Summer is almost in full swing and it’s time for BBQs, relaxing by the pool, gatherings with friends, and long weekends. What better way to enjoy the season but with a cool, refreshing cocktail. We put together six amazing drinks that are sure to make you the life of the set.
Belle Collins
While the Tom Collins might be the personal favorite in the office, the Belle Collins comes in close 2nd. While the core ingredients are the same but the fresh mint in the Belle add a crisp, refreshing flavor perfect for those hot summer days.
Ingredients
- 2 ounce Gin
- 1-ounce lemon juice
- 1/2-ounce simple syrup
- Sparkling water
- Fresh Mint
Instructions
Muddle* 4-6 mint leaves in a chilled Highball glass. Add crushed ice and the other ingredients, topping up with sparkling water.
Garnish with a mint sprig.
Strawberry Basil Lemonade
In the immortal words of the late great Guru from Gangstarr “Lemonade is a popular drink and it still is.” and the quote still applies today. One of the first drinks that you think of during the summer is lemonade, now add some strawberry and gin to the mix along with some basil to garnish and you have a cocktail worth of season.
Ingredients
- 3 basil leaves
- 1 large strawberry
- 1 ounce gin
- 2 ounces lemonade, chilled
- Club soda, chilled, to top
- Garnish: basil leaf
- Garnish: strawberry slice
Instructions
In a double rocks glass, muddle the basil leaves and strawberries. Fill with ice and set aside. Add the gin and lemonade into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into the prepared glass. Top with a splash of club soda. Garnish with a basil leaf and strawberry slice.
Bulldog Smash
This classic beverage may not be well known to some modern bar patrons but it does make it any less delicious. The Bulldog Smash has its origins in the late 1800s bar tenders would smash bourbon, citrus fruit, sugar, and mint to create this drink. While some of the ingredients have changed it’s still this cocktail with its mix of fruit, citrus, and mint makes it a perfect drink for the summer.
Ingredients
- 6 fresh mint leaves
- 1/2 lemon, cut into wedges
- 1/2 peach, pitted and diced
- 1 teaspoon simple syrup
- 2 ounces Bourbon
- 3/4 ounce Cointreau
- Garnish: mint sprig
Instructions
In a shaker, muddle the mint leaves, lemon, peach, and simple syrup. Add the bourbon and Cointreau, plus ice, and shake until well-chilled. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.
Red Sangria
If you get invited to the afternoon kick-back don’t be that person who brings some regular house wine (or worst a few bags of ice). Step-up party cocktail game and make a homemade red sangria. The blend of wine, brandy and fruit makes this delicious adult punch a crowd pleaser. Just don’t add too much brandy to the mix unless you’re trying to KO some of the partygoers.
Ingredients
- 1/2 medium apple (cored, skin on, chopped into small pieces)
- 1/2 medium orange (rind on, sliced into small pieces, large seeds removed // plus more for garnish)
- 3-4 Tbsp organic brown sugar (or 3 Tbsp (37.5 g) organic cane sugar as original recipe is written)
- 3/4 cup orange juice
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1/3 cup brandy
- 750 ml bottle of dry red wine
- 1 cup Ice to chill
Instructions
Add apples, oranges, blueberries, and sugar to a large pitcher and muddle. Add orange juice and brandy and muddle again to combine. Add red wine and stir to incorporate, then taste and adjust flavor as needed. Stir to combine. Add ice, stir, and cover in the refrigerator untiled chilled. Garnish with orange segments (optional).
Bermuda Rum Swizzle
There’s nothing like a good juice and rum combo to set party off right. Served in many tiki bars across the country, this cocktail combines two or more rums, grenadine, bitter, and fruit juice to create a wonderful blend of sweet and bitter flavors that’s sure to be the life of any get-together.
Ingredients
- 4 ounces Gosling’s Black Seal rum
- 4 ounces Gosling’s Gold Seal rum
- 8 ounces orange juice, freshly squeezed
- 8 ounces pineapple juice
- 3/4 ounce grenadine
- 6 dashes Angostura bitters
- Garnish: Cherry
- Garnish: orange slice
- Garnish: pineapple wedge
Instructions
Fill a pitcher a third of the way with crushed ice, then add the two rums, orange juice, pineapple juice, grenadine, and bitters. Churn vigorously with a swizzle stick (or bar spoon) until frothing. Fill four rocks glasses with fresh ice, and divide the contents of the pitcher between the glasses. Garnish each drink with a cherry, orange slice, and pineapple wedge.
Island Oasis
Want a drink that not only tastes great but also will hydrated? Well, look no further than the Island Oasis, with the perfect mix of rum, pineapple juice, and coconut water it is a tasty drink that won't have you on someone's slump cam.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces aged rum
- 2 ounces of coconut water
- 1-ounce pineapple juice
- 1-ounce pineapple shrub
- Garnish: 1 Maraschino cherry
- Garnish
Pineapple Shrub
- 1 large pineapple, cubed (approximately 4 cups) (or frozen pineapple chunks)
- 2 cups dark brown sugar
- 4 cloves
- 4 quarter-inch pieces peeled ginger root
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar
Instructions
Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a double rocks glass over fresh ice.