Cold Summer Drinks

July is chock full of National “cold summer drink” Days. The dog days of summer are the perfect time to sip a refreshing icy beverage.

Today, July 10th is National Pina Colada Day. The drink, a blend of rum, pineapple juice, and coconut cream blended with ice, was developed in 1954 by Ramon Marrero of the Caribe Hilton in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Tomorrow, the 11th, is National Mojito Day-my personal favorite. Here is a photo of a mojito I enjoyed on board a sailboat cruise of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The concoction is white rum, lime juice, soda water, muddled mint, and sugar. Our captain’s creation utilized brown cane sugar. The drink history refers to the 1650s in Barbados vs a more recent highball creation in Havana, Cuba.

The 15th is Strawberry-Rhubarb Wine Day. Reminiscent of strawberry-rhubarb pie with sweet and sour notes. Rhubarb is a vegetable recognized in the US as a fruit; its origin is China, where the stalks were used as medicine. The leaves, however, are poisonous in large doses. 18th-century Canadian fur traders benefited from the plant’s laxative effect relieving chronic constipation from their meat and fish diet.

And the 19th is Daiquiri Day. The daiquiri, made of rum, a fruit puree, and a sweetener, has an elusive history. One legend credits an American mining engineer, Jennings Cox, who spent some time in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. Another tale says William A. Chanler, a US Congressman, invented the daiquiri to celebrate his purchase of the Santiago de Cuba iron mines. “Daiquiri” was a beach near the mines. Ernest Hemingway loved imbibing daiquiris, “Papa Dobles,” during his Havana days. The recipe contains rum, pink grapefruit juice, Maraschino liquor, lime juice, and sugar syrup.

Later this month, on the 24th, is National Tequila Day. Tequila is the national drink of Mexico and is affectionally called “Mexican champagne.’ The Aztecs made tequila by fermenting the agave plant long before the Spanish arrived in Mexico in the 16th century. Modern tequila was developed in the 17th century by the Cuervo family.

Coffee Milkshake Day is on July 26th. For those of you who prefer a “virgin” iced drink, this may be a great substitute. Thanks to Hamilton Beach, who invented the drink mixer in 1910, we can enjoy ice cream (or yogurt) based milkshakes blended with flavored syrups, fruits, and other goodies. So why not add coffee for a nice afternoon pick-me-up?

Has this blog post made you thirsty? Do you have a favorite chilled beverage? Enjoy one this evening, sitting on your patio or deck. Cheers!

PS Remember that too much alcohol can dehydrate you, so be certain to drink plenty of plain water during the hot weather.

You can follow the Author on her Website or on Twitter.

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