While gins, rums and vodka’s, not to mention beers always get a lot of hype and love during the warm weather months, you cannot overlook local whiskey. While whiskey is great on its own as a shot, or simply a glass to sip on, whiskey can also be used to make some great hot weather drinks. Whiskey for example can make a hot afternoon more bearable with such drinks as a mint julep or a whiskey smash.

Mint Juleps are popular in the south, including in Austin, TX, especially considering the sheer amount of local whiskeys we get to enjoy in the ATX. Every year more than 80,000 mint juleps are served over Derby weekend at Churchill downs in Kentucky. Derby week is not to far away, in fact on Saturday, April 30 starts opening night for the derby. There is a reason why the Mint Julep is the drink of the derby, and why millions of them will be sipped across the county on derby weekend, and that is because the mint julep is the perfect hot weather drink.

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We have talked about many drinks you can make during the warm weather months with local spirits, cocktails guaranteed to wet your tongue and help you endure the heat of the warm Texas months ahead. While many of these drinks are rum based, vodka based, and gin based, there are quite a few local whiskey drinks one can enjoy during the warm months. Next week we will cover the more complex mint julep, but this week we will discuss it’s cousin, the smash. The nice thing about the smash is that it can be made much quicker and simpler than it’s more complex cousin the mint julep. While traditionally a whiskey drink, it is equally at home with rum or brandy as the spirit of choice for this drink. I should also point out that local rye whiskey works like a charm for a smash, in fact rye is my local spirit of choice for my summer time smashes.

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We have started to cover local spirits and liquors to have on hand for the warm months ahead, weather to drink yourself or to entertain guests with. Locally made Vodka is definitely something you should have on hand in the warms months ahead, and if you entertain often you are sure to have guests that enjoy vodka. Here are some simple drink recipes you can make with any local vodka.

Deep Eddy Ultimate sparkling Lemon Drop

1 ½ ounces Deep Eddy lemon vodka
Lemon wedges
Ice
Pellagrino lemon sparkling soda, or Pellagrino sparking water

This is a twist on the lemon drop martini, with a refreshing summertime twist. To start take a lemon wedge and rim your glass with it. Then dip your glass into some rimming sugar. Take 1 ½ ounces Deep Eddy lemon vodka, and add in either san pellagrino lemon sparkling soda, or Pellagrino sparking water to a tall glass. You next squeeze in one lemon wedge. Add your ice. Stir. You can also garnish your drink with either a lemon wedge, orange slice or lime slice. This perfect summer time drink uses local vodka and takes the Lemon Drop to a whole new level!

Titos French Blonde

1/2 oz. St. Germain
1 oz. Titos Vodka
2 oz. Lillet Blanc
2 oz. fresh grapefruit juice
A few dashes lemon bitters

Simply add all these ingredients into a shaker with ice, shake for 30 seconds, strain and pour into your glass. Titos just happens to be my favorite choice as far as local vodka goes for a french blonde, or at least my take on a french blonde, as the original recipe uses gin, but Titos works wonders on this drink, turning it into the perfect summer drink.

Lemon berry punch

1 oz Chambord liqueur
1 oz Cinco vodka
Lemonade
Lime wedge
Ice
Berries of choice

Simply add all ingredients, except lime and berries into a shaker, with ice. Shake for 45 seconds. Take glass and add ice and berries to glass. Take shaker and pour into glass. Place lime wedge onto glass rim. Ive found Cinco Vodka is the best local vodka for this particular drink recipe, but any locally made vodka will do.

This February we have already seen some hot weather, almost like summer. With hot days already upon us it is time to think about stocking up on Warm Weather Drinks. In Texas summer never starts on June 21st, it starts well before then weather wise, so the summer entertaining season will be upon soon enough. Luckily for you, your favorite “liquor store near me”, Oak Liquor Cabinet, has you covered when it comes to hot weather drinks. If you need drink suggestions, read on, we have several suggestions for you when it comes to what liquors to keep stocked for the upcoming hot weather. This will be a series of articles on our website, and to start things off, we will start with the king of warm weather time drinks, Rum. There is a reason that rum is the main drink in the Caribbean.

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