Summer Cocktail Roundup

 

From seasonal specialties to year-round classics, cocktails and mocktails are the backbone of any well-planned event. To help you prepare for your next hosting gig, we have created a list of Top Summer Cocktails for you to try at home this season and put your bartending skills to the test. 

Blueberry Moscow Mule

Moscow Mules are a great way to beat the heat! Mules are easy to make because they only require three key ingredients; vodka, spicy ginger beer, and lime juice. Stir all of these contents together and garnish the glass with a slice or wedge of lime. To make your cocktail extra refreshing add blueberry ginger syrup for a sweet blueberry taste and add blueberries on top in addition to a slice of lime to finish off your work of art. Copper cups are popular to serve Mules in because it takes the temperature of the drink and stays cold longer but we chose to showcase our Blueberry Moscow Mule in a glass to fully appreciate the color and aesthetic of the drink.

Floral Lemonades 

This spin on your momma’s homemade lemonade will make you imagine you are on a front porch swing taking a break from playing with the neighborhood kids. Try Basil Elderflower Gin Lemonade for an herbal and floral flavor duo. All you need is a bottle of Belvoir Fruit Farm Elderflower Cordial and gin but to complete the whole presentation make sure to chop up some basil leaves and place them at the bottom of the glass before pouring your cocktail. If you are more of a pink lemonade person try Rose Lemonade mixed with vodka and garnished with fresh citrus slices for a refreshing twist. 

Irish Cream Cold Brew

Some call it the hair of the dog, but we call it just plain delicious. Chef Suzanne from Buttermilk Kitchen shows off her version of an Irish Cream Cold Brew paired with Atlanta distillery American Spirit Works’ Resurgens. Grab your favorite cold brew coffee and pour over ice, add in as little or as much whiskey as you would like, top it off with vanilla sweet cold foam and a dusting of cocoa powder. 

Photo: Kelly Berry

Photo: Kelly Berry

Mint Julep

The Mint Julep, a southern tradition and the signature cocktail of the Kentucky Derby. This cocktail is bourbon based and mixed with sugar water over crushed ice. You can’t forget to garnish with a sprig of mint to glorify its namesake. 

Ingredients

  • 8 mint leaves

  • 1/4 ounce simple syrup

  • 2 ounces bourbon

  • Garnish: mint sprig

  • Garnish: Angostura bitters (optional)

Strawberry-Mint Sparkler 

Nothing screams summer like juicy, fresh strawberries. Strawberry-Mint Sparklers are a light and not-to-sugary vodka cocktail. Take whole strawberries, lime juice, and simple syrup and muddle until strawberries are completely dissolved. Add mint leaves, vodka and ice to a shaker and shake until chilled. Pick out a cute cocktail glass and fill partially with ice cubes and club soda. Fine-strain the contents of the shaker into your glass, stir and finish it off with a strawberry and mint. 

Blackberry Mojito


The Mojito, a popular summer drink, is a combination of sweetness, citrus, and herbaceous mint flavors. These flavors are attributed to the cocktail’s key ingredients, sugar, lime juice, soda water, and mint and compliment the white rum liquor nicely. Like previous drinks listed, you can make a mojito fruity by simply adding whole fresh fruit to the cocktail or muddling up the fruit into a puree. Top it off with a sprig of mint and serve with a cute straw.

Triple Citrus Margarita

Add a bit of tang and color to the classic margarita! You will need freshly squeezed or store-bought lime juice, lemon juice, and orange juice to give the margarita the full citrus taste. Next, add in a splash of triple sec and some tequila (maybe a little more than a splash) and pour over ice. Rim the glass with salt and you have yourself the perfect on the rocks cocktail. Follow the complete recipe below to make a patch that will serve 8.

Ingredients

4 navel oranges, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

2 lemons, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

2 limes, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

1/4 cup Triple Sec

1 1/2 cups good quality tequila (recommended: 100 percent agave)

For a twist on more citrus cocktails, check out this citrus themed birthday party!

Purple Basil Lemonade

Purple Basil Lemonade is the perfect refreshing drink for a luncheon with the ladies or for a tea party with the littles. To make a batch simply grab a drink dispenser and pour in 4 cups of water, 1/2 a cup of fresh lemon juice, 1/2 a cup of loosely packed purple basil leaves, 6 tablespoons of sugar, ice and purple basil springs. Alcohol is not necessary to make this mock-tail out of this world but if you like to add it in we suggest vodka.

Raspberry-Lemonade Mocktail Spritzers

Nothing welcomes guests to a summer party like a lemonade spritzer. These non-alcoholic drinks are both pretty to look at and tasty to sip. They can be made with or without raspberries or if another fruit is more your style experiment and find your perfect blend.

Ingredients

  • 1 (12-ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate

  • 1 pint fresh or frozen raspberries

  • 1 (750-milliliter) bottle sparkling water

Photo: Kelly Berry

Photo: Kelly Berry

Grapefruit Gin Cocktail

The Grapefruit Gin Cocktail, commonly referred to as the Salty Dog Cocktail, is a way to shake up the normal Vodka and Grapefruit Greyhound. The salty rim counteracts the sour grapefruit and adding a splash of simple syrup makes it the perfect sweet balance. You can use white, pink or ruby grapefruit but keep in mind, the darker the grapefruit, the sweeter the taste.

Tequila Sunrise

The sun is up so you know what that means, it’s Tequila Sunrise time! Tequila sunrises are the more bold and fun cousin of the Mimosa. Tequila and orange juice make the perfect pair for hot summer days, especially when drank near the pool or the beach.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 ounces tequila

  • 3/4 cup orange juice 

  • 3/4 ounce grenadine syrup 

  • Orange slice, for garnish 

Blood-Orange Margarita

If you are loving the tequila and orange juice combinations, here is one more cocktail we think you will like!

Ingredients

  • 2cups blood orange juice, freshly squeezed (about 8 oranges)

  • 1/2cup lime juice, freshly squeezed (about 2 limes)

  • 1/2cup orange-flavored liqueur

  • 1 3/4cups silver tequila

  • 2to 3 tablespoons agave nectar, to taste

  • Kosher (coarse) salt

  • Ice

  • 8 blood orange slices, halved, 1/4 inch thick

 
Inspiration, EntertainingBridget Helmscocktails, summer drinksComment