Summer Porch Punch
By Nadine Hughes
As I write this I am lucky enough to be sitting on my deck at the
cottage looking out over Georgian Bay. Our family cottage is perched upon a rock face that is 76 stairs high. I know this
exact number because I climb up and down these stairs what feels like 158 times a day! Although in the spring I may be huffing
and puffing with my first few climbs, I do get used to it over the summer and wouldn't trade it for the world. Not only because
it gets my derriere in shape but because it affords us a fabulous view over the water. My friends on the other hand groan
when I invite them over for drinks on the deck. I am going on the assumption it is not because of my hostessing abilities
but more to do with the dreaded climb! To entice them into the tree tops I often have ready for them an ice cold glass of
Summer on the Porch Punch. Packed with summer fruits and enough alcohol to make the climb down seem like a walk in the park,
this punch keeps them coming back every summer!
Summer on the Porch Punch
Makes 1 drink (big drink but
they do deserve it after the climb ☺)
Ingredients:
* 1 1/2 oz. vodka
* 1 1/2 oz. sweet red vermouth
* 1 oz orange curacao
* 1/2 oz. gin
* 1/2 oz. cherry brandy
* Assorted summer fruits, sliced (peach,
apricot, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries)
* 1-2 dashes bitters
* 2 oz. ginger ale
* 2 oz. sparkling
lemonade (or club soda) Combine vodka, vermouth, gin, curacao
and cherry brandy in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Add three or four
small pieces of summer fruit. Top with bitters, ginger ale and sparkling lemonade. Serve and enjoy.
Nadine Hughes is the creator and owner of, The Cook's Companion and The Menu Companion, through which she offers kitchen consultations, menu planning services as well as private cooking classes for adults and
teens throughout Southern Ontario. She is also an award winning author. Pick up a copy of her latest cookbook "The
Groove Mamma Goes Gourmet - Easy Ways To Put The Fun Back Into Entertaining" (awarded Best Canadian Entertaining Cookbook
at the 2009 Gourmand Cookbook Awards) for $7.98
here
