Tag Archives: summer

It’s Finally Summertime, and the Sipping is Easy!

17 Wednesday Jun 2020

Posted by in Cocktails, Recipe, summer entertaining, Uncategorized, Wine

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Summertime, and the sipping is easy. Whether you’re throwing a backyard barbeque, a Taco Tuesday, or just grilling by the pool, we offer everything you need to have the best day for you and your guests all summer long. Try our delicious and refreshing cocktails, explore our wine and food pairing tips, and see what’s new up our sleeves this year!

Cool Down With These Cocktails

BAHAMA MAMA

Bahama Mama cocktail

Serves: 1   Preparation Time: 5 minutes   Difficulty Level: Easy

Ingredients

¼ oz. coffee liqueur
1 fl. oz. silver rum
1 fl. oz. coconut-flavored rum
1 fl. oz. grenadine syrup
2 fl. oz. orange juice
2 fl. oz. pineapple juice
½ oz. lemon juice
1 cup cracked ice
Strawberry, pineapple wedge, and cherry for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  1. Add all ingredients to a blender.
  2. Blend until a slushy consistency.
  3. Pour into a glass.
  4. If desired, garnish with a strawberry, pineapple wedge, and cherry.

More of a visual learner? Don’t worry, we have a video for you too:

WATERMELON FROSE

Watermelon Frose Drinks

Serves: 4   Preparation Time: 8 Hours   Difficulty Level: Medium

Ingredients

1 Standard 750mL bottle of Rosé
1/2 cup fresh watermelon syrup
1/2 cup fresh watermelon juice
1/2 Lime, juiced
Watermelon slices for garnish

Instructions

  1. The night before, pour Rosé into 2 ice cube trays and freeze.
  2. In a blender combine Rosé and ice cubes, watermelon syrup, watermelon juice, and lime juice.
  3. Blend until it is a slushy-like consistency.
  4. Scoop the Frosé into your glasses and garnish with a Watermelon Wedge.

Another video? Don’t mind if we do:

What’s New?

Stay up to date this Summer with the latest trends & our newest additions. From wine to vodka to YETI coolers, we have everything you do not want to miss out on!

TINY UMBRELLAS

Tiny Umbrellas | Cali Wine

Kick back. Breathe. Smile. Laugh. These new Cali wines are the perfect ingredient for everyday enjoyment, and yes, virtual happy hours too!

Tiny Umbrella wines are as bright and fun in the glass as they are in the bottle. From the mouthwatering Pink Moscato to the delicious Red Blend – you’ll find yourself immersed in the moment no matter which you choose.

Oh, almost forgot to share… for the spirited and crafty… check the back label for a surprise tasty little cocktail recipe.

VEIL VODKA

Veil

Check out the bold, fresh new look of Veil and meet your new favorite vodka, with the same great taste! Made in Minnesota, using only premium grains, the cleanest, purest water from the land of 10,000 lakes, and a complex multi-column distillation process. Distilled five times and cold-filtered through charcoal to remove any trace of impurity, Veil has a creamy texture and a soft, smooth finish.

If you’re looking for flavors, Veil has more than 20 of them—all made with natural ingredients. From orange, to citron and strawberry as well as seasonal flavors like peppermint and gingerbread, there’s a flavor for everyone!

Great chilled on its own, over ice, with soda or tonic, or flavoring an exotic cocktail.Crisp, clean and pristine—with an amazing assortment of natural fruit flavors. 

YETI

Long days fishing and hunting in the Texas heat had brothers Roy and Ryan Seiders in search of a cooler that could stand up to the demands of serious outdoor pursuits. But since what they needed didn’t exist, they decided to create their own. Through tireless innovation, YETI now offers a range of superior outdoor products, from hard coolers to rugged cargo and insulated drinkware, all of which are over-engineered to perform in the most extreme and demanding conditions. This is what makes YETI Built for the Wild.

Looking for even MORE summer entertaining tips and ideas? Head over to our summer entertaining page to make sure you have everything you need to host the best Summer parties yet.

Tequila & Tacos: Tropical Shrimp Taco Recipe for Cinco de Mayo

01 Tuesday May 2018

Posted by in Cinco de Mayo, holiday, Recipe, Tequila

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Tequila is just part of the equation for the ultimate Cinco de Mayo celebration. The other part is food. Like delicious, homemade shrimp tacos!

Our friends at Altos Tequila teamed up with author Rebeca Hubbel of Sugar & Soul to come up with this tropical shrimp taco recipe to pair with the Altos Fresh cocktail recipe.

This post is brought to you by Altos Tequila. The content and opinions
expressed below are that of Sugar & Soul.

Sauce Ingredients:
• Sour Cream – 1/2 cup
• Tequila Altos Plata – 2 tbsp.
• Lime Juice – 1 tbsp
• Lime Zest – 1 tsp
• Cumin – 1 tsp
• Minced garlic – 1 tbsp
• Chopped Cilantro – 1 tbsp

Sauce Directions:
Stir all ingredients together and place in the fridge to set while
you prep and cook the other components of the dish.

Shrimp Ingredients:
• Oil for frying
• All-purpose flour – 1 ½ cups
• Salt – 3 tbsp
• Black pepper – 1 tbsp
• Cayenne pepper – 1 tsp
• Cumin – 1 ½ tsp
• Paprika – 2 tbps
• Frozen shrimp, thawed – 30 pieces

Shrimp Direction:
Heat oil in a deep pan or fryer on medium high heat, drops of water should sizzle when added to the oil, that’s how you know it’s ready. Combine the flour, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, cumin, and paprika in a medium bowl. Pat the thawed shrimp dry, and toss them in the flour mixture one by one, shaking a little to remove any excess, then adding to the hot oil. I usually cook 10 shrimp at a time, 2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Repeat with the rest of the shrimp, switch out oil if
necessary. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to rest for a few minutes after cooking.

Salsa Ingredients:
• Pineapple, finely chopped – ½ cup
• Mango, finely chopped – ¼ cup
• Chopped mint – 2 tbsp

Salsa Directions:
Stir all ingredients together and place in the fridge to set while you prep and cook the other components of the dish.

Taco Assembly Ingredients:
• Pea shoots or watercress
• Kumquats, thinly sliced – 3
• Pickled onions – 6 tbsp
• Small flour tortillas – 6

Taco Assembly Ingredients:
Spoon a tsp of the sauce down the middle of the tortillas, top with 3 shrimp. Top shrimp with a small bunch of pea shoots or watercress. Spoon on some of the fruit salsa, followed by 3 or 4 slices of kumquat, and a tbsp of pickled onions, and 2 more shrimp each. Top with more tequila lime sauce and enjoy!

Don’t forget to pair it with the perfect cocktail – the Altos Fresh Cocktail!

It’s Tower Time

06 Monday Jun 2016

Posted by in Cocktails, Vodka

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Memorial Day has passed, and we’ve begun to don our summer attire to match the season. Now that we’re casual enough – and it’s hot enough – to wear white jeans whenever, we still make an important switch this time of year – to white spirits.

Vodka, tequila, rum and white whiskey are the classic spirits for summertime cocktails. They’re lighter and brighter, perfect companions to the refreshing mixers that taste right in hot weather, like tonic, sodas and fruit juices. As the season heats up, our customers have been enjoying vodka drinks, especially those made with Texas’ Tower Vodka.

Tower’s makers are from Pilot Point, not far south of the Oklahoma border. The label of this great new spirit depicts the water tower that looms over town.

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The Texas-made vodka is produced in micro-batches and distilled six times, which gives it real purity and smoothness. Because it’s made from corn, Tower is gluten-free. Clean and crisp-tasting, it’s an ideal base for simple vodka cocktails.

Vodka this good doesn’t need to be gussied up with a lot of additional ingredients. But if vodka martinis don’t say “summer” to you, try mixing Tower into a tall drink, over ice with a big splash of tonic, cola, fruit soda or ginger beer. A squeeze of fresh lime and you’re ready to cool off. Or enjoy it mixed with cranberry or orange juice – and maybe a small dash of seltzer or club soda to give the drink a refreshing spritz.

Here’s one with bright color and juicy flavor, just right for a hot summer weekend:

Find Tower Vodka and more favorite summer spirits at your local Total Wine & More.

Summers Beers for Patio Sipping and Lawn Mowing

11 Wednesday May 2016

Posted by in Beer

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The hot weather is rolling in, and those big stouty beers no longer look quite as appealing as they did this winter. But many styles of beers are perfect for the season, so take a look and familiarize yourself with the brews you need to be enjoying this summer.

Kölsch

This German beer style is a go-to when summer hits. Depending on the brewery, it can be light- to medium-bodied, have a slightly fruity taste or show a hop profile that varies from medium to slightly more aggressive.  For the less hoppy version, we recommend Goose Island’s Summertime Kölsch. Its lightly fruity aroma and crisp finish make it a great choice for sipping on the patio.

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Munich Helles Lager

This beer style is a great “lawn mower” beer if ever there was one. Created at Munich’s Spaten brewery in 1895 to compete against popular Pilsner-style beers, Munich Helles Lager is similar to, but has notable differences from, traditional Pilsner. “Helles” means “bright” in German, and this style pours a clear, bright straw yellow to pale-golden color with a creamy white head. Unlike German Pilsners, this German Lager style is more malt-forward, exhibiting bready, toasted grain flavors with only a hint of sweetness. It’s not meant to be overly complicated, just downright enjoyable. Cigar City’s Hotter than Helles or Ninkasi Brewing’s Helles Belles are great choices if they are available in your area, but there are many great variations on this style. Explore and find the one that you enjoy most!

Fruit Beer

It’s summertime. You want something sweet and crisp on the palate, and that’s what you’ll get with this style of beer. Wheat ales are usually the go-to base for this style of beer, but not always. The fruit character on these beers can range from mild to intense, and brewers can select from a long list of fruits to really make a brew their own. Popular fruits include cherries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, apricots, peaches and pomegranates. Beers like 21st Amendments Hell or High Watermelon, Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat or Abita’s Strawberry Harvest Lager are great selections for summer.

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Session IPAs

Hop lovers – we didn’t forget about you. But do you really want to drink a double IPA under the hot sun?  That’s why this style has gained in popularity over the past few years. A lower-alcohol version of an India Pale Ale that keeps you cool, but with just as much hop punch? Sign us up! Great citrus notes and a variety of hops can be found in these beers, like Founder’s All Day IPA and Firestone Walker’s Easy Jack IPA.

 

Craft beer - mix and match

These are just a few selections that are making the list, but everyone has their preferred style and choice for summer. Stop in and discover yours from our selection of more than 2,500 beers, and don’t forget to check our online growler menu to pick up a fresh fill for the season from one of our Brewery District growler filling locations. Cheers!