Do you love it when it rains in the summer? I love the respite from the heat, the sound of the rain beating down on the windows, and that little bit of coziness in an otherwise decidedly un-cozy season. I like to curl up in an armchair with a good drink in hand and just dream away the afternoon.
These little summer session old fashioneds are the perfect drink to curl up with. First off, they’re a session (a riff off of session beers; lower alcohol beers), which in theory, allow you to drink more while getting less drunk. In that sense, they’re not technically old fashioneds, but they have a couple of similarities: bourbon, simple syrup, and bitters.
That’s where the similarities end. I added in some thyme for herbaceousness, as well as some citrus fruit for a bit of a summer punch. Then I threw everything into Bonne O’s Home Carbonation system to bubble it all up. Bubbles make all drinks better and this is extra fun because all of the items go straight into the bottle for the ultimate infusion of flavor.
I know summer is winding down, but I hope you guys are getting your drink on anyway!
GIVEAWAY: I paired up with Bonne O to give away a Home Carbonation System so you can get creative and make your own fizzy drinks at home.
ENTER: To enter, leave a comment below with your best summertime drinks memory. I want to hear ALL the details! I’ll randomly choose a winner and contact them by email. Open to Canadian and US Residents only. (Sorry international friends.) Contest ends September 7th at 12AM PST. Good Luck!
Update: Congrats Katelyn, you’ve won yourself a Bonne O! Check your inbox for the details!
Thyme Simple Syrup Recipe
makes about 1/2 cup of syrup
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 15 minutes
total time: 20 minutes
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 4-5 springs fresh thyme
Add the water and sugar to a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat then remove from the heat. Add the thyme springs and let steep for 15 minutes. The longer you let it steep, the more intense it will be.
Summer Session Old Fashioned Recipe
serves 3-4
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 5 minutes
total time: 10 minutes
- 1 orange
- 1 grapefruit
- 1/2 cup bourbon
- 6-7 dashes angostura bitters
- 1 batch thyme simple syrup (see above recipe)
- water, or sparkling water to top
- orange twists, to garnish
- thyme springs, to garnish
Section the orange and grapefruit and cut into bite-sized chunks.
For Bonne O Home Carbonation System: Place the fruit and bourbon in the bottle. Shake in the bitters and top to the rim with ice-cold water. Place the thyme syrup in the flavor chamber and activate the machine to carbonate. Pour over ice and enjoy with orange twists and thyme!
In a pitcher: combine the fruit, bourbon, bitters, and thyme simple syrup. Top with 1 1/2 – 2 cups sparkling water. Pour over ice and enjoy with orange twists and thyme!
Oh my word, will I be making this drink ASAP! If only I had a Bonne O Home Carbonation System to fancy it up!! My best summertime drink memory this year was an amazing Plum-Tarragon Shrub that I made and mixed with Gin, Soda Water (wish I had a Bonne O Home Carbonation System to make my own soda ), and a splash of Elderflower liqueur. We had a neighborhood cocktail party and everyone brought their best libation and and it was just a fabulous day. We finished it off with tons and tons of seafood on the grill and Homemade Fudgesicle Brownie Pops (recipe from my favorite food blogger)!!!
Cheers,
Maureen
This is a summer drink + dessert memory, but I will always want to drink soda floats in the summer time (dr.pepper float, coke float, standard root beer float…) Cold, creamy memories…
My best summertime drinks memory is of my last summer in Brooklyn. My best friends and I headed up to the rooftop of my apartment and we laid out a picnic blanket facing the NYC skyline. We had some pizza from our favorite spot and sandwiches from the corner bodega. We had cocktails, wine and beer – the crowd favorite was the ‘summertime sangria’ we mixed up in our soup pot. Needless to say, we were the classiest 20-somethings in the building. We reminisced about the past (some of us have been friends since elementary school!) and looked forward to the future. This was our last summer in NYC together before I moved to San Diego and others moved to Seattle and elsewhere. As the sun set, we sang out loud to The Lumineers’ ‘Ho Hey’ as our friends played their guitar. Now excuse me while I go cry in the corner…
I grew up in the 60’s so, for me it is Root beer Floats…I remember after a long day working on the farm mom would take use to the drive-in for a treat.
My favorite summer drink is simple, tasty, and reminds me of home (Nova Scotia). The humble Shandy- beer and carbonated lemonade! Delicious and easy. The Home Carbonation system is a neat concept I’ve been dying to try. Thanks!
my summer drink is stone fruit sangria!
I always find it too hot in the summer to curl up with a mug of tea, so my absolute favorite alternative for a refreshing summer drink is milk tea! My favorite variety is iced honey milk green tea which, of course, is not complete without some tapioca pearls. There’s just nothing quite as satisfying for me as punching an oversized straw into a cup of pearl milk tea on a hot summer day! :)
We have an end-of-the-summer crab boil every year with family and friends. My favorite summer drink is the cold, crisp corona that gets caked in Old Bay while we eat crabs all night!
My family used to stay at a group of cottages the last two weeks of every august. One day would always be designated “mudslide day”. We’d go to the store the night before and buy all the fixins’ and then next day, late morning, we’d gather on a friend’s porch and start mixing them all up. we’d spend the day by the water sipping on the delicious milkshake drinks and laughing.
When I think of summer, I think of watermelon, especially made into aguas frescas. I also have been into cucumber soda lately, alone or mixed with gin. It’s so refreshing.