There's nothing like summer in Minnesota, especially when it involves a Bootleg Drink . It's the perfect way to quench your thirst on a hot summer day. This Minnesota summer staple cocktail comes together in less than 15 minutes. Just measure, shake and pour!
Summer is a great time to get out of your cocktail rut and one of our summertime favorite Cocktails is the Bootleg Drink.
If you aren’t from Minnesota you probably wonder what in the world it is. If you are from here, you are convinced you know exactly where the original bootleg recipe was poured.
It's a Minnesota staple and needs to go to the top of your must-make list. Trust me.
Why this Recipe Works
- This citrus and fresh mint filled refreshing cocktail can be tailored to any palate. It can be made with vodka, gin, rum or even makes a tasty mocktail.
- The mix uses three ingredients and stores well in the refrigerator.
- It's easy to make one Bootleg for yourself or a pitcher for your next BBQ.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes:
- Frozen Lemonade & Limeade Mix- Don't substitute fresh lemonade, you need to use the 12 ounce frozen can for the best results.
- Fresh Mint is a key ingredient in this bootleg mix and does double duty as a garnish too.
- You only need a splash of club soda so be sure to use the best! We love Q Club Soda because it comes in small cans.
Instructions
Add fresh mint, frozen limeade and frozen lemonade to blender. Blend until mint is pureed.
Add mix and vodka (or spirit of choice) to glass and top with club soda. Stir, garnish and serve!
Instruction Notes:
- Like your drinks a little sweeter? Add a little more mix.
- Prefer them a touch drier, add more club soda or an extra shot of alcohol.
FAQs
No one is quite sure, but we know it was during prohibition when the bootlegged booze needed to be covered up. And we also know that every single country club in Minnesota has their own (best) version of it.
Not everyone likes to drink alcohol but that doesn’t mean they need to miss out on the fun cocktails. This drink is a snap to make nonalcoholic for anyone to enjoy. Simply put 3 ounces of bootleg mix in a pint glass filled with ice, top with club soda, stir and serve!
Don’t forget the garnish! We love to use lemon slices, lime wedges or fresh mint leaves to add the finishing touch.
Whenever you order a bootleg, the next question is always gin, vodka or rum?
I prefer mine with gin, but don't worry if you aren't a gin lover like me. Vodka and rum are both delicious options.
The Bootleg is a great way to serve the same drink to many people while being able to add a personal touch to suit their individual tastes.
Helpful Equipment
Not a lot is necessary, but these few items make it much easier.
- A good blender. Now I know not everyone can splurge on a top-tier blender, but I highly suggest you save up your birthday gift cards because they make a huge difference in how quickly you can pull together one of these minty cocktails.
- I own Blendtec and love it, but many people are also thrilled with their Vitamix blenders. These high powered blenders do a much better job of tackling that mint and pulverizing it so you don't end up with green things stuck in your teeth.
- We forego old school traditional bar jiggers and always use these OXO Liquid Measuring Beakers. They are easy to read and have multiple sizes to take the guesswork out of measuring smaller amounts.
Any bartender knows that proper proportions make or break a cocktail.
Best Happy Hour Snacks
Happy hour isn’t complete without the addition of some tasty nibbles too nosh on. Here are some of our go-to summer bites:
- Caprese Bites- its a caprese salad on a stick, everything about it scream summer!
- Healthy Avocado Dip- Just say no to boring dill dip. The smoky avocado cumin yogurt dip is a great way to increase your veggie intake.
- Avocado Feta Salsa- Avocado, tomatoes and feta cheese tossed in a olive oil/vinegar/herb dressing. Need we say more?
- Layered Greek Dip- This Mediterranean spin on the 7 layer dip is filled with all of the greek flavor you want. Bonus points for being healthy!
- Bacon Cream Cheese Bites- Crispy bacon bites filled with cream cheese and chives. One bite and you will fall in love.
- Crisp and refreshing, you will love these Cucumber Bites.
Favorite Summer Cocktails
Check out all of our drink recipes.
What are you waiting for? Hosting happy hour in the summer couldn’t be any easier or more delicious. We’ll drink to that!
Cheers!
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Recipe
Bootlegger Drink
Ingredients
Bootleg Mix:
- 12 ounce can lemonade concentrate
- 12 ounce can limeade concentrate
- 1 cup packed mint plus additional for garnish
Bootleg Cocktail:
- 1 ½ ounces Vodka
- 3 ounces Bootleg mix
- splash of club soda
- Mint for garnish
Instructions
To make the Bootleg Mix:
- Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until mint is chopped finely. Pour into jar and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to let flavors develop. The chopped mint will rise to the top and it settles, I scoop most of it off before mixing the cocktails.
To make Bootleg Cocktail:
- Pour vodka and Bootleg mix into low ball glass filled with ice.
- Top with club soda, stir and garnish with mint.
Notes
- One can frozen lemonade concentrate
- One can frozen limeade concentrate
- 20 mint leaves
- Club soda
- 12 ounces vodka, rum or gin
VIDEO
Nutrition
Nutrition info not guaranteed to be accurate.
I was irritated earlier because the recipe doesn't state whether to add water to the concentrate. I decided to add one can of water and hope it wasn't too watered down. After I made the bootleg mix I decided to keep looking at questions to see if my question about adding water was answered. My question was answered and you are NOT supposed to add water. Having said all of this, the drink was fantastic! Now I wonder if I will make it the correct way, without water, next time or if I will continue to add one can of water. Thank you for the simple, yet tasty cocktail.