Toast to Summer Pride with Five Refreshing Green Cocktails

Robert Doyle READ TIME: 5 MIN.

New Haven, CT - Get ready to celebrate the summer with five delicious green cocktail recipes, including Watermelon Sangria, Kiwi Fruit Cocktails, Pink Lemonade Jello Shots, Spiked Strawberry Iced Tea, and an Elderflower Spritzer.

All you need are fresh, local, organic ingredients - and you're ready for summer. Green Bride, the nation's No. 1 green wedding resource, has relationships with 1,300 green businesses across the country. Launched in 2009 by environmental lawyer Kate L. Harrison after her book "The Green Bride Guide: How To Plan An Earth-Friendly Wedding On Any Budget" became a best-seller in the wedding category, Green Bride is the leading online resource for eco-friendly wedding ideas, product and services.

The company's Green Wedding Directory has over 1,500 green wedding service providers, such as restaurants that serve local, organic food and limousine companies that use hybrid vehicles. The Green Bride Guide 's The Wedding Shop has a large selection of eco-friendly wedding invitations, favors, and reception d�cor. The site's Green Wedding Registry has over a thousand home goods and other gifts hand selected for their quality and environmental savings.

Elderflower Spritzer

The perfect drink for a garden party for Pride!

1 oz Saint Germain

8 oz seltzer

Flower ice cubes

This light and elegant drink is perfect for a hot day and is a breeze to make. Just add 1 oz of Elderflower liquor to seltzer and serve.

For the greenest version make your own seltzer - it is better for the environment and only costs 17 cents a liter!

Serve over flower-filled ice cubes with organic orchids, nasturtiums, pansies, or snapdragons inside.

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Kiwi Fruit Cocktail

2 cups of ice
3 large ripe kiwi fruits, peeled
3 oz Papagayo Organic White Rum
1 lime, finely grated rind and juiced
10 oz water (for lime syrup)
3 tbs organic sugar
1lime, finely grated rind and juiced (for lime syrup)

Make a syrup by combining water, sugar, rind and juice in a small saucepan.
Bring to a boil and stir regularly.
Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.
Cool - and then pour into a heatproof container and chill.
Place the chilled syrup, rum, ice cubes, kiwi fruit and extra lime juice into a blender. Serve immediately.

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Pink Lemonade Jello Shots

This clever no-waste recipe is perfect for a summer party!

12 whole organic lemons
1 cup pink lemonade
2 packages plain gelatin
1 cup 360 Vodka

Cut the lemons in half. Scoop out the insides. Add the lemonade to a saucepan, sprinkle the gelatin over the juice. Let it sit for 2 minutes. Heat the lemonade over low heat, stirring, until the gelatin has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Stir in the organic vodka. Pour into the lemon halves and refrigerate for 4 hours.

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Spiked Strawberry Iced Tea

2 cups local or organic strawberries plus extra for decoration
32 fluid ounces of brewed fair trade tea chilled
1/3 cup organic white sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 punnet of fresh strawberries
Organic vodka or rum
Mint leaves
Ice

Blend 2 cups of strawberries in a food processor until smooth and strain. Mix together pureed strawberries, tea, desired amount of sugar to taste, and lemon juice. Chill. Before serving add vodka or rum to taste. Decorate and serve with a fresh strawberry (stem removed), ice and a sprig of mint. Serves 4.

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Watermelon Sangria

1 bottle of organic or fair trade red wine
1 cup of 4 Copas tequila
1/2 a cup of fresh squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup of fresh squeezed organic lime juice
1/2 a cup of brown organic sugar
Sliced watermelon to taste

Serve in a hollowed out watermelon for the perfect summer wedding or Pride cocktail party!

For further information on the Green Bride Guide� go to www.greenbrideguide.com

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by Robert Doyle

Long-term New Yorkers, Mark and Robert have also lived in San Francisco, Boston, Provincetown, D.C., Miami Beach and the south of France. The recipient of fellowships at MacDowell, Yaddo, and Blue Mountain Center, Mark is a PhD in American history and literature, as well as the author of the novels Wolfchild and My Hawaiian Penthouse. Robert is the producer of the documentary We Are All Children of God. Their work has appeared in numerous publications, as well as at : www.mrny.com.

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