Top Tuesdays Originally uploaded by AccessWinnipeg
Top Tuesdays is a weekly AccessWinnipeg.com exclusive column that will feature Winnipeg’s top 5 or 10 places, things, people, and everything else. If you have any suggestions for a Top Tuesday feature, please send it to us in the submit news page.
TOP 5 PATIO DRINKS
High of 25 degrees today and hotter for the rest of the week. Gas prices are averaging $1.30 so no one feels like driving around finding a place to chill. Well, this week I will take the hard work out of finding some cool, patio drinks for you. (Of course, if you are testing all of them be sure to grab a cab).
Hit ‘read more‘ to check out our Top 5 Patio Drinks in Winnipeg (far too many to choose from, so these are 5 of my faves).
[flickr align=”right”]photo:2072007[/flickr]Boston Pizza’s Rocket Margarita
Boston Pizza is the last place that would really be known for any kind of drink (I mean, PIZZA is in the name) but this one is a summer staple for me. Perfectly layered to replicate the popsicle we all remember as a child (or last week) easily places this drink in our Top 5. (OK, so that’s not the drink, but sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference).
[flickr align=”left” style=”padding-right:5px;”]photo:2626912127[/flickr]
Saffron’s Singapore Sling
Granted you can get these almost anywhere, but the patio at Saffron’s is enough to get on the Top 5 list here. I believe you can even get this in “pitcher” form, but that may have just been because I tip like stupid when I go out.
[flickr align=”right” style=”padding-left:5px;”]photo:49468135[/flickr]
Moxie’s Peach Bellini
Moxie’s uses the Bellini name to describe their flavourful peach slushy even though it barely resembles the classic recipe. This drink is still very popular and you will always see a few on the patio, so I can’t argue with that. Moxie’s may not have an authentic bellini, but get one of these in their “fish-bowls” and you’ll forget all about that.
[flickr align=”left” style=”padding-right:5px;”]photo:2232362910[/flickr]Earls Seaside Mojito
Earls has a great selection of “Seaside mojitos” mixed with Appleton Estate white rum, cane syrup, soda and fresh mint shaken over ice. They come in your choice of raspberry, blackberry or refreshing cucumber. I’ve got the recipe somewhere…so I will post it under comments when I find it.
Joeys Stiff Lemonade
Borrowed from joeysmedgrill.com
“At Joeys we believe a great cocktail can only be made by using the best ingredients. It is near impossible to replicate the sweet tanginess of freshly squeezed lemon and lime juice, so why not use the real thing? Key ingredients such as simple syrup round off harsh edges, but because natural sugar levels vary in fruit, we suggest starting off using less simple syrup and add more to taste. Another key ingredient is the lemoncello. The brand we use is by Russo and is made with the peel of hand picked lemons off the Amalfi coast in Italy. When you open the bottle you can actually see the oils from the lemon rind floating in the liqueur. This is also a great liqueur to serve on ice. The lemon helps with digestion before or after a meal.”
Geoff Boyd, Director of Bar & Lounge Development.
Ingredients:
[flickr align=”right”]photo:2736675958[/flickr]2 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
2 oz simple syrup (see below)
1 oz vodka (we use Smirnoff)
1/2 oz Russo lemoncello
1/2 oz cointreau
Equipment Required:
Blender
Handheld citrus juicer
Ice (preferably crushed)
1 oz shot glass or jigger
Simple syrup recipe:
Equal parts by volume: white sugar and water. Heat up the water in a kettle. Once boiling, pour equal part water over equal part white sugar. Stir until the sugar is fully dissolved. Cool, then pour into a squeeze bottle and keep in fridge.
Directions:
Add approximately 16 oz of ice. Turn on blender and blend until all chunks are gone. Lift up a corner of the lid with the blender still on and start adding ice slowly. The drink should start to thicken. Keep adding ice until the cyclone in the middle of the blender really starts to disappear and the drink is moving slowly. Be careful, if you add to much ice and the drink stops moving, you will probably end up with ice chunks. Once the drink is perfectly slushed, serve to yourself or friends. Just multiply the recipe to make more.
Serve straight up as a nice refreshing lemonade, or pour 2 oz into your double gin and tonic or vodka and soda to make your own version of a Joeys Super sonic or Super Nova.
