Let’s face it: that half jug of Gatorade is not the most enticing thing to offer a potential sexual partner. Why not add some class to your bag of beverage tricks?
Make some stiff drinks to help out with that proverbial stiffy. With this star-crossed couple of drinks—an easygoing blend and a classic mix with plenty of punch—it’ll be much easier to spout off some romantic poetry. A&E’s found the yin and yang with these two summer cocktails to get you experimenting—that’s what college is for, right?
Carefree Caipirinha
Perfect for the beach, caipirinha is the more carefree of the two. Brazil’s national cocktail makes for a more laidback approach to your romantic interests. If you want to impress your potential lover with a drink, this is better suited to an afternoon delight than a passionate night on the floor.
Cachaça, distilled from sugarcane, might be slightly pricier than your stock of Ron Diaz white rum, but it’s well worth it. Together with lemon or lime, along with plenty of ice, the concoction’s a breezy remedy to any social anxiety preventing you from making a move.
Ingredients:
Crushed ice
1 lime
1 teaspoon of sugar
2 ounces cachaça
Instructions:
In a large rocks glass, squeeze and drop in two sliced eighths of the lime. Add sugar, crush and mix with a spoon. Pour in the cachaça and plenty of ice. Stir well.
Sensual Sangria
Lou Reed’s perfect day might be sangria in the park, but here’s hoping you can take your date from Loring back to their lair. Move on from the relaxed atmosphere of the caipirinha to the heaviness of a chilled Merlot or Zinfandel. If you and your lover decide to do the horizontal shuffle on the grass, the sangria will keep the both of you company when you’re in the thick of it.
The wine punch, a staple in Spain, is best with a ton of fruit packed in. Feel free to feed strawberries to your lover during a sweet embrace — this isn’t a drink for the innocent flirting of the caipirinha. Red wine is best left for someone serious; you can add 7-Up or sparkling water if you want to lessen the blow.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup brandy
1 bottle of dry red wine
1 lemon
1 orange
1 lime
1/4 cup sugar
Makes a pitcher
Instructions:
Pour wine and brandy into a large pitcher. Squeeze half of each fruit into the pitcher and slice the remaining halves. Toss the fruit in with sugar. Chill overnight. Add ice just before serving. If you’d like to serve right away, use chilled red wine and serve over a lot of ice.
