"summer drinks" news and stories

It's so hot and humid right now, I feel like crying. I should really move to northern Canada for July and August every year, or at least find some way to be cryogenically frozen for those two months. Wake me up when Jerry Lewis walks out on stage again.

However, there are some things we can drink to take a little bit of the heat away, like The Lemon Drop Cocktail. The full recipe is after the jump, but what I would do before you start drinking it is 1) take off all of your clothes, and 2) buy a big fan and put it in front of you (actually, maybe you shouldn't do it in that order). Then make the drink and sip accordingly.

• It's summer, and that means it's time for a good old-fashioned Nantucket clambake.
• Wolfgang Puck on the 25th anniversary of Spago.
• What is White Tea Liqueur?
• Are vegetarians eating more meat these days?
• What's your food personality?
• Here are the best new California chardonnays.
• This month's recipes: Tarragon Lemonade, Goat Cheese-Garlic Toasts, Grilled Shrimp Summer Rolls, Potato Pancakes with Smoked Salmon, Caviar, and Dill Cream, Easy Chicken Fajitas, and Espresso-Chocolate Semifreddo.

• I haven't had a great breakfast in a while. I usually just grab a granola bar. But here are some recipes for breakfast foods, including Corn Bacon Muffins, Sausage, Egg & Cheese Turnovers, and Plum and Pecan Pancakes.
• What's in Marge Simpson's fridge?
• Some desserts to cool you down this summer: Almond Joy Mousse Cake, Frozen Caramel Hot Chocolate, and Lemon Meringue Ice Cream Sandwiches.
• Don't forget your dogs this summer. They want to cool down too.
• This month's taste test? Pickles.
• A new way to make chicken enchiladas.
• Here's a wine pairing tool to use when trying to figure out what goes with what.
• More recipes: Green Tea Champagne, Chicken Provencale, Orange Cookies with Strawberry Ice Cream, and Lillet Slushes.

When I was a waiter at a pizza place about 20 years ago, I'd often have customers come in and order a strawberry dikery. Yeah, that's how they pronounced it. I wanted to punch them in the face, but it was usually a woman who said it and my mom raised me to be nicer than that.

Today is National Daiquiri Day, so I thought I'd take this Thursday Happy Hour post to point you to some recipes around the web. Like this one over at Recipezaar. Or maybe this one for a Lime Daiquiri at AllRecipes. And, of course, a recipe for a Strawberry Daiquiri at Vegetarian Fun. A few recipes, actually.

Earlier this week I did a post about my love of iced tea. Not real iced tea, but the fake instant stuff with tons of sugar and lemon. A lot of people couldn't understand how I could like the fake stuff. But I stand by my taste.

However, I feel as if I should give the opposing view too, and since it's almost July 4 and it's already hot and humid, how about a list of several different iced teas? I'm pretty sure there's something here for everyone, whether you want non-alcoholic iced tea or something with a little extra kick.