vermontucky lemonade

what has summer brought you so far? good things, i hope? summer has brought motorcycle rides/commutes for me, rosé-and-baguette picnics, farmer’s market dinners, cookouts with friends, and endless warm afternoons by the pool with the dogs lounging nearby. grilled pizza from my mom’s kitchen. my husband and i making our way, for the second time, through the best tv show ever on Instant Netflix. bringing the intensity to workouts with my girls at the gym. not too many sunburns, not enough concerts, frosty buckets full of ice and beers in the back of my truck, traveling to outdoor movie nights. saturday brunches at our favorite dive. berry picking, beach trips, bicycle rides. windows down, mosquito bites. summer is pretty great i think.

ultimate best summer jam: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Rebels. there isn’t anything Tom Petty does wrong. though this is a definite highlight.

best summer community love: running events raising money for a new pedestrian bridge that would connect our two major parks! see you at one of them soon!

favorite summer barkeep: Rob the Bartender at La Capitale, as always. the best in the west. pours  those gin fizzes quickly and icy-cold. also: best late-night grilled cheese sandwich!

ultimate summer pick-me-up: Stumptown cold brew stubbies

i don’t normally drink caffeine, but since i had been reading about these locally-brewed hardcore bottles, spying one in the coffeeshop right next door to my office had me tempted. i drank about an inch of it and was unbelievably wired. cold-brew coffee is heaven in summer, i make jars of it at home (decaf), and this was so tasty. and also the closest i have ever been to being sincerely high. i had my husband drink the rest of it and he agreed on it’s potency. a good kick in the pants. recommended.

finally, my favorite element of summer this far: Vermontucky Lemonade.

our friends have helped us consume  large quantities of this while sitting in lawn chairs with our feet in their kid’s pool (we seem to be enjoying the pool a bit more than the little guy has) on warm Saturdays. it’s kind of perfect. this is a cocktail for people who don’t care for cocktails, suitable for a dinner party, pool party, or a sunday afternoon in your PJs (i won’t tell). a zingy, freshly-squeezed lemonade base takes a maple syrup hit and a glug of your favorite bourbon. mix with ice and club soda — don’t bother making them in single glasses, you’ll need a pitcher’s worth.

this is summer living.

 

recipe from smitten kitchen

• 2 pounds lemons
• 1/4 cup – 1/2 cup maple syrup (pure or homemade)
• good bourbon
• club soda

squeeze the lemons and mix in a large pitcher with maple syrup to your taste-preference of sweetness. add about 2 cups club soda and enough ice to yield about a quart of maple lemonade.
we mix the bourbon right in (i don’t measure), but if you have varying strength-level preferences, pour bourbon and lemonade separately into each serving glass. enjoy.

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