BBQ 500 Club
Summer Grilling Drinks: Thirst Quenchers from the 500 Club
“You sure can work up an enormous thirst when grilling. First, because you’re outdoors, standing next to a powerful heat source, Second, because the food that comes off the grill demands a full-flavored libation that matches the smoky taste of the fire.” – Steven Raichlen
Steven offers a huge variety of thirst quenchers to handle the demands of serious summer grilling. Last month, the 500 Club stepped up to the bar to try some of the world’s best drinks to go with our world-class SR barbecue. Here is our line-up of Fabulous Friday Featured Raichlen Recipes of the Week. All right out of The Barbecue! Bible. Summer’s coming, so get your drink on!
Summer Grilling Drinks
Week #30 Frontera Margarita – The Barbecue! Bible
“The potent tequila and lime thirst-quencher know as margarita is synonymous with good times and Mexican grilling. The best margarita I ever tasted though was made, not by a Mexican but by a gringo, Rick Bayless owner of two popular Chicago restaurants Frontera Grill and Topolobampo. Rick lets his tequila steep with lime juice and lime zest for a good part of the day before mixing the drink, which creates a margarita with an uncommon depth of flavor.”
Week #31 Brazilian Daquiri – The Barbecue! Bible
“Every rum-drinking nation has a version of the daiquiri, and Brazil’s is the caipirinha. Made with only three ingredients—fresh limes, sugar, and cane spirits—the caipirinha goes down with astonishing ease. But woe betide the person who drinks several in rapid succession, because cachaça, a spirit made from sugar cane, is one of the strongest spirits in the western hemisphere. If unavailable, you can use 151 rum or regular white rum. What distinguishes the caipirinha from the commonplace daiquiri is the conscientious crushing of the limes in the pitcher, which extracts the flavorful oils from the rind. It’s hard to imagine a Brazilian barbecue that would not begin with a pitcher of caipirinhas!”
Week #32 Dragons Breath – Project Smoke
“Here’s a cocktail that smokes—literally—thanks to an inverted brandy snifter filled with mesquite smoke. It comes from a Moldovan bartender names Aleks Karavay who I met in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Cointreau and St-Germain provide sweet-sour notes of fruitiness. “Slay your inner beast,” Karavay says. Amen.”
Week #33 Madrid-Style Sangria – The Barbecue! Bible
“Sangria is one of the most popular beverages for a barbecue, but over the years, there’s been a tendency to turn it into a sort of wine-drenched fruit salad. Here’s a sangria that’s prepared in the style of the tapas bars of Madrid—minimal fruit, not too sweet, and very potent.”
Check out our 1000+ Recipes section here on Barbecue Bible.Com
Also, sign up for our Up in Smoke newsletter so you don’t miss any blogs and receive some special offers! PLUS get Raichlen’s Burgers! PDF for free!
Follow Steven on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Reddit, and Pinterest!