Tips for the Best Summer Mocktails

Here are a few things I’ve learned that make the best mocktail recipes:

• Use fresh citrus. Bottled juice can’t compete with the bright flavor of fresh lime, lemon, orange, or grapefruit.
• Keep simple syrup on hand. A jar of homemade simple syrup (or an herb-infused syrup like mint simple syrup) is perfect for whipping up drinks at moment’s notice.
• Use good ice. I love clear ice: the cubes melt slower and the big chunks look like the drink was made at a fancy bar.
• The garnish is important! A sprig of mint, a citrus slice, or a salted rim is what makes the drink: don’t leave it out!
• Batch it for a crowd. Each of the linked recipes have instructions for how to make a batched version. The basic rule: mix the base ahead in a pitcher and top each glass with soda water right before serving to preserve the bubbles.

How to Make Baked Feta

This is barely a recipe and more of a method; here’s the basic approach:

1. Preheat and prep. Heat the oven to 400°F. Halve the cherry tomatoes and toss them with a few pinches of kosher salt while the oven comes up to temperature.
2. Place the ingredients in a small dish. In a small oven-proof dish, add the tomatoes, minced garlic, and olives. Place the block of feta in the middle, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with oregano.
3. Bake and serve. Bake for about 18 minutes, until the feta is warm and soft and the tomatoes are burst. Serve immediately.

Ways to Serve It

Baked feta is at its best served warm right from the oven with something to dip it, and a few Mediterranean-style platters alongside. Here’s what I’d recommend:

• Pita. Warm pita wedges or crisp pita chips are perfect for scooping.
• Crusty bread. A torn-up warm no knead bread or baguette is great for dipping.
• A veggie platter. Cucumber slices and bell pepper strips with tzatziki are a perfect addition.
• On a mezze board. Serve it alongside marinated olives and Mediterranean chickpea salad or dense bean salad for an easy Greek grazing spread.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Orange-thyme simple syrup: You do need to make this homemade, but it’s totally worth and it and so easy to make! I steep orange peel and fresh thyme into a basic simple syrup, which infuses it with a bright, herbal citrusy notes. It makes enough for 6 drinks.
• Olive brine: The secret ingredient! All you need is a teaspoon (straight from the olive jar) to give it complexity that tastes like alcohol. Pickle juice works in a pinch.
• Pomegranate juice: This is for looks: it’s hard to get a color that’s close to the bright orange of Aperol, but adding this really brightens the color.
• Fresh orange juice and tonic water. Freshly squeezed orange juice tastes incredible, and the tonic water is bubbly with subtle flavor notes.

How to Make A Non Alcoholic Aperol Spritz

The full recipe with quantities is below, but here’s the short version:

1. Make the syrup. Simmer sugar, water, orange peel, and thyme until the sugar dissolves, then let it cool and infuse for at least 30 minutes. Strain and refrigerate.
2. Build the spritz in the glass. Fill a glass with ice (clear ice if you have it), then pour in the pomegranate juice, olive brine, orange syrup, and orange juice. Top with tonic water. Stir gently once with a bar spoon. 
3. Garnish and serve. Express an orange peel over the top to release its oils, then add an orange wedge.

Pro tip: Always add your tonic last and only stir very gently to preserve the bubbles.

Ingredients You’ll Need

This cucumber salad recipe is actually more like quick-pickled cucumbers and onions than a salad (similar to this German Gurkensalat). While we love a creamy cucumber salad, the vinegar-based cucumber salad is our preference. It’s so easy, holds up well over time, and has incredible flavor. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:

• English cucumbers: Look for the long, thin English cucumbers that come plastic-wrapped in the grocery store.
• White onion and red onion: I like using both to get the bright color of red and the mild flavor of white.
• Fresh dill: It’s best with fresh herbs, but you can substitute dried dill here and it’s still fantastic.
• White vinegar: Make sure it’s white vinegar (not white wine vinegar); it has a piercing straightforward flavor that’s the signature of this salad recipe.
• Granulated sugar: A bit of sugar balances the acidity.

Tips for the Best Cucumber Salad

Got your cucumbers? Here are a few tips for making this cucumber salad recipe, the ideal summer side dish for cookouts, pitch-ins and more! Here’s what to know:

• Use a mandolin for easy slicing. A mandolin is a slicing blade that makes it easy to cut vegetables uniformly. If you’ve got one, it makes this salad recipe a breeze! Make sure to wear the protective gloves that come with the blade to prevent injury.
• Don’t have one? Use a chef’s knife to cut the cucumber as thinly as possible.
• French cut the onions. Cut the onion from the root end to stem end to make the most attractive-sized pieces (here’s a video).
• Refrigerate for 1 hour. You can eat this salad right away, but it’s best after 1 hour of refrigeration. This chills the salad and softens the vegetables.

What to Serve With Cucumber Salad

This refreshing summer cucumber salad is of course a perfect pairing for anything rich, smoky, or grilled as a cool, crunchy contrast. Here are a few of my favorite pairings:

• Grilled proteins: It’s made for grilled chicken thighs, grilled salmon, chicken burgers, or veggie burgers
• Seafood dinners: One commenter said it’s great with Cajun salmon (I must try it!).
• Cookout spreads: Set it alongside my dill pickle potato salad and classic corn salad for the full picnic lineup.
• Sandwiches: Spoon it next to a focaccia sandwich.
• Mezze plates: It’s great in Mediterranean spreads with loaded hummus and baked feta.