No matter where one goes in Vietnam from suburban to urban areas, they will see women, young and old, carrying Quang ganh (two baskets hung from either end of a bamboo bole) on their shoulders. Inside the baskets are fruit, agricultural products, candies, com (young sticky rice), noodle soup and sweet porridge. It has become a very familiar image in Vietnam.
Quang ganh has for long time been a useful tool for Vietnamese farmers in the countryside to transport agricultural products and help them earn their living on the streets in big cities.

No one know exactly when Quang ganh was made in Vietnam, however, it is a creative product of locals in the land of bamboo. A set of Quang ganh consists of  a pole which is made from  bamboo and two baskets made from different materials, such as bamboo, rattan, woven ropes and steel wires.
The family of Gu in Vac Village in Thanh Oai, Hanoi have been making Quang ganh for many years.

Old bamboo trees are selected to make flexible poles.

Polishing the old bamboo trees to make bamboo poles.



Bending the bamboo trees to make it straight


Bamboo poles are smoked to have a glossy black color.
To learn more about this tool, we visited the family of Gu in Vac Village in Thanh Oai, Hanoi who have been making Quang ganh for 40 years. Gu said that it seems simple to make poles from bamboo trees. In reality, it has to undergo many stages and takes a lot of time and effort. It is necessary to select an old and straight bamboo tree which is then submerged in water for two months before being dried and smoked to create flexibility.


To use Quang ganh to transport goods is not easy work and it requires much time to get familiar with it. The carriers must learn how to put the pole in the middle of their shoulder, divide products equally in the two baskets and how to move. It is really hard work.


For years, the image of women carrying Quang ganh has been a favourite theme that invokes the inspiration of photographers and painters who want to introduce international friends to Vietnam with its industrious people.





Source: Vietnam Pictorial
Soem photos: searching internet
Anonymous 0 Comments
Adesolate church in Van Ly commune, Hai Hau district, in Nam Dinh province still attracts many tourists and photographers as it is a beautiful spot where the sky, sea, sun, wind and sand converge.

In the past, the coast of Xuong Dien in Hai Ly commune, Hai Hau district had many large and small churches.

However, over time, seawater encroached on the coast and damaged these churches. Parishioners moved the church deep into the mainland three times to avoid the “invasion” of the sea.

The damaged church on the coast of Xuong Dien named Trai Tim (Heart) has been abandoned since 1996.


The best time to take photos of the church is around 5am or 6pm.
Let's see some beautiful photos  by searching internet
Anonymous 0 Comments
Day 1: Ho Chi Minh City – Ben Tre – Can Tho After breakfast, our car and guide pick up you at the hotel. Transfer to Hùng vương Pier (Bến Tre town).Take a boat on Ben Tre river – one of tributaries of Mekong river, Sight-seeing lively activities along river as fishing, water transferring…Stop at brickwork to see how to make bricks in handy traditional style by printing and baking. Visit one of plenty of coconut processing workshops located along canal. Turn on natural scissors creeks where they look smaller and smaller to go to village. Take a walk to family workshop making sleep mats and enjoying some fruits. Take a tuk tuk or ride on shady paths, pass by green rice fields and vegetable plains to be able to touch on real life and find out about tropical culture from Peasants. Lunch at restaurant riverside. In the afternoon - Take rowing-boat along water palm creek and boat back to Hung Vuong Pier. We leave My Tho province for Can Tho. Check in upon arrival and resting. Overnight in Can Tho.
Day 2 : Can Tho – Floating Market – Chau Doc This early morning Depart Ninh Kieu wharf by shuttle-boat, you can see bustling activities along Can Tho riverbanks. Particularly, you may know how local people go fishing with plenty of fish traps and how they transport passengers as well as products by the waterway. Approaching Cai Rang floating market, you can reappear the selling activities in the past using a traditional “offering pole” exchanging consumer goods hanging on the pole for Mekong fruit and vegetables with local sellers. To understand more about lifestyle over here, keep on going into the small creeks called Rach Nho in which the Southern countryside can be seen clearly before cruising back to Ninh Kieu Wharf. In the afternoon: Take a visit to Ong pagoda – a symbolic pagoda belongs to the Chinese people of the Southern Vietnam. Worshipping Quan Thanh De Quan and Thien Hau Thanh Mau, the pagoda has an unique architecture features of Kh’mer peoples. Next Is Khosa Rangsay (Pitu) Pagoda – another interesting pagoda of Kh’mer people. You are free at your leisure at night. Overnight in Chau Doc
 Day 3: Chau Doc – Ho Chi Minh 
On the way back to Ho Chi Minh City, we will take a visit to the floating houses, fish farms where people lives and work on the river. Take a visit to the Cham’s people village nearby to discover the life of Muslims in Vietnam. Also take a visit to Ba Chua Xu Pagoda before we go back to Ho Chi Minh City. After arriving in Ho Chi Minh City, check in hotel and rest, the rest of the day if free at your leisure Overnight in HCMC.

 
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If you are amazing Vietnam’s crazy rush hour traffic think again in the morning. The Old Quarter the heart of Hanoi is the busiest place of the city but also the quietest in the morning. If you can wake up early enough you will get to interesting experience in one of Vietnam most populated areas. If you are Vietnamese, you will be surprised because you think you have been in another place. 
Following Matt Cavanaugh's steps , He  is a resident at Minnesota, the USA. You know the place where it gets pretty cold in the winter, but that’s not stopping him from travelling. Vietnam is among the destinations that he picked for his unique experience. Away from the cold, his trip to Vietnam has lasted for over a year and he has become a temporary resident of Hanoi.
When people think about good food in Hanoi, the old quarter first comes to mind. To Hanoian, Pho is one of the most delicious breakfast foods. The Pho restaurant has been around for over 40 years. It serves the richest broth and the most tender beef in the neighborhood. Looking from the front to the houses, you can see that most old quarter residents use their houses to business. There are shops next to stores, however behind the shops and stores, the old quarter residents live in a community and they share their space with other.

People have been living here for centuries. Within the old quarter houses, there are several generations. All family members often gather here on the special occasions. During the weekends, they also come here to meet and talk with the great grandmother. Any Vietnamese house must have altar. The altar is situated high in the house. To houses in the Old Quarter, their altars can contain several generations.





To see video clip please click 
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Due to Da Nang's soaring popularity as the holiday destination of choice for both domestic and Asian tourists, combined with a recent rise in expats putting down roots in downtown Da Nang, the city's international restaurant scene has flourished. In fact, the biggest problem now is that with most of the Western restaurants located on one easily walkable strip -- from the Dragon bridge up to the Han River bridge along Bach Dang and Tran Phu -- it's almost easier to go for what you know than seek out a back-alley pho. However, you can't come to the city and not try some of Da Nang's local specialities and fortunately you don't need to go far to find them. As in most Vietnamese cities, the best of the street scene is easily located nearest the source -- in this case the alleys and roads leading off Han Market, or for seafood, the beach

The most popular street food and cafe spots for city locals are along the streets off Nguyen Chi Thanh all the way up to Duong Da, popular for its afternoon nem lui (charcoal barbecue pork skewer) stalls. For Da Nang's best-kept-secret dish, keep an eye out for bo ne a sizzling hot plate of beef, pork ball, egg and baguette served in the mornings till around 10:30. Of all the joints around town we had good luck at hugely popular Lan Huong Cafe, a lively spot on Nguyen Chi Thanh, though hardly a word of English is spoken. Locals swear by the authentic banh xeo (crispy savoury pancakes, pork skewers, shrimp spring rolls and herbs) and family atmosphere at Ba Duong, down a tiny alley off Hoang Dieu Street -- ask if you can't find it, as everyone knows Ba Duong. For Da Nang's speciality dish of mi quang (shrimp, pork and noodles with a fragrant broth) Ba Vi on Le Dinh Duong is well worth seeking out and unusually is open all day. Not strictly a Da Nang dish (but so good we have to mention it), the bun bo at Ba Dieu on Tran Tong, open 14:00 till around 18:00 daily is worth seeking out. If you are looking for dinner, be aware that most of the best places pack up at around 19:00.

Bread of Life is a Da Nang institution among expats and has been running since 2005, though they moved from their old Tran Phu location to Duong Da (just off the roundabout) in 2011. Bread of Life employs deaf workers and proceeds help support projects for the deaf. It has an excellent cafe atmosphere and offers a fabulous menu of pizza, pasta, burgers and comfort foods -- we enjoyed the cheese quesadilla with black beans so much we went back for breakfast the next day. The tender Vietnamese beef stew is great too, while they bake their own bread and cakes and run a local delivery service. If you happen to know any American Sign Language, the Vietnamese version is similar (both derive from French sign) and you might actually be able to communicate here better than trying to speak Vietnamese. At least one hearing staff member is always on duty to translate orders for customers.




Pizza and Italian

Several spots for pasta and pizza lovers are dotted around town. Luna Pub on Tran Phu has set the bar high, with wood-fired thin crust pizza,house-made pasta, affettati (meat and cheese plates to you and me) and well prepared steaks. All is served up in a huge brick warehouse that wouldn't look out of place in Brooklyn -- there's even a red fire truck DJ station along with petrol pump paraphernalia. Not nearly as good, but popular with Da Nang locals, is Pizza Hug on Tran Phu. It's hit and miss as to whether you'll get a decent meal but on a busy night it's good fun and cheap. Another option isAlfresco's which serves a more American-style pizza and has a strong TexMex menu -- their ribs are almost too good and they have some great two-for-one deals on each week.



Then there's Le Bambino, hard to find off an alley on Quang Trang, but recognisable by the vintage yellow VW Beetle parked out front. The owners are an affable Frenchman, Jena Paul (who does all the cooking himself), and his Vietnamese wife, who was schooled from birth in French and speaks it better than she does Vietnamese, despite never having been to France. The atmosphere is perfect for a cosy romantic meal -- one of the best-designed restaurant interiors we've seen in Vietnam. The menu includes pastas and pizzaas well as French fare like filet mignon.
Coffee, ice-cream and cakes

A number of cafes around town offer booming pop music all day long and attract a young crowd, especially along Bach Dang. They may be worth checking out and we really do recommend dropping in to Simple Man Cafe on Bach Dang for the best of it, but if the whole point is lost on you, seek out Cafe Nha Leo. Strictly speaking it's on the east side, but it's so good we're slipping it in with the city set. Run by French Leo and Vietnamese Xuan, Nha Leo is an oasis in a jungle of cafes. Open everyday from 08:00 (with a special set French breakfast every Sunday) and occasional live music, Leo's has a wonderfully calming vibe, with both indoor and outdoor garden seating. It's intimate (read small) but perfectly formed with a menu of house-made thin-crust pizza and the most wonderful quiche lorraine and pies, but we are recommending this place for the cakes, ice-cream, coffee and amazing hospitality. Come for coffee, stay for everything.



Thai

With roof terrace views of the dragon bridge, a Bangkok chef, dishes under $7 a pop and a bar downstairs with (officially) the biggest range of beers and cider in the country, Soho on the fire-side (head) of the bridge on Tran Hung Dao is worth checking out. The food on the menu here is on par with good Thai restaurants in Bangkok -- the massaman curry we had was amazing. On Le Loi in downtown Da Nang is Sala Thai, run by a Thai-Vietnamese couple who source most of their ingredients from Bangkok; dishes here are smaller than Soho but they come with a cheaper price tag -- their lunch set menu (11:00 to 13:30) is just 55,000 VND. The restaurant itself is small and homely but out the back they have a great walled garden set up for alfresco dining


Indian

Across the road from the Aspara is Mumtaz, an authentic curry house with chefs from many different regions of India and a menu that covers dishes from north to south (including a good selection of vegetarian options). The interior is as bright and cheery as you could want -- think bright red and zingy yellow walls, sprinkled with Indian paintings and knick-knacks -- as is owner-manager Ratheesh, who's always up for a chat.

Japanese

Da Nang hosts plenty of Japanese restaurants, including the half-decent Tsukiji in Bach Dang's Indochina River Towers food court, but the best by far is Banjiro on Nguyen Chi Thanh. The food here is amazing and despite their main focus being on 'food from the sea' their chefs knock up some mouthwatering grilled meats, which is just as well as we didn't get a look in at the sashimi and sushi delivered to our table as this restaurant is (in this case) sadly welcoming to children. Staff are polite and dress in traditional Japanese kimonos, with a traditional welcome as you come through the door. The atmosphere is lively and prices are cheap at $2 to $6 per dish. If sushi's your thing and you'd prefer to eat tapas style in a more casual, bar-like environment The Rachel on Bach Dang Street (next door to the Brilliant Hotel) is a good choice.

 Western fine dining

On Bach Dang Street, a load of restaurants, cafes and bars open late into the night. The best we tried was the Waterfront, an uber-cool two-storey restaurant and bar with balcony seating overlooking the river. Popular with expats and increasingly the young jetset of Da Nang, the menu here is bistro style and includes both Asian and Western dishes.

Chinese

Set back from the riverside streets on Phan Chau Trinh is the glitzy Samdi -- this building wouldn't look out of place in Las Vegas. The interior is one big 'special event' room with oversized Chinese furnishings, chandeliers and wood carvings throughout. The menu is packed full of both traditional and modern Chinese fare and although on the fine dining price scale, it's very good. For dim sum don't go anywhere but the Golden Dragon in the Mercure Hotel situated on Green Island a little out of town. On weekends they hold an all-you-can eat dim sum buffet for $25 where you can order anything (or everything) off the menu. If you are not there for the weekend, the restaurant is open both afternoon and evenings and is by far the best dim sum we've found in the area.

Drinking and nightlife

If you're looking for a good party spot where you can mix it up with other tourists, locals and expats, you've hit the jackpot in the city, where Friday and Saturday nights are the busiest. However on a week night you'll still not struggle to find a few drinking buddies if you hit any of the bars along Bach Dang Street. Long-term, late-night expat favourites are Diem's Bamboo 2 (which relocated to the riverside strip in 2012) and the Golden Pine, a riverfront favourite for expats and locals alike -- both the kitchen and bar stay open until the last person leaves. The flashier Waterfront Cafe serves up great cocktails and a good menu of Vietnamese and international dishes; their second floor balcony is one of the best spots from which to sit back and watch the riverside madness below and at the weekend -- the fire-breathing dragon bridge. If you prefer your bars more local, then check out the Simple Man Coffee Bar on Bach Dang, a rock bar where the Da Nang cool set hang out and jam the night away between shots. The atmosphere is rockin' -- checkout the bar with an old Mobylette bike parked on the top.

Just back from the river on Tran Phu Street is Luna Pub; a huge rustic warehouse-style venue with a DJ booth in front of a bright red truck. On the food front Luna serves some of the finest Italian dishes in the city -- the wood-fired pizzas are a delicious way to line your stomach before moving on to their one-metre shooter slab.

Over on the eastside (next to the dragon bridge) is Soho; complete with the biggest disco ball in Vietnam (possibly) the ground floor is taken up with a vast bar area, fusball and pool tables. TexMex tapas is served at the bar, while the second floor is home to an excellent Thai restaurant.

The one exception to the city's explosion of excellent eateries is the lack of upscale Vietnamese restaurants. Most joints include a bit of Asian fusion on their menus but for fine dining Vietnamese there's really only the Apsara, located on Tran Phu Street. It's set in a grand colonial-style building that looks very impressive from the outside, but step in the door and it's Cham Disneyland, with seating for 300, an Aspara dancing stage and garden complete with a miniature My Son Champa tower. The menu is expensive and other than the exceptional staff and food quality, the only reason we are including Aspara is because it features some difficult to find speciality dishes. We tried the soft shell crabs and they were superb; we'd recommend sitting outside, as the garden though a little bizarre offers a more private setting. The only other notable Vietnamese fine dining we think is worth a mention is the Square Restaurant on the fourth floor of the Novotel. Every Thursday they run a Vietnamese buffet for around $25. It's a decent location and you can sit out by the pool overlooking the river, or if they have finally finished building it (set to open late 2014), you can head up to the Vertigo Bar on the 35th floor for pre-dinner cocktails.

Further off the strip we were pleasantly surprised to find Bia Tiep Tulip just west of the brightly lit Nguyen Van Troi (sail) bridge. It has a great European beer hall atmosphere and the highlight is the delicious brewed-on-premises, dark Czech beer -- the next best thing to Guinness stout we've had in Southeast Asia. Visitors are also offered a free tour of the production line and the epic Vietnamese menu of more than 200 dishes includes German sausage specials. Most dishes come in at under 100,000 VND and they also do a $1 buffet if you order something off the menu. In true Vietnamese style, once you've had your fill you can pop upstairs for a spa massage.

If after all that you've still got the stamina to move on to a club, your options go thumpa-thumpa-thumpa-thump, with several discos around town offering expensive drinks, techno music, laser light shows and crowded dance floors. Tourists are usually pointed to the infamous New Phuong Dong discotheque on Duong Da Street, the TV Club at Da Na Beach or the Seventeen Saloon on Bach Dang. Of the three, Western-style Seventeen Saloon is the most fun with live music every night. At all of these places you will be assigned an extra friendly hostess whose job it is to keep your glass full to overflowing -- not a great idea if you've come over all local and ordered a bottle of spirits. Still, these clubs are great fun, even if you do go home with your ears bleeding from the speaker system, and attract a mixed crowd of happy party people.

Aspara: 222 Tran Phu, Da Nang; T: (0511) 651 409, F: (0511) 562 001; open daily 10:00-14:30, 17:00-22:00; http://apsaradanang.com/

Ba Duong: 280/23 Hoang Dieu, Da Nang; open daily 11:00-19:00.

Bamboo2 Bar: 216 Bach Dang, Da Nang; T: (0511) 382 6029; open daily 07:00-02:00.

Banjiro: 23 Nguyen Chi Thanh, Da Nang; T: (0511) 384 9880; open daily 17:00-22:00; http://www.banjiro.net/

Ba Vi: 166 Le Dinh Duong, Da Nang; open daily.

Bread Of Life: 4 Dong Da, Da Nang; T: (0511) 356 5185; open Mon-Sat 08:30 to 21:30; http://breadoflifedanang.com/?lang=en

Cafe Nha Leo: 38 An Hai Bac, An Cu 3 Mo Rong, Da Nang; T: (0511) 395 7303; open Tue-Sun 08:00 to 17:00.

Da Na Beach Club: Truong Sa, My An, Ngu Hanh Son District, Da Nang; T: (0511) 384 8579; open daily 20:00-02:00.

Golden Dragon Restaurant: Mercure Hotel, Lot 1A, Green Island, Da Nang; T: (0511) 379 7777; open daily 10:00 -22:00, weekend dim sum 10:00-15:30; http://www.mercure-danang.com

Golden Pine Pub: 52 Bach Dang, Da Nang; open daily till last person leaves.

Lan Huong Cafe: 110 Nguyen Chi Thanh, Da Nang; open daily 07:00-18:00.

Le Bambino: 112/11 Quang Trung, Da Nang; T: (0511) 389 6386; open daily from 17.30; http://www.lebambino.com

Luna Pub: 9A Tran Phu, Da Nang; open daily 11:30-late; http://http://www.lunadautunno.vn/restaurants/luna-pub/

Mumtaz: 231 Tran Phu, Da Nang; T: (0511) 383 9888; open 10:00-22:00.

New Phuong Dong: 20 Dong Da, Da Nang; T: (0511) 382 5092; open daily 20:00 to 02:00.

Red Sky: 248 Tran Phu, Da Nang; T: (0511) 388 9575-7, F: (0511) 389 4895.

Samdi Chinese Restaurant: Phan Chau Trinh, Da Nangl; T: (0511) 358 288; open daily 10:00-22:00.

Sala Thai: 111 Le Loi, Da Nang; T: (0511) 388 8570; open daily 11:30-3:30, 16:00 to 22:00.

Seventeen Saloon: 76 Tran Phu, Da Nang; T: (0511) 391 7917; open daily 19:00-02:00; http://17saloon.vn/bar_en/

Soho Bar and Restaurant: 463 Tran Hung Dao, Da Nang; T: (0511) 394 5759; open Tues-Sun 07:00 to 14:30, 17:00-late.

Simple Man Coffee Bar: 56 Tran Phu, Da Nang; open daily 17:30-00:00.

The Rachel: 166 Bach Dang, Da Nang; T: (0511) 352 5585; open daily 11:30-late; http://www.therachel.com.vn

Tulip Czech Beer (Bia Tiep Tulip): 174 September 2nd St, Da Nang; open daily 08:30-22:30.

Waterfront Cafe: 150 Bach Dang, Da Nang; T: (0511) 384 3373; open daily 07:00-late; http://www.waterfrontdanang.com/

If you want more to know where to stay in Da Nang please contact us

Source: Travel fish
Anonymous 0 Comments
With a perfect combination of mountains, forests, and peaceful lakes, Thung Nai in the northern province of Hoa Binh has become the epitome of poetic landscapes, attracting tourists from all corners of the world.
When you arrive in Thung Nai in Hoa Binh’s Cao Phong district, it should come as no surprise you will be enchanted by Ha Long Bay on land and the Muong ethnic group, indigent to the region.

Legend has it that “Thung Nai”, was once a great valley covered by vast forests, and the home to countless numbers of deer.  The name, “Thung Nai” literally means “the Valley of Deer”, and hence that is how its name originated
For decades, Thung Nai has become famous for its huge lake containing water powering the hydropower plant on Da River and the surrounding mountainous areas creating an ecosystem rich in flora and fauna.

The best time to visit Thung Nai is in the autumn and spring when the valley is filled with the romantic lake water and small islands are covered by green color of coconut trees.
Travelling to Thung Nai, tourists can also visit Thac Bo cave - a national heritage - and discover the scenic beauty and distinctive culture of the Muong ethnic minority people.

Thac Bo is a deep cave separated by many levels. Behind the high and large entrance, visitors see multi-shaped stalactites mirrored on a limpid pond and listen to the stone musical instruments and gongs of the Muong ethnic group.

Many tourists in Thung Nai choose the Windmill guesthouse located on a small island as an ideal place for a comfortable and relaxing stay. The guesthouse area consists of a large two-storey redbrick house and a windmill offering visitors a breath-taking view of Thung Nai, and a stilt house functioning as a communal dinning place.

Staying in the Windmill, tourists will be served local specialties like grilled Muong pork, grilled Da River fish, hill chicken, and straw wine. After the dinner, tourists, especially the youngsters often gather for the campfire in front of the guesthouse, and watching the sparkling fishing canoe floating in the lake by night.
Thung Nai impresses anyone who sees it from the very first time with the harmonious combination of mountains, lakes and charming stilt houses nestled in between high hills.

Try to visit Thung Nai once in your life, tourists can enjoy the beauty of wild nature and witness the life of ethnic minority people living on the mountainous areas. Thung Nai promises to bring great tourism potential to Hoa Binh Province in the near future.

Some pictures on Thung Nai:
Anonymous 0 Comments
Trang An, the eco tourism attraction located in the East of Ninh Binh, with area of 2000 ha. Bai Dinh Pagoda is one of the biggest one in Vietnam and also of the South East Asia with hundreds of statues. Enjoy them only in one day with us.


7h45-8h15: Our tour guide and car pick up at your address to depart for the tour to Bai Dinh pagoda and Trang an eco-tourism.
10:20: Arrive in Buddha Prayer place in Bai Dinh Pagoda, the biggest pagoda in Vietnam with 500 La Han statues, biggest bronze Buddha statue in Vietnam with 10 meters in height, 100 tons in weight.
12h00: Have lunch in local restaurant with some local special dishes such as Goat meat with elderberry, pork storage vessel.
13:00: Depart to visit Trang an eco-tourism, take boat trip to visit cave complex: Sang Cave, Toi Cave, Ba Giot Cave, Nau Ruou, Sinh Cave, Si Cave…etc.
16:00: Getting on the car return to Hanoi.
18:30: Back to Hanoi drop you back your address Tour ends.


Things to bring: 
Long sleeve clothes, hat or umbrella, sun cream, sunglasses.


Tour included:
- Pick up and drop off at your hotel with modern car with air-conditioner
- 1 bottles of water/tour/person
- Enthusiastic, experienced driver & English speaking guide: 
- Vietnamese lunch at local restaurant
- Entrance fees & boat 


Tour excluded: 
Drinks, tax, tips and others not clearly mentioned above
Anonymous 0 Comments
The best summer drinks are full of flavor — they can be subtle, fruity, or just plain refreshing. Enjoy these alcohol-enhanced summer cocktails and drinks during parties, weekend cookouts, or while hanging out with a friend. Looking for some alcohol-free summer sips? Check out these
Watermelon-Tequila Cocktails

When watermelon is in abundance, this is a great way to use it. Bobby Flay purees seedless watermelon chunks, then strains the juice through a sieve and mixes it with silver tequila, sugar syrup, blueberries, mint and fresh lime juice.
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
8 cups diced seedless watermelon (1 pound)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 3/4 cups blueberries
3/4 cup lightly packed fresh mint leaves, plus 8 sprigs for garnish
1 1/4 cups silver tequila
Ice

In a small saucepan, bring the water to a simmer with the sugar and stir over moderate heat until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute; let the sugar syrup cool.
 In a blender, puree the watermelon until smooth. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl and strain the watermelon juice, pressing gently on the solids to extract as much juice as possible. Discard the pulp.
 In a large pitcher, combine the sugar syrup with the lime juice, blueberries and mint leaves. Using a wooden spoon, lightly muddle the blueberries and mint. Add the watermelon juice and tequila. Refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.
 Pour the cocktail into tall ice-filled glasses. Garnish with the mint sprigs and serve.

Tabernacle Crush
This light and refreshing cocktail is as reminiscent of the American South as it is of the South of France.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 large peach, sliced
6 small basil leaves, plus more for garnish
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 ounces gin
1 ounce Lillet
1/2 ounce simple syrup
Ice
Club soda
In a tall glass, muddle the peach with the 6 basil leaves and the lemon juice. Add the gin, Lillet and simple syrup. Add ice cubes and top with club soda. Garnish with basil.
Limoncello Collins
The Collins was most likely named after 19th-century bartender John Collins of London’s Limmer’s Hotel. The Tom Collins was originally made with Old Tom, a sweet style of gin that’s extremely hard to find today.
INGREDIENTS
16 ounces limoncello (lemon-flavored liqueur)
12 ounces gin
8 ounces fresh lemon juice
24 paper–thin lemon slices
Ice
16 ounces chilled club soda
8 mint sprigs

In a pitcher, combine the limoncello, gin and lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours. Press 3 thin lemon slices against the inside of each of 8 collins glasses. Add ice to the glasses. Stir the limoncello mixture and pour it into the glasses. Stir 2 ounces of club soda into each drink and garnish with a mint sprig.
Colorado Cooler

Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey is a distinctive small-batch whiskey made in Denver from 100 percent malted barley. The flavor is malty and slightly vanilla-y.
INGREDIENTS
1 ounce chilled club soda
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
3/4 ounce Simple Syrup
2 ounces malt whiskey, preferably Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey
Ice
2 dashes of celery bitters (optional)
4 cherries, preferably Rainier, pitted, plus 1 cherry for garnish
In a cocktail shaker, muddle the 4 pitted cherries. Add ice and all of the remaining ingredients except the club soda and garnish. Shake well. Strain into an ice-filled collins glass, stir in the club soda and garnish with a cherry.

Strawberry-Lemon Mojitos

Strawberries sweeten these mojitos from mixologist Joaquin Simo.
INGREDIENTS
8 lemon wedges
24 mint leaves, plus 4 mint sprigs, for garnish (optional)
4 strawberries, plus 2 halved strawberries, for garnish
Ice cubes, plus crushed ice
8 ounces gold or aged rum
3 ounces fresh lemon juice
2 ounces prepared sugarcane syrup or agave nectar
In a cocktail shaker, muddle the lemon wedges with the whole strawberries and mint leaves. Add ice and the rum, lemon juice and sugarcane syrup; shake well. Strain into crushed ice–filled highball glasses. Garnish with the berry halves and mint sprigs
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