skip past this one without giving it a shot. During our taste tests (yes, we tried them for you) this perceived underdog was a huge hit. Many of our lucky taste testers commented that it would pair nicely with a menu that includes grilled pork tenderloin or kabobs, rice and veggies. Others described it as a more "grown up" margarita.
Strawberry Mojito 
It’s Strawberry season and because they have been so good this year...we had to make them a part of our last cocktail. A Strawberry Mojito is the perfect drink for a hot summer day or night. Served up in a highball glass, this drink looks like something you would order at a restaurant.
What you need:
white sugar, for rimming
2 large limes, quartered
1/2 bunch mint leaves
7 strawberries, cut and sliced (can use more if desired)
½ to ¾ cup white sugar (less sugar less sweet)
1 cup white rum
2 cups club soda (can sub Lemon-Lime soda if you don’t stock club soda)
8 cups ice cubes
Mix it up:
Pour 1/2 inch of sugar onto a small, shallow plate
Run one of the lime quarters around the rim of each cocktail glass,
then dip the glasses into the sugar to rim; set aside.
Squeeze all of the lime quarters into a sturdy glass pitcher.
Toss the juiced limes into the pitcher along with the mint, strawberries, and ½ to ¾ cup of sugar.
Crush the fruits together with a muddler (or the back of a large wooden or metal spoon if you don't have a muddler handy) to release the juices from the strawberries and the oil from the mint leaves.
Stir in the rum and club soda until the sugar has dissolved.
Pour into the sugared glasses over ice cubes to serve.
Which one will you try? Be social and share your favorite with us. Tweet, or post, show us on Instagram or see what we are pinning on Pinterest- we want to hear from you!
