Brett Konen gets experimental with the season and offers up recipes on spiked summer smoothies for the holiday weekend.
Break out the blenders, people: we’re turning the corner into summertime, and nothing tastes more seasonal than smoothies. These icy delights work great zero-proof or amalgamated with wine or spirits as noted – indulge your creativity and mess around with the recipes. Each serves 1-2 people depending on how thirsty you feel. Happy sipping!
Spicy Pineapple-Peach
This tropical combo gets a kick from a tablespoon of sweet chili sauce – and a shot or two of mezcal. Try the Blanco from El Zacatecano.
1 cup pineapple chunks
½ cup cut peaches, fresh or canned
1 cup plain frozen yogurt (Greek yogurt works too)
1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
2 large handfuls ice
1-2 ounces mezcal (optional)
Blend together and enjoy, preferably on a sandy beach.
Sangría Slush
Sangría slushies are making a splash across the Northwest right now. Ours features a white-wine base and a colorful fruit combination, making for a sunset-pink tint.
1 cup of your favorite white wine – try an Oregon Riesling or sweet Pinot Gris
½ cup cut strawberries
1 pear, sliced
½ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
¼ grapefruit, cut
2 handfuls ice
Blend on low. Garnish with a grapefruit wedge and enjoy from stemless wine glasses.
Cherry Berry Blender
You’ll find all sorts of vitamins and antioxidants in this superberry-citrus mixture. What a good reason to have another!
½ cup blueberries
½ cup raspberries
½ cup cherries, pitted and sliced
½ cup cranberry juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 handfuls ice
2 tablespoon sugar
2 ounces huckleberry vodka (44° North) – optional
Easy as pie – blend it all up and sip from a tall glass. Lime twists make a colorfully pretty garnish
Sorbet & Soda
Kick back with a tall, old-fashioned soda glass brimming with booze and bubbles. Soda fountains were never this much fun!
3 scoops plus one spoonful sorbet – lime is ideal but hard to find, so make your own or experiment with mango, lemon, raspberry or blood orange
1-2 ouncdes rum – Bull Run’s light Pacific Rum comes highly recommended
½ bottle ginger beer (we, like everyone else, enjoy Rachel’s)
Maraschino cherries to garnish
Using a long-handled spoon, stir a spoonful of sorbet vigorously into the rum at the bottom of the glass. Add full scoops of sorbet on top. Pour ginger beer smoothly down the side of the glass, allowing a foamy head to form as you near the top. Garnish with a few cherries and a splash of grenadine. Don’t forget the straw!