The summer drinks we love to drink on a terrace
Capo Tonic made with Vecchio Amaro del Capo
Santani Organic Soda or as described 'Goodness in a can'
Frysk Oranje Bier
GiG Orange Anthem - a special hard seltzer
Sparkling tea cuvée HopHout - credits Dylan de Graaf
The Mocktail Club - credits Buro Bonito
Sparkling sake by the Japanese sake brewery Shichiken
The All Day Bubbles concept by Time to Sparkle
Sparkling Juicy Tea by Privatkelterie van Nahmen
The Frisian beers by Brewery Gudzekop
At last we have warm, sunny weather here in the Netherlands! We made a list of the ultimate summer drinks that we love to drink on the terrace. Think of a Tomatini, an old-fashioned Pimm’s Cup, Negroni, Lychee Martini or a cocktail flight! But also the various non-alcoholic drinks – like a Santani organic soda or a small bottle of Crodino for those who love the Aperol taste! The latter is also orange, a great non-alcoholic alternative while watching the Dutch team during the European Championships. 😉
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A list of summer drinks
Of course, beers remain popular on the terrace, especially craft beers, 0.0 beers, jugs of Sangria and other drinks to share. Yet more and more other drinks are becoming popular and especially the way they are presented. For instance, we spotted more and more cocktail stands with various cocktails on Instagram, a fun way to serve a ‘cocktail’ flight. We are also curious to see whether Hard Seltzers, like GiG’s, will do better this summer. So far, GiG has managed to charm festival-goers with their Hard Seltzers, however on the terraces we haven’t spotted many hard seltzers yet.
Cocktails with vegetables
On a list of summer drinks, vegetable cocktails are not to be missed. A few months ago, I enjoyed a Tomatini in the sunshine at LPM (La Petite Maison) in Abu Dhabi. Nice fresh cocktail with a delicious, non-overpowering tomato flavour. Recommended by a native of Dubai, who also loves to drink this cocktail at LPM Dubai. ^Marjolein
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There are plenty of recipes about vegetable cocktails on the internet, including Imbibe Liquid, Culture’s Veggie Cocktails for Spring. Among other things, they provide recipes for a ‘JUST BEET IT’ cocktail – made with Tequila (infused with beets) and ginger and a ‘RHUBARB SPRITZ’, the latter in particular looks delicious to us!
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GTs & Pimm’s Cups, in short the English summer drinks
The GTs continue to do well, of course, but what we love in summer is the old-fashioned Pimm’s Cup, the one with Ginger Ale, some lemon juice, a slither of cucumber and bit of mint. Possibly with a strawberry on top! So refreshing in warm weather, it’s the drink of Wimbledon after all. One of the recent Delicious magazines in the Netherlands featured a recipe for a carafe of Pimm’s Cup, we will definitely enjoy that this summer (here is an example). Put it back on the menu, please!
Bitter cocktails | Negroni, bitter melon cocktail
As a big fan of the Negroni, the bitter cocktail based on Campari, I must admit to being a bit curious about a new trend from the US – the bitter melon cocktail. We read about it in a New York Times article early this year and went in search of a recipe. The juice of the ‘bitter melon or sopropo’ replaces the flavour of Campari in the cocktail. The bitter melon is a relatively unknown fruit. The fruit has a green, wart-like skin and can have different shapes. Because the bitter melon is related to the cucumber, it often has an elongated shape but the bitter melon can also be round.
We also recently wrote about Amaro de Capo, a bittersweet Italian drink you can use to make various cocktails. There are quite a few cocktail recipes on their website! Like a Capo Tonic; Capo Negroni; Capo Affogato; ‘Bark ‘n Stormy’ and a ‘White del Capo Russian’. We are curious to see if we will come across this drink on the terraces this summer!
Mocktails and alcohol-free drinks
We honestly don’t understand why a ‘crodino’ is not more often served as an alcohol-free drink on the terrace, ice cubes in it and it is, for those who like bittersweet, a delicious alternative to Aperol. But there are lots of ready-to-drink mocktails on the market that are also bound to do well on the terrace, or as cans to give away in picnic baskets, such as Santani, the next-gen Organic Soda brand from Amsterdam. This brand is on a mission to transform the soda industry by offering a healthier, more sustainable and tastier alternative. With 100% organic ingredients and the Skal label, Santani Organic Soda is the choice for those looking for flavour, health and sustainability.
Furthermore, we recently wrote about The Mocktail Club from Belgium. They sell a number of flavours of mocktails in large bottles, which are served at a number of Michelin-starred restaurants, for example. Think of flavours such as: N°1 BASIL & ELDERFLOWER; N°4 GREEN TEA & ORANGE BLOSSOM; N°8 RHUBARB & FENNEL and N°9 SUMMER BERRY & CHAMOMILE.
Bubbles | Celebrate summer with bubbles possibly with non-alcoholic bubbles
Celebrate summer with open champagne bottles in a big bowl of ice, it looks so festive! Time to Sparkle recently introduced the All Day Bubbles concept. This concept introduces you to the versatility of French crémant, the alternative to champagne. With a wide selection of different types of crémants from all recognised French regions, but also sparkling teas with wine experience and even good non-alcoholic sparkling wine, ‘Time to Sparkle’ lets everyone enjoy ‘good’ bubbles, regardless of taste preference or moment. We also wrote about a sparkling sake, great for Japanese restaurants!
Of course, there are also many alternatives to alcohol-free bubbles such as, the sparkling tea cuvée HopHout from Frima Bruis, the alcohol-free brand of the Betuws Wijndomein. HopHout was awarded a gold medal and the prestigious trophy for ‘Best Original Drink’ at the World Alcohol-Free Awards in London.
But also the Sparkling Juicy Tea variants from the family-run company Privatkelterei Van Nahmen. This company has specialised in fruit juices since the 1930s. Current owner Peter van Nahmen combines sustainability and tradition with innovation. Resulting, among other things, in ‘Sparkling Juicy Tea’. Three unique products have emerged from a collaboration with tea sommeliers, including Niklas Schmeink (Tea Master Gold): unique blends of cold brew tea and fruit juice. A beautiful, ecological and vegan alternative for the Bob or those who don’t drink alcohol!
Local craft beers
Recently, we have written a few articles about local Frisian beers such as Gudzekop Brewery’s beers, Frysk Oranje beer and 11stijlenbier. Locally brewed, craft beers continue to do well on the terrace!
