Sunny cocktails mark end of summer

Summer is almost over, a great excuse to throw an end-of-summer bash. But those of us who know how to mix drinks realize that hosting a party means we’ll be playing bartender more than spending QT with our guests.

So how do we serve quality cocktails at our soiree without giving up our precious time? The solution is all in the preparation. Batched cocktails are easy to do with the right amount of prep, and your guests will be happy to help themselves.

An easy way to serve batched cocktails attractively is by using a glass punch bowl. You can usually find one for about $10 at your neighborhood Goodwill or Salvation Army store. Specialty bowls made from milk glass, etc., can be found at places like Anthropologie, but those will be much pricier.

Use a large ice block to keep the punch cold without over diluting it. Hawaiian Ice Co. sells large ice blocks for $4 a pop — use an ice pick to chop the block into about three large pieces. Or make your own using large, square plastic containers, but plan ahead because it takes a while to freeze that much water.

Watermelon Agua Fresca

A few places around town will let you order half a watermelon filled with a delicious melon beverage. It is so fun to share, ladling spoonfuls out of the summer fruit, and it’s dangerously easy to drink.

Here is a version to try at home. A bit of salt brings out the sweetness of the watermelon, and the Thai basil brings a savory, anise note that is a pleasant surprise.

• 1 whole seedless watermelon (or about 64 ounces blended melon juice)
• 8 ounces lime juice
• 8 ounces simple syrup (1 part sugar dissolved in 1 part water)
• 4 pinches sea salt
• 10 Thai basil leaves (optional)
• 1 (750 milliliter) bottle vodka

Cut watermelon in half and scoop the flesh into a blender. Add lime juice, simple syrup, salt and basil (if using) and blend until smooth. Strain through fine-mesh sieve. Skim foam from top. Add vodka and pour over large ice cube into punch bowl or use empty watermelon half as bowl. Serves 16.

Garnish: Watermelon wedges perched on glass and Thai basil sprigs

Garden Party Sangria

Sangria is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Just the look of it — colorful and festive with fresh fruits floating on the surface — encourages repeat customers.

The elderflower liqueur in this sangria adds a touch of lychee, and using a drier white wine will keep the flavors crisp and refreshing. I wouldn’t suggest an oaky wine, like a chardonnay. The fruit juices don’t play well with the buttery flavors of such a wine.

Alternatively, a dry sparkling wine like a cava could work well if you’d like a little fizz.

• 6 ounces lemon juice
• 25 ounces watermelon juice
• 12-1/2 ounces pineapple juice
• 1 bottle elderflower liqueur (such as St-Germain)
• 2 bottles sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio
• 10 strawberries, sliced
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 cup raspberries
• 15 green grapes, halved
• 10 edible flowers

Combine juices and liquors and fruits in punch bowl. Add large ice cube, fruits and flowers. Ladle over ice into wine glasses. Serves 25.

Garnish: Fresh fruit and edible flowers

Kaimuki Town Lemonade

Kaimuki boasts some of the best restaurants and little spots to enjoy culinary delights. Start, for example, at Hale Vietnam with some epic Imperial Rolls (extra crisp) and pho, then finish off with something sweet from Via Gelato.

This lemonade was inspired by a delicious Via flavor, strawberry-shiso sorbetto, with a bit of li hing adding a perfect amount of salty and sweet to clean the palate.

Add sake or shochu and you have a nice, lower-alcohol, “skinny” cocktail.

• 2 bar spoons li hing powder (about 2 teaspoons)
• 4 ounces lemon juice
• 4 ounces rich simple syrup (2 parts sugar dissolved in 1 part water) or agave nectar
• 2 shiso leaves
• 8 strawberries
• 16 ounces water
• 8 ounces junmai sake or shochu

Combine li hing powder, lemon juice, simple syrup, shiso and berries in blender. Blend until smooth; pour through fine-mesh sieve. Add water and liquor. Keep refrigerated. Makes 1 liter.

Garnish: Thin strawberry slices stirred into drink; shiso leaves placed on top

Loretto Summer

Brown spirits are the No. 1 trending spirit across the nation, so you are bound to have whiskey lovers at your parties.

For this cocktail imagine a mint julep meeting a lemonade meeting a Moscow mule. A homemade mint syrup saves you from having to muddle cocktails all night, providing the brightness of mint without all the fuss.

• 12 ounces lemon juice
• 6 ounces homemade mint syrup (recipe follows)
• 24 dashes Angostura Bitters
• 1 (750-milliliter) bottle bourbon (such as Maker’s Mark)
• 25 ounces ginger beer (Fever Tree or Bundaberg recommended)

Combine lemon juice, syrup, bitters and bourbon in punch bowl. Add ice and top with ginger beer, or leave ginger beer on the side and top individual glasses after ladling out. Serves 12.

Garnish: Thin lemon wheels floating and mint sprigs

Homemade Mint Syrup

• 3 large sprigs or 7 medium sprigs fresh mint
• 12 ounces simple syrup (1 part sugar dissolved in 1 part water)

Bring small pot of water to boil. Fill a bowl with water and ice. Plunge mint sprigs into boiling water for 15 seconds. Immediately plunge into ice bath for 1 minute. Pat dry with paper towel, pick leaves from stems and place in a blender. Add simple syrup. Blend on high speed and strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Refrigerate; will keep about a month.

Agave Fresco

Everyone knows and loves margaritas, but there are other ways to enjoy the blue agave spirit. One of my new favorite things is the Pellegrino Clementina, which resembles a tangerine soda. Not too sweet, but absolutely fizzy and refreshing.

I love to pair the bright orange flavors with tequila. It’s a match made in heaven.

Muddled cucumber lifts the cocktail and a pinch of salt (can you tell that I’m a fan of salt?) brings everything together.

If you want to skip the muddling, blend the cucumber with the lime juice and tequila, strain through a fine-mesh sieve, then top it with the Clementina.

• 3 cucumber wheels
• 1/2 ounce lime juice
• Pinch sea salt
• 1-1/2 ounces blanco tequila
• 3-1/2 ounces Pellegrino Clementina

Muddle cucumber with lime juice and salt in glass. Add tequila, fill with ice and top with Clementina; stir to combine.

Garnish: Thin diagonal cucumber slices and tangerine wheels floating in glass

Chandra Lucariello is director of mixology for Southern Wine & Spirits. Ingredient note: The liquors and liqueurs used in these recipes are widely available from Oahu liquor stores and some supermarkets.