Luscious lime rickeys

On the May long weekend, I took Lime Rickeys (click for the recipe) (with cilantro, though I left this out) from the June 2010 issue of Martha Stewart Living for a test drive, and was very pleased with the results. I'll be making it again.
   The lime rickeys are from an article on summer pitcher drinks, which anyone who is thinking of hosting a backyard shindig this summer would do well to check out.
   One set of drinks uses limeade as their base. The limeade is made with water, fresh lime juice and superfine sugar (I used Splenda instead.)
   The lime rickeys are made by combining the limeade, sugar (more Splenda, in my case), and fresh lime slices. I put in the lime slices and then took them out shortly after. We have made limeade in the past that had lime peel left in it for too long and the drink was bitter, so I wanted to err on the side of caution.
   After at least an hour of refrigeration, club soda is added and the rickeys are served over ice.
   With that batch of limeade that is the base of the lime rickeys, two other delicious-looking cocktails can be made: Pineapple-Basil Margaritas (made by muddling chopped fresh pineapple with fresh basil and adding tequila) and Kiwifruit Caipiroksa, a variation on the Brazilian caipirinha.
   Also in the pitcher drinks story are three cocktails to make with ginger ale as a key ingredient: Watermelon Cooler (pureed fresh watermelon and vodka), Dark and Stormy (ginger ale and dark rum), and Pimm's Cup (lemonade and Pimm's No. 1.)
   The June 2010 issue of Martha Stewart Living promises "60+ Summer Crowd Pleasers." I wondered as I flipped through it if Living's annual entertainment issue, which is in July, been moved up a month. There's are many recipe ideas in this issue, with food stories comprising the bulk of the features.

Here are the other recipes that caught my eye to try:
- Almond-Apricot Tart with Whipped Cream
- Grilled Buttermilk Chicken
- Grilled Steak Sandiwiches