Chilled Fruit & Veg Soup or: Cocktails

Guys – it’s July. The sun is out, the birds are chirping, your country is probably slowly letting up on lockdown restrictions – it’s time for some fun! And as much as I subscribe to our soup-centric lifestyle here at Simply Souperlicious, some days this summer it’s just going to be too darn hot for soup. To celebrate, I’ve compiled a list of my favourite chilled soups with fruit and vegetables… and a dash of alcohol. I guess you could call them ‘cocktails’ if you want to be fancy about it.

1. Strawberry Daquiri

I thought before I got into the more creative fruit and veg cocktails, I’d like to start off with an absolute classic – the Strawberry Daquiri. There is no more refreshing chilled alcoholic soup, in my opinion: frozen, blended strawberries, lemon and lime juice, and ice pairs perfectly with sunglasses, a beach chair, and a nap after you’re done drinking it.

2. Caesar

So, I’m going to be completely honest with this one. I was pitching this blog idea to my Canadian husband, and he mentioned this drink – the Caesar. I had never heard of it, but it’s aptly named because it tastes like getting stabbed to death. I literally screamed aloud when he told me what was in it: vodka, tomato juice, celery, Worcestershire Sauce, hot sauce, and CLAM JUICE in a salt-rimmed glass. While it’s certainly a unique way to get your vegetables in, I kind of feel like this drink was made at a frat house when there was absolutely nothing else in the pantry but these ingredients.

3. Bellini

The Bellini holds the title of being the cutest sounding cocktail name, apart from maybe the Bahama Mama. The Bellini makes this list because it is anathema to make a Bellini without using fresh white peach puree. The puree is then mixed with Prosecco and served in a champagne flute. The Bellini has a long and storied history – first being invented in Venice in the early 20^th century at the world-famous Harry’s Bar – the same restaurant where carpaccio was invented!

4. Bloody Mary

Okay so I’ve never had a Bloody Mary, and I think I can be forgiven due to my generation’s collective trauma over the infamous mirror ghost. Turns out, most of the weird cooking ingredients that go into making a Caesar go into making a Bloody Mary as well, except without the claim juice. Honestly, without the clam juice, I’m tempted to try a Bloody Mary – it would certainly be a less carb-heavy way to get in tomatoes versus my steady diet of Italian food.

5. Jessica Rabbit

I wanted to finish this list off with a vegetable cocktail that was way out of left field and so I found the Jessica Rabbit. No, not the animated sex symbol, but a cocktail made with carrot juice, gin, yellow Chartreuse, kümmel (a liqueur that is flavoured with fennel, cumin, and caraway seed), oleo saccharum (oil-sugar), arugula flower, and lime juice. I have no idea what that combination of flavours would do – but I’m certain it would make your eyes bulge out of your head… much like Roger Rabbit looking at his wife.