These Refreshing Cocktails Will Turn Up Your Memorial Day BBQ

Loaded with fresh herbs and fruits, these unique cocktails offer a true taste of summer.

Now that Memorial Day is finally here, barbeque season is officially in full swing. Hopefully you are using the day to bask in the warm weather, enjoy some good food, and turn up with family and friends. While grilling up classics like burgers, hot dogs, and corn on the cob is essential, don’t forget to whip up a pitcher of refreshing ice-cold cocktails, loaded with fresh herbs and fruits, to take your cookout to the next level.

For a true taste of summer, mixologist Colin Asare-Appiah—from the Discovery Channel's The Cocktail Kings—and Tamika Hall, author of Black Mixcellence: A Comprehensive Guide to Black Mixology, have provided six unique drink recipes exclusively from Black and Brown mixologists. Not only do these delicious drinks balance out the smokiness of the BBQ, they'll keep you and your guests feeling cool and relaxed all day long.

Belafonte Margarita

Image: courtesy of Madelynne Boykin of Bites & Bevs, LLC

Recipe:

INGREDIENTS
1 ounce legal Mezcal Joven
1 ounce Martini Fiero
½ ounce fresh lime juice
2 ounces fresh watermelon (blend pieces)
3 slices habanero peppers
½ ounce Simple Syrup and Ice cubes

METHOD
Lightly muddle the peppers in a cocktail tin. Add all the other ingredients. Shake and fine-strain into a chilled margarita glass, garnish, and serve.

Pasquale's Punch

Recipe:

INGREDIENTS

1 ounce pineapple juice

¾ ounce Cinnamon Syrup

½ ounce lime juice

¾ ounce amaro liqueur

1½ ounces dark Rum

Ice Cubes

METHOD

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake.

Festival at the Lake Cocktail

Recipe:

INGREDIENTS

1 ounce fresh lemon juice

1 ounce Uncle Waithley's Ginger Beer

1½ ounces spiced tea, steeped for 20 mins. and cooled

14 ounces peach-basil syrup

Crushed ice

Basil Sprig

3 thinly sliced peach slices

Bamboo stick

METHOD

Build the drink in the order above in a Collins glass filled + with crushed ice. Lightly stir the partially filled glass with a bar spoon to ensure the liquid contents are properly mixed. Top the drink off with more crushed ice. Cover the fresh crushed ice with more Angostura bitters on top. Garnish with three thinly sliced peach slices layered on top of one another and skewered on a bamboo stick. The peaches should form a mini "stairway resting on the rim of the glass. Add a fresh sprig of basil, lightly slapping the sprig first to release the aroma. Add a reusable or compostable straw to the drink and enjoy!