When I think of the lazy, hazy days of summer, I think good drinks with great friends, curling up in the shade with a good book, and in this economy, fun ways to enjoy our own backyards. So here are some of our favorites in each category to make the last few weeks of summer, full of fun and entertainment and the relaxation we all need and truly enjoy!

Refreshing Summer Cocktails

The weather is blistering hot here in South Florida, (OMG) but we’re still enjoying a great summer of BBQs, pool parties and just enjoying the great outdoors. What better way to enjoy a hot summer day than with friends and a few refreshing cocktails? Here we’ve compiled some excellent summertime drinks with Italian, Spanish, Cuban, English and Asian influences. So sit back, relax and let your taste buds take a trip around the world! And oh yeah, dial up a few friends, tell them to each bring an appetizer and let the good time roll!

Mojito

1 part Rum
3 parts Club Soda
12 Mint Leaves
½ lime
½ part sugar

Place 12 mint leaves, ½ part sugar and ½ lime in a glass. Muddle well with a pestle. (Even the bottom end of an ice cream scoop works in a pinch) Add rum, and top off with club soda. Stir well and garnish with sprigs of mint or a lime wheel.

Fresh Peach Bellini

2 ripe peaches, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1 bottle chilled Prosecco sparkling wine (we love Cavit Lunetta!)

Place the peaches, lemon juice and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Press the mixture through a sieve and discard the peach solids. Place 2 tablespoons of the peach puree into each champagne glass and fill with cold Prosecco.

Sensational Sangria

3 1/4 cups (26 fl. oz) dry red wine
1 tablespoon sugar
Juice of 1 large orange
Juice of 1 large lemon
1 large orange, sliced thin crosswise
1 large lemon, sliced thin crosswise
2 medium peaches, peeled, pitted and cut into chunks
1 cup (8 fl. oz) club soda

Combine all the ingredients except for the club soda in a large punch bowl or serving pitcher, mixing well. Refrigerate overnight. Immediately before serving, mix in the club soda for added fizz. Serve over ice. (We also added grapes we had sliced in half and frozen, and diced fresh peaches that also had been frozen. It was amazing!)

Pimm’s Cup

Fill a pitcher with ice. Mix one part Pimm’s No. 1 (a gin based liquor available at most liquor stores) with 3 parts chilled lemonade, add some mint, cucumber, orange and strawberry. (This is the traditional English recipe. Other recipes suggest adding Cointreau, and substituting Ginger Ale for the lemonade. So get creative and discover your own favorite!)

Electric Lemonade

Mix 1-1⁄2 ounces Saké with lemonade. (We used frozen pink Minute Maid and it was awesome) Add a splash of 7-Up and pour over ice. Garnish with a slice of lemon.

Summer Reading List

Whether you’re lounging by the pool or packing your beach bag for a day at the ocean, these good reads are sure to keep you entertained and a flask of one of the above doesn’t hurt either!

Slow Love: How I Lost My Job, Put on my Pajamas and Found Happiness

By Dominique Browning

When Browning, the hard-charging founding editor of House & Garden, found herself suddenly, unexpectedly unemployed, she literally did not know how to fill her days—at first. But the “forced” vacation, she found, had unexpected benefits.

War

By Sabastian Junger

The author of The Perfect Storm brings us his newest book which turns his brilliant and empathetic eye to the reality of combat. His on-the-ground account follows a single platoon through a 15-month tour of duty in the most dangerous outpost in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley. Through the experiences of these young men at war, he shows what it means to fight, to serve, and to face down mortal danger on a daily basis.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest

By Stieg Larsson

If you haven’t read the first two books in this series—The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire—pick those up first before moving on to The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, the final installment in Larsson’s detective series that follows character Lisbeth Salander, an anti-social computer hacker.

You Lost Me There

By Rosecrans Baldwin

A much-hyped debut novel that tells the story of a marriage … from the point of view of the husband (you know you’re curious!). (Available Aug. 12)

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