These zesty little citrus fruits are the epitome of refreshing summer tastes, bringing a fruity zing to all manner of beverages, from soft drinks and squashes to classic seasonal drinks such as my personal favourite gine & tonic or the more exotic mojitos.

Serve up a mojitos which is a fabulous cocktail made with white rum, mint, crushed ice and limes, and don’t forget the hunk to shake your cocktail and serve it up for you of course! Bring the cuban spirit to your party or evening serving mexican dishes, great rythmic salsa music and your delicious cocktails. Don’t forget the garden lanterns and tea lights to really set the mood for your guests and enjoy and fun dining experience alround.

Make sure you have the glassware to serve up your special cocktails in with these great connoisseur cocktail glasses. There stylish & versatile, this premium glassware has a simplistic classical design, which is ideal for everyday use, aswell as for your dinner parties. So make sure you serve your cocktails in Style!

Versatile limes though are not only the domain of delicious drinks as their delicate aroma adds another dimension to many dishes like thai and your barbecue marinades for example.

Look at my previous blogs sweet tender yellow sweetcorn, edible sunshine, bbq grills for the sunshine, and the big dipper for more ideas and many recipes to help you plan for your guests no matter what your planning!.

With all the fantastic weather we have been enjoying including the Tennis why not prepare this delicious summer drink.

Its easy to make and ideal for serving at a barbeque, or while eatting alfresco, or just after playing in the park or a nice long walk with the dog!

If you store this fruit barley in a fridge it will keep for around 5 days, but do remember to shake the bottle and dilute the barley water before drinking.

For our Fruit Barley Water you are going to need: 50g pearl barley, 50g sugar, juice of 2 oranges and juice of 1 lemon (all this makes a pint).

First put the barley in a large pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, empty into a sieve and rinse the barley under cold water. Return the barley to the pan and add 600ml water ( use filtered but you can use tap or bottled as you prefer), cover the pan with a lid and simmer gently for 1 hour. Then strain the liquid into a bowl stir in the sugar and leave to cool. When cold stir in the orange and lemon juice and then pour into a clean sterilised bottle of your choice, using a funnel and store in the fridge. To serve your fruit barley water, add  some fruit barley water & fresh cold water or sparkling mineral water and ice (to dilute) into a tall tumbler glass, for a long, thirst quenching drink.

For serving your Fruit Barley Water your going to need some stylish Tall Tumbler glasses and I love these Dartington Glassware Laurence Llewelyn Bowen Ember Pair of Tall Tumbler Glasses with a superb design and at a great price, they are  145 mm heigh to to really serve your long drinks to your guest in style.

Have you any recipe for homemade summer drinks or even cocktails send in your ideas.

Why not get yourself a drinks fountain as in my previous blog the big dipper their great to parties and get togethers! Have a look at previous blog take your drinks outside in style for some great melanine ware for your summer parties too. Finally make sure you take a look at my previous blog edible sunshine for a great juicer idea and drink to go with it.

Watch out for future blogs to cover some great party cocktail ideas where my friends and I put together our favourite cocktails!