Cooling the heat with cocktail hour

As the founding member of the Eagles once belted: “The Heat Is On.” Though Coloradans don’t have the option of packing up their surfboards and heading to the beach to cool off, there is nothing to stop us from darning our string bikinis and Speedos and heading for the blender.

That’s right baby, its blender drink season once again!  This is the time of year when fruity, boozy, frozen cocktails come to the rescue – and although those tiny paper umbrellas don’t do a damn bit of good keeping the sun off our heads, they sure do look cute!

So to pay homage to the drinks of summer, vacation and brain-freeze, this month’s column is all about those foofy, goofy, girly  cocktails that we all claim to loath but who we secretly love and lust after come the cruel, cruel blaze of the summertime sun.

It is rumored that the actual cocktail umbrella made its debut in the United States around 1932, and that the fellow who we can thank for that is Victor Bergeron of Trader Vic’s in San Francisco.  Considered to be quite exotic, these tiny paper beverage accessories originated in the Pacific Rim area and captured the eye and wet the palates of many thirsty embibers. In fact, it was in 1954 that the infamous Pina Colada was born at the Caribe Hilton’s Beachcomber Bar in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

I am not ashamed to admit with pride and soul that I love these frosty, frozen delights. I would love to be slurping on one right about now but because my damn blender is on the fritz, here are a few of my favorite recipes that I would like to share with you. Enjoy, and let me know what time to come over for cocktails.

Le Mai Tai: An ounce each of dark and light rum of your choosing, ½ ounce Grand Marnier or some kind of orange liqueur, an ounce of freshly squeezed lime juice, ½ ounce Orgeat syrup, garnish as you see fit.

Pimm’s Cocktail: One and a half ounces of Pimm’s No. 1 Cup, two ounces of fresh lemon juice, one half of an ounce of simple syrup or sugar to taste, club soda or plain seltzer water to top it off, garnish of choice.

Bushwacker Cocktail: An ounce of dark rum, an ounce of Kahlua, one ounce of dark creme de cacao, two ounces of cream of coconut, two ounces of milk and a cup of ice.

Hpnotiq Margarita: Here’s a cool twist on your average Margarita – it’s blue, it’s delicious and it will make you feel like you are on vacation even if you are just enjoying your own back yard.
Half an ounce of Tequila, an ounce of Hpnotiq Liqueur, half an ounce of  Blue Curaçao, two ounces of sour mix, a splash of pineapple juice, sugar on the rim and lime wedge for garnish.

And before I go, there is one drink that must get honorable mention at least because it goes without saying that: “if you like pina coladas, and getting caught in the rain, if you’re not into yoga, if you have half a brain” there is only one drink for you, and you know what it is.

Happy summer to all, and good luck staying cool!