The August Long Weekend is HERE! What better time to release The 2016 Docktail Report -- just in time for your pre-weekend preparations.

I've been collecting my inspiration for this year's Docktail list for several weeks now, trying them out on friends and family. We 3 swimmers + one special guest star taste-tested a few on our recent river swimming road trip, and our resident connoisseur Rhya (aka Lady Beer Goggles) gave them the thumbs up.

If you need to review the original guidelines for what makes Docktail Hour truly special, you can refer to last year's report here.

Without further ado, I give you the 2016 Docktail Report:

The Blender Contenders

Given my inclination to be Fancy whenever possible, this year's list features TWO docktails that require special equipment -- but it's just a good old basic blender, so don't worry. Not THAT fancy.

1. Boozy Rosemary Watermelon Lemonade


My experience with this one is that you have to make sure the bottom of the blender jar is screwed on tight, or else you will have to re-squeeze all the lemons. Ahem. I swear I was not already drunkety when this happened.

You have to prepare a little bit in advance for this one -- make the rosemary simple syrup in the morning so it has time to steep and cool, go have a swim and some dock time while you wait, and then bust it out with the first round of snacks in the afternoon.

Here's the recipe. It's a winner. Lots of points for colour. Extra points if you have fancy straws.

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2. Summer Sangria Slushie


I couldn't find a bag of frozen white peaches, but I did find a bag of frozen peaches + mango + strawberries, and it produced this beautiful pinky-orange colour. The Littles were on hand to help push the blender buttons, and they got kid-friendly slushy docktails in Star Wars cups for their efforts.

Here's the recipe. This was delicious, and the icy-cold factor was a hit on the very hot day we made this. Tell your mom to go slow. This tastes like a delicious popsicle, but packs a punch!

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Pink is My Favourite Colour

3. Frosé!


Last year's list included just plain old rosé, but the game got upped when both Vogue Magazine and Bon Appetit declared Frosé the Drink of the Summer.

Frozen Rosé. What could be more magical, am I right? You need some freezer space to be able to pull this one off.

Here's the recipe. Thanks to my cousin Ike's ladybird Erica for being the mixmaster & photographer on this one.

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20 Points for Travellers

4. Dark & Stormy in an Adult Sippy Cup


What better way to greet 3 swimmers arriving on a road trip than with perfect Dark & Stormies -- IN TRAVELLERS!!! Reason #1,798 why I love these ladies is that they introduced me to the Adult Sippy Cup.

Arrive, unpack the car, get swimsuits on, walk to the dock with drink in hand, spill NOTHING, jump in, get out, and enjoy this classic cocktail on the dock. Rum, ginger beer and lime wedges. So simple. So yummy.

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A New Spin on a Classic



5. The Piano Piano G&T

Soon after it opened, I started hearing rumours about the G&T at Victor & Nikki's new Toronto restaurant, Piano Piano. Rumour had it that the G&T was OFF. THE. CHARTS.

So I went to find out what the fuss was all about, and it turns out their bartender Jeff Carroll makes his own Tonic Syrup. And so you mix a bit of that with a bit of gin and a bit of fresh lemon and a bit of soda. And boy oh BOY is it good. Best part about this story is that you can BUY a bottle of his Tonic Syrup and make them at home. I think Tonic Syrup is a thing now, so you can find it around, but if you have a chance to get the one made by Carroll & Co., I recommend it.

I did get it, and I took it to the Catskills to have on Bobcat Mountain, at my favourite pond in the world.

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That's it! Don't forget the potato chips. Or a plate of crackers and stinky cheese at the fancier swimming holes.

Either way, CHEERS!