What says summer more than an icy white sangria? Here’s a summer sangria recipe from Executive Chef Mario Alcocer (pictured right) of the Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village. The drink was inspired, in part, by some of the herbs (specifically, the mint and rosemary) found in the hotel's new chef’s greenhouse and garden, which Chef Alcocer oversees along with Head Gardener Benji Zavala. Guests who want to learn more can join Chef Alcocer each Saturday on his garden tours – or in one of his cooking classes. Enjoy!

Summer Sangria

Ingredients:
One bottle - white wine (any preferred varietal)
1 oz chopped fresh rosemary
1 oz fresh mint
2 fresh ruby red grapefruit (segmented and cut in half)
4 oranges (segmented and cut into small pieces)
½ cup of lemon juice
2 cups of white cranberry juice
3 oz organic agave syrup

Method:
Combine all ingredients and allow mixture to rest for one hour. Mix well and serve chilled or over ice. Makes 4-6 servings.

Here is the recipe for the Basil Grape Martini, served in the lobby bar of the Terranea Resort in Palos Verdes, California -- which offers spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean from its outdoor deck. Whatever your view, I'm sure the drink will be just as tasty and, with the lemons, limes, grapes, basil and cranberry juice, it's chock full of antioxidants.

Muddle two lemons, two limes, four grapes and four basil leaves.
Add
Ice
2 oz citron vodka
1 ½ oz Cointreau
1 oz cranberry juice

Shake, strain into chilled martini glass, garnish with skewed grapes or a lime wedge.

A larger garden, located on the property behind Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ambassadors for the Environment center, offers an extensive selection of fruits and vegetables. Both gardens are organic and the vision of Executive Sous Chef Marc McDowell, who will be offering insights and some recipes for us in a future post.

In the meantime, here's a summer cocktail that's a great use for all the mint we have growing in our gardens (whether or not they have a fabulous view) plus summer grapefruit and lime. Enjoy!

1oz cane sugar
Juice from ½ lime
6-8 fresh mint leaves from our garden
Slice of grapefruit
Muddle all the above
Add ice
1 ½ oz Finlandia Grapefruit Vodka
Top with soda water
Garnish with lime

A cool drink for these hot summer days, courtesy of the CuisinArt Resort & Spa in Anguilla. The resort gets the cucumbers and sage for this cocktail from its comprehensive hydroponic farm and organic gardens. For more information on the resort and the hydroponic farm (which can be toured), visit http://cuisinartresort.com

CuisinArt's Signature Hydroponic Cucumber and Sage Martini

Ingredients:
4 pistachios
1 packet of sugar
1-inch hydroponic cucumber (unpeeled)
6 sage leaves
1 oz. Grey Goose® Poire
½ oz. Cointreau®
½ oz. freshly squeezed lime juice
½ oz. cane syrup

Preparation:

Grind pistachios to a dust in a coffee grinder and mix with sugar on a plate. Wet martini glass edge with water and rim the glass with the pistachio/sugar dust.

In a cocktail shaker, muddle cucumber and sage leaves to a paste. Add ice and all other ingredients and shake vigorously.

Strain liquid into a martini glass. Garnish with a thinly sliced cucumber round and a sage leaf.