Labor Day weekend is here, and summer is winding down, but that doesn’t mean we still can’t enjoy a refreshing cocktail in the late summer sun.

Grey Goose Vodka, one of the sponsors of US Open Championships, has created the Honey Deuce cocktail for tournament spectators. The drink will be served at satellite bars around the tournament grounds in a collector’s souvenir cup. Here’s the recipe:

1¼ part Grey Goose Original Vodka
2 parts fresh lemonade
¼ part premium raspberry-flavored liqueur
Frozen honeydew melon balls

Fill a highball or double old-fashioned glass with crushed ice. Add Grey Goose Vodka and fill the rest of the cup with lemonade to a half inch below the rim. Drizzle premium raspberry-flavored liqueur over the top. Garnish with frozen honeydew melon.

We have to admit it sounds delicious, and we’d love to be at the Open enjoying one of these drinks. We’ll have to settle for making some for ourselves at our Labor Day picnic.

This week’s Happy Hour cocktail is for all you iced tea fans out there. Spice it up a bit by adding some SKYY Infusions, like this cool recipe we got from the kind folks at SKYY Vodka.

SKYY Summer Palmer
Kathy Casey, Kathy Casey Food Studios

1.5 oz. SKYY Infusions Citrus
0.25 oz. Triple Sec
1 oz. Sweetened Iced Tea
0.5 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

Combine SKYY Infusions Citrus, triple sec, unsweetened iced tea, lemon juice and ice into a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously and strain into a martini glass with sugar rim as garnish.

If you’re hosting a barbecue, it’s always fun to offer more than just beer in a cooler. Put out a drink cart with some flavored vodkas and plenty of mixers and your guests will have a great time.

Our friends at Maker’s Mark were kind enough to send us a bottle of their signature Kentucky Bourbon along with some great drink recipes. We chose this one as everyone gears up for Memorial Day and the unofficial beginning of the summer season.

Kentucky Lemonade
Yield – 1 serving

Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 parts Maker’s Mark
* 1/2 part triple sec
* 4 parts of lemonade
* 2 parts lemon & lime soda

Directions:

Pour Maker’s Mark, triple sec, lemonade and soda into a shaker. Shake and pour over crushed ice.

You’ll easily recognize Maker’s Mark as it’s sold in squarish bottles and sealed with red wax that drips from the top. The signature look is one of many reasons this is a great addition to your home bar. Try the drink above for your cookout this weekend and your guests will be very happy . . . and refreshed!

As part of our new Happy Hour feature, we decided to go with a tequila drink as our first Drink of the Week, since nothing gets a party started like tequila!

Our first recipe was given to us courtesy of Cabo Wabo tequila.

A SPACEMAN’S SHOT

1 1/2 oz Cabo Blanco Tequila
3 dashes Tabasco Sauce

Cover the bottom of a shot glass with Tabasco sauce and fill the rest with Tequila. Finish with a lime wedge.

So, grab that hot girl you met in the office and invite her to happy hour. See if the bartender can make you this drink or anything else with tequila, and you’ll get a pretty good read on whether she likes to have fun. If you have any legitimate shot with her you’ll probably find out tonight!