The summer might never have really got going in terms of the weather but that doesn’t mean that the summer spirit was any less strong and a sunny Glastonbury proved that it hasn’t all been a complete washout. So while barbeques were probably largely damp experiences and camping might not have been high up on many people’s weekend plans this summer, cold beers and refreshing drinks are still the order of the day and here are a couple of tips and recipes to try out and enjoy with friends. The first thing to remember when it comes to creating refreshing drinks at home is to use fresh and tasty ingredients; relying solely on ingredients which come in cartons or bottles will more than likely defeat the point of you making your own fruit punch. When people think of summer fruit punches and drinks to go with barbequed food, they will probably think of Pimms, Sangria or ginger beer and these firm favourites are difficult to get wrong even if you’re a novice when it comes to cocktails, alcoholic or non alcoholic. A simple sangria recipe will consist of the following basic ingredients: red wine, orange juice, rum, brandy and slices of fresh orange and fresh lemon. As with all things it can be tempting to add other ingredients to try and spice things up but remember to keep things simple, these recipes tend to be well tried and tested! If you can, choose fair trade red wine from your local supermarket as this way you will not only be getting a great product but you will also be supporting both farmers and producers from across the world and your local community. The same goes for the oranges and lemons and the orange juice you decide to use; in fact, if you can and you have the time, freshly squeezed orange juice will give your sangria a real depth of flavour and a natural sweetness that will keep you going back for more. You can of course make ginger beer from scratch but if you’re short on time and you want to create a delicious non-alcoholic ginger punch, here are the basics of a great ginger beer recipe: fresh orange juice, sugar, mint leaves, good quality ginger beer and sparkling water. Mixing these ingredients together makes for a deliciously spicy fruit punch that’s great for the children as well as the adults.
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