Best Summer Cocktails for Refreshment & Ease the Heat

Nothing beats refreshingly fruity, herbal, or frozen summer alcoholic drinks! Many summer drinks capitalize on the season's flavors: sweet watermelon and luscious peaches, herbal mint and basil, and vibrant berries. Even better: cool summer drinks are ideal for beating the heat.

Here are the best summer cocktails for you to try! Classics like the minty Mojito and the sour margarita are available, as are frozen cocktails like daiquiris and pina Coladas. There are also gin and vodka drinks and exotic twists such as watermelon cocktails and peach margaritas. To be honest, as we were making this list, we began to become thirsty.

Whiskey Cocktails to Try This Summer

As the weather warms, many people assume it's time to retire the whiskey in favor of cocktails made with clear spirits such as gin, vodka, or tequila. A lot of folks are simply incorrect. Or perhaps they are simply misdirected. Whiskey of all varieties––from bourbon and rye to scotch, Irish, Canadian, and Japanese––isn't only for the winter. Whiskey pairs beautifully with citrus, making it an ideal summer component.

Northern Harvest Buck

The Northern Harvest Buck exemplifies why Canadian whisky has grown in appeal among bartenders. This version of the Whiskey Ginger (also known as the Irish Buck) includes a splash of lime and bitters, which wonderfully complement the mildly spicy yet smooth Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 ounces Northern Harvest rye whiskey
• 3/4 ounces lime juice, freshly squeezed
• 3 ounces ginger beer, chilled
• Two dashes of Angostura bitters
• Garnish: lemon wheel, mint sprig

Steps

1. Shake the rye and lime juice in a shaker with ice until well chilled.
2. Fill into a highball glass with fresh ice.
3. Top with the cooled ginger beer and the bitters.
4. Embellished with a lemon wheel and a sprig of mint.

Keeneland Breeze

Bourbon and orange aren't the most apparent pairings–unless it's a slice tossed into an Old Fashioned–but the Keeneland Breeze beautifully combines these two flavors.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 ounces Maker's Mark bourbon
• 1/4 ounce DeKuyper orange curaçao
• One squeeze of fresh orange
• Chilled ginger ale or ginger beer
• Garnish: orange wedge

Steps

1. Fill a rocks glass halfway with ice.
2. Stir in the bourbon, orange curaçao, and a squeeze of fresh orange.
3. Add a splash of ginger ale or ginger beer on top.
4. Serve with an orange slice garnish.

Shandy Maker

For a good reason, beer cocktails are all the rage. They're delectable! Also, have some fun! Furthermore, in the Lemon Shandy and the Michelada tradition, berry cocktails can be the perfect warm-weather refresher.

Ingredients

• 2-4 leaves fresh marjoram
• 1 3/4 ounces Old Forester 100-proof bourbon
• 3/4 ounce grapefruit juice, freshly squeezed
• 1/4 ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 1/4 ounce simple syrup
• 3 ounces Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA, chilled
• Garnish: grapefruit twist

Steps

1. Muddle the marjoram in a mixing glass.
2. Stir in all remaining ingredients (excluding the beer) and ice until well combined.
3. Pour into a pint glass filled with new ice.
4. Pour in the beer and give it a quick, gentle toss to mix.
5. Serve with a grapefruit twist.

White Summer Sazerac

A moonshine drink isn't supposed to be complicated or complex. That's why this drink is such a nice surprise. There are a lot of ingredients, but the result is worth it: a flavorful salad with a lovely floral garnish.

Ingredients

• 1 ounce Kings County moonshine
• 1/2 ounce Kings County Empire rye whiskey
• 1/2 ounce Singani 63 brandy
• 1/4 ounce Italicus aperitivo
• 1/4 ounce simple syrup
• Six dashes of fennel bitters
• Three dashes of celery bitters
• One pinch of celery salt
• 6 spritzes absinthe
• Garnish: edible flower

Steps

1. Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass filled with ice and swirl until thoroughly cold.
2. Fill a chilled rocks glass halfway with ice.
3. Serve with an edible flower.

Isaiah Rynders

Another cocktail with a lot going on is this savory spin on the Dark 'n Stormy. Not exactly the type of ingredients you have on hand. If you can find them, you'll be treated to a wonderfully spicy twist on a summertime classic.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 ounce Irish whiskey
• 1-ounce Cardamaro
• 1/2 ounce Connemara cask-strength peated Irish whiskey
• 3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
• 3/4 ounce ginger syrup
• Three dashes The Dead Rabbit Orinoco bitters
• 1/2 tsp tamarind chutney
• One splash of vanilla soda
• Garnish: freshly grated nutmeg

Steps

1. Shake the Irish whiskeys, Cardamaro, lime juice, ginger syrup, bitters, and tamarind chutney vigorously in a shaker with ice.
2. Pour into a highball glass filled with fresh ice.
3. Pour in the vanilla soda and serve.
4. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg, if desired.

Best Summer Cocktails With Vodka

Vodka has a bad reputation for being a dull spirit. Still, we prefer to think of it as a blank canvas on which other fascinating cocktail items, from seasonal fruit to chai tea to the most exotic liqueurs, may find a home and even blossom. To begin to be inspired. Here are five vodka drinks you should try right now.

Vodka Spritzer

You could offer the vodka spritzer just like that, and it would be fine. But the key to this drink is to let it marinade! Mix all of the ingredients in a pitcher. It only takes 30 minutes to infuse the berries and zesty lemon into the drink. You can also do this earlier! Just don't let it marinate for more than 4 hours.

Ingredients

• Vodka
• Soda water/ carbonated water. 
• Cranberry juice
• Simple syrup
• Strawberries
• Lemon

Steps

1. Simply pour 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) of the drink concoction into a glass
2. Top with soda water to serve. There is no need to measure in this scenario: simply top off the glass! 
3. Garnish with marinated fruit, fresh mint sprigs, and plenty of ice.

Watermelon Vodka

What says summer like a watermelon vodka cocktail? This delightful watermelon vodka drink is perfect for a hot summer day! It's quick and simple to make, combining sweet watermelon, tart lime, and vodka.

Ingredients

• One cup watermelon juice
• two teaspoons of lime juice
• 12 cups vodka
• one tablespoon maple syrup
• Garnish: Watermelon wedges

Steps

• Prepare the watermelon juice. 2 cups diced watermelon blended in a blender, then strained through a fine-mesh strainer to yield 1 cup watermelon juice.
• Shake the lime juice, vodka, and maple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Combine the juice with fresh lime juice, vodka, and maple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Shake with ice!
• Pour into glasses and serve with small wedges of watermelon.

Bay Breeze

Looking for a quick and effortless yet delicious fruity cocktail? The Bay Breeze has arrived! It's a cranberry cocktail with a bright hue and a sweet-tart flavor, often known as the Hawaiian Sea Breeze. The tropical flavor of pineapple in the Bay Breeze makes it feel easygoing and beachy.

Ingredients

• Vodka
• Cranberry juice
• Pineapple juice

Steps

• These components are served over crushed ice or on the rocks.
• You'll simply combine them all.
• It can be mixed using a bar spoon instead of a cocktail shaker!

Summerthyme Screwdriver

Summerthyme Screwdriver is more than just a clever pun. The thyme offers an earthy flowery undercurrent, while the low-alcohol Aperol infuses the drink with rhubarb and bitter orange overtones. Hand-squeezed lemon juice brightens the whole thing up, and club soda adds a refreshing effervescence.

Ingredients

• Five orange wheels, thickly sliced
• Two lemons
• 11 ounces vodka
• 5 1/2 ounces Aperol
• 17 ounces orange juice, freshly squeezed
• Club soda, chilled, to top
• Garnish: thyme sprig
• Garnish: orange wheel

Steps

1. In the bottom of a pitcher, mix the orange wheels gently.
2. Squeeze the lemons into the pitcher, leaving the shells alone.
3. Fill the glass halfway with huge ice cubes and add the vodka, Aperol, and orange juice.
4. Pour in the club soda and whisk lightly to mix.
5. Garnish with thyme sprigs and orange wheels in the pitcher.
6. Serve in a Collins glass with a thyme sprig and an orange wheel.

Cosmopolitan

The classic Cosmopolitan is a classic cocktail with a long history. It was at its apex in the 1990s, during the run of the HBO sitcom "Sex and the City." The pink-hued Martini-style cocktail was a favorite of the show's characters.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 ounces citron vodka
• 3/4 ounce Cointreau
• 3/4 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
• 1/2 ounce cranberry juice cocktail
• Garnish: lime wedge

Steps

• Shake the vodka, Cointreau, lime juice, and cranberry juice drink with ice until well-chilled.
• Fill a chilled cocktail glass halfway with ice.
• Serve with a slice of lime.

Summer Alcoholic Drinks With Gin

When summer arrives, it's time to get out the deliciously refreshing summer cocktails for patio sipping. Do you have a bottle of gin? Then let us show you how to incorporate it into your summer drinking routine!

Gin Gin Mule

Meet the Gin Gin Mule: it's minty, fizzy, and delicious! If you think this is merely a mule with a different spirit, think again!

Ingredients

• Fresh mint
• Lime juice
• Simple syrup
• Gin
• Ginger beer

Steps

1. With a cocktail muddler or a wooden spoon, firmly mash the mint in the bottom of the glass a few times.
2. Next, stir in the gin, lime juice, and simple syrup.
3. Finally, pour in the ginger beer over ice.

Gin Basil Smash

Have any basil on hand? Are you a gin enthusiast? Then, the Gin Basil Smash is the perfect drink for you! This is what summer looks like in a lowball glass!

Ingredients

• 8 to 10 basil leaves for muddling, more for garnish
• 2 ½ ounces gin
• ¾ ounce lemon juice
• ¾ ounce simple syrup
• Ice, for serving

Steps

1. Using a cocktail shaker, gently mesh the basil leaves.
2. Shake the gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker with two handfuls of ice until chilled.
3. Fill a lowball glass halfway with ice and strain the drink into it. Top with a dash of soda water. You can skip it. Garnish with more basil leaves if desired.

Basil Gimlet

Cocktails infused with herbs? Certainly. The spicy flavor of basil is ideal for cocktail preparations. In a basil gimlet, it blends well with the botanical fragrance of gin.

Ingredients

• Three fresh basil leaves, plus more for a garnish
• 2 ounces gin
• ½ ounce lime juice
• ½ ounce simple syrup or maple syrup

Steps

1. In a cocktail shaker, muddle the basil leaves and gin 4 to 5 times until the basil leaves are smashed.
2. Mix the lime juice and maple syrup. Fill it halfway with ice and shake until it's cold.
3. Fill a glass halfway with ice and strain the drink into it. You can add a dash of soda water towards the end for extra fizz. Fresh basil leaves can be used as a garnish.

Watermelon Cocktail With Gin

Watermelon season is short and delicious, so take advantage of this hydrating fruit while it's available! So, We’re presenting you with the gin watermelon cocktail! It couldn't be more refreshing and perfect for hot weather.

Ingredients

• 2 cups cubed seedless watermelon
• 8 ounces gin
• 2 ounces lime juice
• One tablespoon simple syrup or maple syrup
• 1 cup ice

Steps

1. Cut the watermelon into cubes. 
2. Blend all of the ingredients in a blender until smooth. 
3. Pour into the glasses, allowing the froth to rise to the top. 
4. If preferred, garnish with a wedge of lime.

Salty Dog

Another simple gin cocktail for the summer? The Salty Dog has arrived! This dish has a unique name and a lovely pale pink tint.

Ingredients

• Flaky sea salt
• Three tablespoons gin
• Six tablespoons freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
• One teaspoon simple syrup or maple syrup
• Lime wedge
• For the garnish: Grapefruit wedge

Steps

1. Make a notch in the lime slice and run it around the rim of a glass. Then, dip the rim of the glass into a dish of flaky sea salt.
2. Shake the gin, grapefruit juice, and syrup with four ice cubes in a cocktail shaker until chilled.
3. Pour the cocktail into a glass with a salted rim. Fill the glass halfway with ice and garnish with a squeeze of lime.

Refreshing Summer Cocktails - Rum Edition

Rum is the ultimate summer spirit: fruity, laid-back, and extremely drinkable! Grab a bottle of rum, and you'll be able to brew a plethora of the best summer cocktails. Rum beverages, in our opinion, are summer in a glass!

Mojito Pitcher

One of the most popular traditional cocktails is the minty mojito. However, have you ever attempted to shake more than two drinks consecutively?

Ingredients

• ½ cup loosely packed mint leaves
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 cup lime juice (about eight limes), plus one lime for the garnish
• 2 cups white rum
• 2 cups soda water or club soda

Steps

1. Combine the sugar, water, and mint in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside for at least 5 minutes. After that, strain it into a big pitcher.
2. Fill the pitcher halfway with lime juice and rum. Cut the other mint leaves and lime into rounds and add them to the dish. 4 handfuls of ice should be added to the pitcher. Just before serving, gently whisk in the soda water.

Piña Colada

The piña colada is one of the best summer rum cocktails! Did you know it's a famous cocktail created in the 1950s?

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups frozen pineapple
• 1 ½ cups ice
• 5 ounces aged rum
• 2 ounces cream of coconut 
• 4 ounces pineapple juice
• 1-ounce lime juice

Steps

1. Blend the pineapple and ice until it is chunky. 
2. Blend in the remaining ingredients until smooth. 
3. Serve with a cocktail cherry and drink umbrellas as garnish.

Bushwacker

The Bushwacker is one of our favorite summer rum cocktails! This one is both pleasant and delicious. It's lavishly smooth, with hints of chocolate, coffee, and vanilla.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces aged rum (or white or dark)
• 2 ounces Kahlua
• 2 ounces creme de cacao
• 2 ounces cream of coconut
• 2 ounces 2% milk
• 3 cups ice

Steps

1. Blend all of the ingredients in a blender until smooth.
2. If desired, garnish with shaved chocolate or grated nutmeg. 
3. Serve with straws. If the drink begins to separate, use the straw to stir it.

Frozen Daiquiri

The Frozen Daiquiri reigns supreme! Did you realize how simple it is to make this frozen drink? To prepare a daiquiri, no store-bought mixtures are required.

Ingredients

• 4 ounces best-quality light or white rum
• 3 ounces lime juice
• 2 ounces simple syrup
• 2 ½ cups ice

Steps

1. Blend all of the ingredients in a blender until smooth.
2. Serve instantly, garnished if desirable with a lime wheel.

Hurricane Cocktail

Meet the Hurricane! It's fruity, super boozy, and 100 percent fun! Admittedly, this New Orleans dish is a bit of a splurge, but that's exactly the point.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces dark rum
• 2 ounces light rum
• 1-ounce orange juice
• 1-ounce lime juice
• 1 ½ ounce passion fruit syrup
• One tablespoon grenadine
• For the garnish: orange wedge and cocktail cherry

Steps

1. Combine dark rum, light rum, orange juice, lime juice, passion fruit syrup, and grenadine in a cocktail shaker. Fill it halfway with ice and shake it until it's cold.
2. Pour into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange wedge and a cherry, if preferred.