Cool Summer Beverages

HUNT VALLEY, Md. (McCormick) – Grab your sunglasses, break out the blender and get ready to stir up a whole new kind of cool this summer. Ice cold beverages – fizzy, blended, shaken, or stirred – are a great way to escape the heat and enjoy healthy helpings of fresh fruit, creamy yogurt and ice cream and sparkling juices. Food colors and extracts, which are commonly used to brighten birthday treats and baked goods, can also add a bold splash of color and flavor to the season’s fruity and frosty thirst quenchers. Just add ice and fresh fruit, and let the sipping begin.

Kids’ Coolers

• Tie-dyes and lava lamps were the inspiration for Groovy Banana Blitz, a smoothie that is sure to become the kid-chic pool accessory this season. Kids will go bananas for this concoction, and moms will love that it’s also good for them. Just blend the kid-friendly fruit with vanilla yogurt, orange extract, and ice cubes. Divide the mixture and add a different neon food color to each part, then pour, alternately, into glasses and serve.
• Arctic Ade is perfect for “chillaxing” after a day at the skate park. Lemonade becomes electrified, when blended with ice cubes, club soda and a few drops of neon blue food color.
• There’s something for the glamour girls, too. Young ladies who love Shirley Temples will flip for the L’il Pink Lady, a frozen concoction of limeade, raspberry extract, ginger ale and a kiss of pink food color.

…And to Whet a More Grown-Up Whistle…

• Put an invigorating twist on sangria with Fresh Fruit Sparkler, a non-alcoholic cooler that showcases some of the season’s favorite fruits – grapes, oranges and berries, in a blend of sparkling grape and apple juices. Lemon extract adds a hint of citrus flavor.
• Who says ice cream sodas are for kids? Capture all the excitement of childhood with Chocolate Almond Soda, which combines chocolate syrup, almond extract and vanilla ice cream. It’s perfect for an afternoon drink or dessert.
• Tap into the tastes of the islands with Mango Madness, a slushy delight that blends the flavor of fresh mangoes with raspberry and rum extracts.
• Pineapple Coconut Cooler is a fun new take on the quintessential blender beverage – the piña colada. Pineapple sherbet, pineapple juice, coconut, rum, and vanilla extracts combine for this tropical refreshment.

Make a Splash with McCormick® Extracts

Helpful Hints For Adding Flavor to Beverages, Desserts, and More

Groovy Banana Blitz

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients in Groovy Banana Blitz
2 ripe bananas
2 cups ice cubes
1 container (6 ounces) vanilla yogurt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Orange Extract
McCormick® Assorted NEON! Food Colors

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients, except food colors, in blender; cover and blend on high speed until smooth.
2. Divide mixture evenly into 4 portions. Stir 6 drops of a different food color into each portion. Pour the different colors alternately into each of 3 tall glasses to serve.

Makes 3 servings.

Arctic Ade

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients in Arctic Ade
1 can (12 ounces) lemonade concentrate
2 cups ice cubes
1 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
4 drops Blue McCormick® Assorted NEON! Food Colors
2 cups club soda or seltzer, chilled

Directions

1. Place all ingredients, except club soda, in blender; cover, and blend on high speed until smooth.
2. Pour into large pitcher. Slowly stir in club soda.

Makes 5 servings.

L’il Pink Lady

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients in L’il Pink Lady
1 can (6 ounces) frozen limeade concentrate, plus one can water
2 cups ice cubes
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons McCormick® Raspberry Extract
6 drops Pink McCormick® Assorted NEON! Food Colors
1 can (12 ounces) ginger ale, chilled

Directions

1. Place all ingredients, except ginger ale, in blender; cover, and blend on high speed until smooth.
2. Pour into large pitcher. Slowly stir in ginger ale.

Makes 5 servings.

Fresh Fruit Sparkler

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients in Fresh Fruit Sparkler
1 bottle (25.4 ounces) white sparkling grape juice, chilled
1/2 cup thawed frozen apple juice concentrate
1 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Lemon Extract
1 can (12 ounces) club soda or seltzer chilled
2 cups cut-up fresh fruit such as berries, grapes and oranges

Directions

1. Mix juice, concentrate and extract in large pitcher.
2. Slowly stir in club soda and fruit. Serve immediately in tall ice-filled glasses.

Makes 6 servings.

Chocolate Almond Soda

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients in Chocolate Almond Soda
1/2 cup chocolate syrup
1 teaspoon McCormick® Imitation Almond Extract
3 cups vanilla ice cream
1 bottle (1 liter) club soda or seltzer, chilled

Directions

1. Mix chocolate syrup and extract. Place 2 large scoops of ice cream in each of 4 tall glasses. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the syrup mixture into each glass.
2. Slowly pour 1 cup of the club soda into each glass. Serve immediately with straws and long spoons.

Makes 4 servings.

Mango Madness

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients Mango Madness
2 large mangos, peeled and cubed (3 cups)
2 cups ice cubes
1/2 cup orange juice
1 1/2 teaspoons McCormick® Raspberry Extract
1 teaspoon McCormick® Imitation Rum Extract

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in blender; cover. Blend on high speed until smooth and serve.

Makes 3 servings.

Pineapple Coconut Cooler

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients
2 cups pineapple juice, chilled
2 cups ice cubes
2 1/2 teaspoons McCormick® Imitation Coconut Extract
1 teaspoon McCormick® Imitation Rum Extract
1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract
4 drops Yellow McCormick® Assorted Food Colors & Egg Dye
2 cups pineapple sherbet

Directions

1. Place all ingredients, except sherbet, in blender; cover. Blend on high speed until ice is crushed.
2. Add sherbet; cover and blend until smooth. Garnish with pineapple slices and cherries, if desired.

Makes 5 servings.

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 2nd, 2007 at 9:17 am and is filed under McCormick & Co. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.