Whew, boy! Hottest Fourth of July we've had in years, and that means it is the perfect excuse to enjoy some great Royal Caribbean drinks in the comfort of our home.

Having a cocktail on a Royal Caribbean cruise is something many guests relish doing every cruise, and if you cannot be on a cruise this summer to enjoy one, then do the next best thing and make one at home.

Here are a few of our favorite Royal Caribbean drink recipes that are sure to "hit the spot" during your summer.

Across the Universe

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ oz. Tanqueray No. 10 Gin
• 1/2 oz. Aperol
• 1/2 oz. St. Germain
• 1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
• 1/2 oz. simple syrup
• Splash of Prosecco
• About 1 ¼ cups watermelon juice

At least a few hours in advance (preferably overnight), pour watermelon juice into an ice cube tray and freeze. Combine gin, Aperol, St. Germain, lime juice and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well until chilled and pour into a glass over watermelon ice cubes. Optional: Garnish with an herb, slice of watermelon or lime or an edible flower.

Coco Loco

Ingredients (Makes one cocktail):

• 1/2 oz Orange Juice Concentrate
• 1/2 oz Pineapple Juice Concentrate
• 1/2 oz Papaya Juice Concentrate
• 1/2 oz Coconut Cream
• 3/4 oz Dark Rum (Or make it a virgin Coco Loco without the rum)
• 3/4 oz Coconut Rum
• 1/4 oz Grenadine
• Crushed ice

Toss all the ingredients into a blender, and blend until smooth. Then pour the potion into a cocktail glass and dress it up with a fresh wedge of pineapple.

Anchors Away

Ingredients (Makes one cocktail):

• 1 oz Vodka
• 1/2 oz Blue Curaçao
• 1/2 oz Blackberry Brandy
• 11/2 oz Orange Juice
• 1 oz Sweetened Lemon Juice

Blend all the ingredients above. Strain and pour into your favorite glass. Then garnish with a fresh slice of orange and a cherry. 

Mango Cooler

Ingredients (Makes one cocktail):

• 1 oz Sweetened Lime Juice
• 2 oz Mango Juice
• 1 oz Dark Rum
• 3/4 oz Triple Sec

Blend all the ingredients together with crushed ice, transfer to your favorite frosty glass and toss in an orange slice and a cherry.

Punchless Piña Colada (for the kids)

Ingredients (Makes one cocktail):

• 1 1/2 oz Coconut Cream
• 3 oz Pineapple Juice
• 2 cups Crushed Ice

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Then pour in a tumbler, garnish with a fresh wedge of pineapple, and top with whipped cream and a cherry.

For the adults, you can add rum!

Enjoying a refreshing drink on your Royal Caribbean cruise is something many folks look forward to, but just because you are not on a cruise right now does not mean you cannot enjoy the same drinks at home!

Blog reader Paul Westbrook sent us recipes for the drink of the day for each day of his Freedom of the Seas cruise.

Each day of a cruise, Royal Caribbean selects one tasty cocktail to be the drink of the day, where the price of the drink is reduced a bit and featured all over the ship.

So get those blenders ready and enjoy these great drinks!

Tropical Sunset

Ingredients

• .75 oz Smirnoff vodka
• .75 oz peach scnapps
• .75 oz Chambord black raspberry liqueur
• 1.5 oz cranberry juice
• 1.5 oz pineapple juice

Instructions

Shake and mix well.

Blue Caribbean

Ingredients

• 1.25 oz Bacardi superior rum
• .75 oz blue curacao
• 3 oz pineapple juice

Instructions

Served on the rocks with a splash of sprite

Paradise Punch

Ingredients

• .75 oz Bacardi rum
• .75 oz cocounut rum
• .5 oz peach snapps
• 1.5 oz pineapple and cranberry juices

Instructions

Shake and serve on the rocks.

Strawberry Hill Mojito

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz Bacardi superior rum
• 1 oz mojito mix
• 1 oz Island Oasis Strawberry

Instructions

Top with soda water

Tropical Lemondae

Ingredients

• 1.25 oz Smirnoff vodka
• .75 oz blue curacao

Instructions

Serve on the rocks

Mayan Mango Margarita

Ingredients

• 1.25 oz Jose Cuervo gold tequila
• 1.5 oz Island Oasis mango
• .75 oz triple sec
• Sweet & Sour mix

Instructions

Shake tequila and mago juice together and then add triple sec and sweet & sour mix.

Caribbean Tea

Ingredients

• .5 oz Smirnoff vodka
• .5 oz Bacardi superior rum
• .5 oz gin
• .5 oz sweet blue curacao
• 2 oz sweet & sour mix

Instructions

Top with Sprite and serve on the rocks.

Thanksgiving is a major holiday in the United States and it begins this Thursday.  

Like many of you, we like to incorporate a little Royal Caribbean in everything we do, so here are some great recipes from Royal Caribbean's kitchen that ought to remind your of being at sea if a holiday cruise isn't in the cards this year.

Andoulle Sausage & Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

Soup

• 1lb Andouille sausage, diced
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3 cup onion, chopped
• 1 tsp thyme, picked
• 3 lb pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup praline liqueur
• 16 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup heavy cream

Cinnamon Cream

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 3 tsp powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. ​Cook diced sausage in skillet with butter for 5 minutes (remove 2 oz of sausage for the garnish)
2. Add onion and cook until soft
3. Add liqueur and flame to burn out the alcohol
4. Add thyme and pumpkin and cook 5 minutes
5. Add chicken stock and brown sugar. Cover and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes.
6. In blender, puree soup in batches. Return to pan and stir in cream. Warm but do not boil. Serve immediately.

Cinnamon Cream

Combine and whip to soft peak consistency and chill. Put in a squeeze bottle for service.

To serve

Place the cooked sausage in a heated bowl. Add the soup. Swirl the cream on top.

Winter Chestnut and Brussels Sprouts Casserole with Applewood Smoked Bacon

This recipe comes from sister company Celebrity Cruises.

Ingredients

• 1 cup smoked applewood bacon (julienned)
• 1 white onion (finely chopped)
• 4 tablespoons garlic (finely chopped)
• 4 tablespoons salted butter
• 2 cups chestnuts (peeled)
• 2 pounds Brussels sprouts(blanched, cut in half)
• 2 lemons (juiced)
• 1/4 cup clover honey
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon white truffle oil (optional)

Directions

1. To start, cut Brussels sprouts in half and blanch in boiling salted water, shock in ice bath and set aside. 
2. Once cold, drain, excess water and set aside. 
3. In a large saute pan on medium heat slowly render the fat from the bacon and cook until bacon is slightly brown. 
4. Add garlic and brown. 
5. While cooking, add butter and chestnuts and cook on medium heat for another 5 minutes. 
6. Add blanched Brussels sprouts, lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper and cook for 3 minutes or until Brussels sprouts are glazed. 
7. Remove from heat, add truffle oil, mix until well incorporated and serve hot.

Warm Apple Parcel

Ingredients

Crème Anglaise:

• 2 egg yolks
• ¼ cup (60 g) sugar
• 1 cup (250 ml) milk
• 1 vanilla pod, split lengthwise
• 2 cups (465 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 (5 g) teaspoon salt
• ½ pound (250 g) unsalted butter, cold, cut in large
• chunks
• ⅓ cup (90 ml) water

Puff Pastry:

• 2 cups (465 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 (5 g) teaspoon salt
• ½ pound (250 g) unsalted butter, cold, cut in large
• chunks
• ⅓ cup (90 ml) water

Garnish:

• Powdered sugar

Filling:

• ½ pound (250 g) almond paste, purchased
• 3 green apples, peeled, cored and halved
• 2 tablespoons (30 g) sugar
• 1 teaspoon (5 g) cinnamon powder
• 1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 teaspoon (5 ml) water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 390°F or 200°C.
2. To make dough, combine flour, salt and butter and gradually add enough water to hold the dough together.
3. Transfer dough on a lightly floured surface and roll into a rectangle shape of about 8 x 12-inches (20 x 30 cm).
4. Starting with the closest short end, fold dough into thirds as you would a letter.
5. Rotate the dough so the open side is at your right.
6. Repeat the same procedure once more.
7. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
8. Place dough on a lightly floured surface with the open side at your right.
9. Roll dough into a rectangle as before.
10. Bring the two short ends together to meet in the center of the dough, then fold the dough in half again toward you.
11. Rotate a ¼ turn, so the open side is again at your right.
12. Repeat the same procedure once more.
13. Wrap the dough and chill again for at least 1 hour.
14. Place dough on a lightly floured surface with the open side at your right, roll into a rectangle and divide in two.
15. Place first half on a baking sheet lined with greased parchment paper, spread with almond paste, top with halved apples and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.
16. Brush borders with egg mixture and place second sheet on top of filled pastry, lining up the edges.
17. And firmly press sides with your fingers.
18. Brush the top with egg mixture and cut a few slits to allow steam to escape while cooking.
19. Bake for 20 minutes or until pastry is golden brown.
20. Transfer on a wire rack and allow to cool.
21. Prepare crème anglaise by creaming egg yolks with sugar.
22. Bring milk and vanilla pods to a boil and slowly stir into egg mixture.
23. Gently simmer for about 10 minutes or until cream coats the back of a wooden spoon.
24. Do not allow sauce to boil.
25. Remove from heat, pour into a glass bowl and stir to cool. Discard vanilla pod, cover and refrigerate.
26. Serve parcel on a dessert plate garnished with crème anglaise and finish with a dusting of powdered sugar.