We offer up some spicy summer favorites to enjoy poolside, at an evening BBQ with great friends, or perhaps while enjoying the solitude of a summer’s sunset. Just a spoonful of jam in your summer cocktail can make all the difference in the world. Try some of our favorites!

Cucumber Chipotle Martini

• • 1 tablespoon LunaGrown Chipotle Jelly
  • 1 tablespoon cucumber chopped
  • 5 ounces vodka
  • 1 ounce cucumber syrup
  • Cucumber slices as garnish

   

  1. Place the Chipotle Jelly and cucumber in a blender or bullet blender.
  2. Top with ice, then pour in the cucumber syrup and vodka of choice.
  3. blend well.
  4. Pour the cocktail into a martini glass, then garnish with cucumber or lime slices.
  5. Serve.
   

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Spicy Pineapple Rum Cocktail

• • 2 Tbsp pineapple jam
  • 1-1/2 ounces Myers’s Dark Rum
  • ¾ ounce fresh squeezed lime juice
  • 1 ounce Soda Water
  • Your favorite Hot Sauce
  • Lime wheel for garnish

   

  1. Add pineapple jam, rum, lime juice to a cocktail shaker and fill with ice.
  2. Shake and double strain into a rocks glass filled with ice.
  3. Splash with 1 ounce soda water and garnish with a lime wheel.
  4. Top with a few drops of your favorite Hot Sauce
  5. Makes 1 cocktail.
   

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The Right Jam with the Right Spirit

We’ve been suggesting jam-cocktail pairings for many years and recently came across this advice from Epicurious: “Strawberry, peach, and rhubarb jams all work well with whiskey-based cocktails; vodka likes mixed berry or raspberry jams; and gin matches up with apricot jam or marmalades. “Lemon marmalade in a Tom Collins is amazing,” A great place to start when planning your jam-themed cocktail party. (people still have those right?).

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Strawberry Bourbon Smash

• • 3 strawberries, halved
  • 2 (1-inch) wedges lemon
  • 1/4 cup fresh mint
  • 2 tablespoons strawberry jam
  • 2 ounces bourbon
  • club soda

   

  1. Add strawberries, lemon wedges, mint, and jam to a shaker.
  2. Muddle the ingredients until thoroughly crushed.
  3. Add the bourbon and give the mixture a few vigorous shakes.
  4. Strain the mixture in a mason jar (or glass of choice) containing large cubes of ice. Top with a splash of club soda or seltzer. Garnish with a sprig of mint and a strawberry.
   

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Coconut Fig Whiskey

• • 2 heaping tablespoons of fig jam or preserves
  • pinch of cinnamon (optional if jam isn’t spiced)
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 3 shots of rye whiskey
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • 1 small sprig of lemon balm (can substitute fresh thyme)

   

  1. Fill a martini shaker with ice.
  2. Add all ingredients and shake vigorously for 10 seconds.
  3. Strain and divide between two glasses.
  4. Serve immediately.

   

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