Memorial Day weekend is the perfect excuse to take advantage of the first hints of summer and get outside to enjoy a barbecue and a nice, refreshing cocktail.
We've scoured the Internet and found these five great cocktail recipes that will not only keep you feeling cool, they'll also get you into that appropriate patriotic mood.
The Wish You Were Here
The pineapple has a significant role in the history of hospitality in the U.S. Although it is a plant native to South America, it became a prominent element in architecture since colonial times. These days, pineapples still adorn many pedestals and brackets of entranceways, or can be found along with the words “Welcome To Our Home!”
So welcome this Memorial Day with this concoction by The Crepes Of Wrath, served in what else, a pineapple.
Svedka's Red, White & Boom
Nothing like Old Glory to get you in the patriotic spirit of Memorial Day. Bring in the good red, white and blue into this layered drink chosen by Hollywood Life as a perfect cooler for you and your guests at your summer cookout this weekend.
Mint Julep
This easy and minty drink has always been a favorite at the Kentucky Derby and has also been traditionally claimed as an invention of South Carolina.
Great writers have featured the mint julep as the perfect cocktail to beat the summer heat with crushed ice, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald described in his novel, The Great Gatsby. Even Charles Dickens, as far back as 1842, had some interesting comments about this Southern classic.
“[T]he bowls of mint julep and sherry cobbler they make in these latitudes are refreshments never to be thought of afterwards, in summer, by those who would preserve contended minds," he said when he traveled through the U.S.
Incidentally, May 30 is not only Memorial Day, but also recognized as Mint Julep Day! Check out this recipe from Bespoke Edge.
Brooklyn Lemonade
Summer is a time for kids to set up their front yard lemonade stands and for grown-ups to beat the heat of a warm summer afternoon with an ice cold brewskie. Here's a simple way to level up your food and beer pairing with another recipe from The Crepes Of Wrath. Put that lemonade to good use!
Apple Pie Moonshine
Nothing is as American as apple pie, as the old saying goes. Ever since the Pilgrims first brought apples (and pie!) to the New World and the first apple seeds were planted in Massachusetts in 1625, America has had a long-standing love affair with apples.
So have your pie, and drink it too in this unique cocktail recipe that tastes just like apple pie, created by The Little Epicurean to welcome the summer this Memorial Day.
Photos: Steven Depolo | Flickr
Mike Krzeszak | Flickr
Mike Mozart | Flickr
Patrick Truby | Flickr
Liz West | Flickr
David Leggett | Flickr
