These refreshing summer cocktails and drinks are perfect for poolside sipping and backyard parties! From frozen margaritas to fruity sangrias, these easy recipes for your next gathering.
Once June rolls around, there’s nothing better than a fruity, herby or frozen drink in hand! There are so many ways to drink the flavors of the season: sweet watermelon and juicy peaches, herbaceous mint and basil, and bright strawberries and blueberries.
After years of hosting summer gatherings, I’ve learned that the right cocktail or summer drink can make or break a party! So Alex and I have reviewed our hundreds of cocktail recipes to find the best summer cocktails to try this season. These are the recipes we go to for summer parties, from frozen alcoholic drinks that blend up in minutes to bubbly spritz recipes! We always like to have a non-alcoholic option on hand, so we’ve also included our best mocktails and lemonade recipes.
Top summer cocktails
One of the most iconic summer cocktails, this Cuban classic is refreshing and perfectly balanced with lime, rum and fresh mint. The key is thoroughly muddling the mint leaves to release their aromatic oils, which gives this cocktail its signature herbaceous flavor. Perfect for when summer herbs are in abundance.
Tip: Try a fruity Raspberry Mojito or Strawberry Mojito, Or our Mojito Pitcher recipe for parties
Bubbly, citrusy, herbal, subtly bitter and lightly sweet - this Italian classic has been capturing hearts since the 1950s. It's best to use brut Prosecco since the Aperol provides plenty of sweetness. Simply combine equal parts Aperol and Prosecco, top with soda water, and garnish with an orange slice.
Perfect for: Patio happy hours and Italian-inspired gatherings
Variations: Amaro Spritz, Campari Spritz
The margarita works anytime, but it's absolutely perfect for summer! This classic recipe uses tequila, fresh lime juice, orange liqueur, and a salt rim. The fresh citrus makes all the difference - skip the mix and go fresh for the best flavor.
Try all our margarita recipes, like the smoky Mezcal Margarita, sophisticated Cadillac Margarita, and spicy Jalapeño Margarita
This icy strawberry daiquiri is the ultimate summer drink! Our homemade version beats store-bought mix every time - all you need are frozen strawberries, fresh limes, and rum. The frozen fruit creates that perfect slushy texture naturally.
Also try our Frozen Daiquiri, Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri, Banana Daiquiri or Frozen Mango Daiquiri
This Texas favorite has exploded in popularity as the perfect summer highball. It's like a bubbly, lighter version of the classic margarita - all the tangy lime flavor but less sweetness and alcohol. Just tequila, lime juice, and Topo Chico sparkling water.
Perfect for: Hot afternoons when you want something refreshing but not too sweet
What could be better for summer than this tropical classic? This recipe creates the perfect blend of pineapple, coconut, and rum with just 5 ingredients plus ice. It's vacation in a glass and takes only minutes to blend up.
Also try a Virgin Piña Colada, Frozen Piña Colada, or Painkiller
Fizzy, tangy, and festive - the Moscow Mule screams summer cocktail. With only 3 ingredients and 3 minutes required, it's perfect for entertaining or a lazy evening on the patio. The ginger beer provides the perfect spicy kick.
Also try a Watermelon Mule, Mexican Mule, Mezcal Mule, Irish Mule, Gin Gin Mule or Kentucky Mule
Summer cocktails are made for watermelon! This refreshing martini features sweet melon with vodka and tangy lime. It's seriously refreshing and captures the essence of summer in every sip.
Also try a Watermelon Vodka Cocktail, Watermelon Cocktail with Gin, Watermelon Margarita, Watermelon Mule
This modern cocktail spin on the whiskey smash perfectly captures that summer feeling with fresh basil and botanical gin. Muddling the basil releases its peppery oils, creating a light and herbaceous drink that's perfect for herb garden season.
Garden to glass: Use any fresh herbs you're growing
The frozen margarita is seriously tangy, a little bit sweet, and tastes just like the classic but in slushy form. Perfect for poolside sipping or when you want to feel like you're at a beachside resort.
Festive touch: Rim the glass with pink sea salt
This cousin of the margarita features tequila with grapefruit instead of lime. It's got the perfect summer vibe and is a refreshing change from the standard margarita. The grapefruit adds a lovely bitter-sweet complexity.
The ultimate summer crowd-pleaser! Add fresh strawberries to classic red wine sangria and you get bold, fruity flavors with the perfect balance of dry and sweet. Make it ahead and let it chill overnight for the best flavor.
Also try White Sangria, Rose Sangria, Watermelon Sangria, Peach Sangria, or Red Sangria
This "mixed up" version of the classic Negroni uses sparkling wine instead of gin. The lightly sweet Prosecco balances the bitter Campari better than the traditional version, making it perfect for summer sipping.
Meaning: "Sbagliato" means "mistaken" in Italian
This rum cocktail is is breathtakingly complex, featuring aged rum, orange liqueur, and almond syrup for nutty vanilla notes against sharp citrus. Float a little dark rum on top for the authentic experience.
Tall, bubbly, and one of the easiest cocktails to make. This classic was born in the 1880s and is perfectly tangy and refreshing. Just gin, lime juice, and soda water - simplicity at its finest.
Also try a Lime Rickey, Cherry Lime Rickey or Raspberry Lime Rickey
Sweet, tart, and perfect for patio sipping. Make a big pitcher of fresh lemonade, then spike individual glasses with vodka. It's delightfully tangy and fruity - hard to stop sipping!
Try spiking our Basil Lemonade, Blueberry Lemonade, Mint Lemonade, Cucumber Lemonade or Strawberry Lemonade
This spin on the Aperol spritz showcases the intense lemon flavor of limoncello. It's bubbly and effervescent with a searing citrus bite that's incredibly refreshing on hot days.
Also try a Limoncello Mojito or Limoncello Martini
Perhaps the perfect frozen summer cocktail! This slushie version of traditional Spanish sangria is red wine-forward and just sweet enough, with a hint of citrus. It's like summer in a glass.
Perfect for when you have fresh basil growing! This refreshing gin cocktail features lime juice and muddled basil, which gives it a fresh peppery essence that screams summer garden party.
Light, carefree, and effervescent - this is the perfect no-fuss summer drink. Just rosé wine and sparkling water create refreshing bubbles perfect for poolside sipping or grilled dinner parties.
Also try a Red Wine Spritzer or White Wine Spritzer
Try this refreshing summer cocktail, the Blueberry Vodka Smash! This pairing of sweet berries, fresh mint, simple syrup and vodka is just the thing for enjoying on the patio or deck. Served over crushed ice, it's a celebration of summer berries!
Here’s a light and refreshing cocktail vying for best summer drink: the St Germain Spritz! Also known as the Hugo, it's floral and bubbly, full of lightly sweet flavor and effervescence.
Here's a drink that screams summer cocktail: the tequila sunrise! It’s beautiful and vibrant, with layered colors of a summer sunset. All you need is 3 ingredients: tequila, orange juice, and grenadine. The flavor is refreshingly sweet, with just a hint of tequila.
This spin on the classic mojito is an icy refreshing cocktail: it tastes like someone amped up the dial on the mint volume! It immediately jumped to the top of our must-make frozen cocktails list.
The Bushwacker is an ideal summer drink: a mashup of a chocolate milkshake and piña colada! It’s lusciously smooth with notes of chocolate, coffee and vanilla. It’s perfect for sipping poolside or as a dessert drink any time you’re dreaming of sun.
This spritz recipe is light and bubbly, tart and citrusy, and the perfect summer cocktail in our opinion. Lillet Blanc is a refreshing fortified wine that is an absolute must for your bar cart! Mix it up with some bubbles, lemon and gin, and you’ve got a breezy light cocktail with summer written all over it.
Variation: Lillet G&T
This variation on the Gin & Tonic is all about citrusy bubbles! Vodka melds right into the tonic water, making it a refreshing cocktail perfect for sipping.
Variations: Tequila and Tonic, Whiskey Tonic, or Strawberry Basil G&T
The classic Whiskey Highball is bubbly and perfect for summer! This two-ingredient cocktail originated around the turn of the 20th century and it’s still popular to this day. It’s refreshing and so easy to make: just 2 ingredients!
Love a good Piña Colada? Then here’s the drink for you: the Chi Chi! This Piña Colada with vodka is just as good as the original, in our opinion. Whip it up in a blender and it’s tangy, sweet, coconut-y and tropical: the perfect summer cocktail.
This bubbly and fruity Vodka Spritzer is the quintessential summer drink! It’s just sweet enough with a subtle berry flavor: tangy, refreshing and sparkling all at once. Cranberry juice makes a brilliant red color for a satisfying party drink that you won’t want to end!
Variation: Strawberry Vodka Cocktail
What's a list of summer drinks without frosé? Frose is a mashup between a frozen cocktail and that quintessential summery pink wine. This one is just sweet enough and is full-flavored from rosé wine and strawberries.
Here's a classic cocktail that’s perfect for summer: the Americano! It’s the original inspiration for the Negroni and tastes even better, in our opinion. It’s bitter, complex and bubbly all at once!
Want a citrusy cocktail with a salted rim that’s not a margarita? Enter, the Salty Dog! This summer gin cocktail’s got a unique name and a beautiful pale pink color. It’s got a light summery vibe with grapefruit and gin.
The classic daiquiri is one of the easiest drinks there is! The 1920's style daiquiri is actually not frozen but served in a coupe glass. Rum cocktails are perfect for summer, and this one is simple to make and ultra refreshing!
Variation: Hemingway Daiquiri
The sweet tart flavor of ripe strawberries only improves this classic cocktail! Muddle some fresh berries right into the cocktail, and it makes a deliciously vibrant drink that’s perfect for summer.
Fruity spins on the margarita are fitting for summer cocktails: as is this mango margarita! This sunny spin on the classic is sweet tart and tropical. It’s sweet, zingy, salty, and it goes down pretty easy.
Variations: Peach Margarita, Watermelon Margarita, Raspberry Margarita, Prickly Pear Margarita, Creamy Coconut Margarita
Here's a perfect summer vodka cocktail: the vodka smash! Tangy and refreshing, it features muddled blackberries, mint, and lime. It's sweet tart with a bit of back-end booziness from the vodka.
Here's a summer gin cocktail that's bubbly and refreshing: a Southside fizz! A cousin of the Southside Cocktail, this gin cocktail features bright citrus, herbaceous mint, and fizzy soda water. It’s tart and fizzy: essentially a Tom Collins plus a Mojito!
Looking for a sunny spin on a tropical drink? Try the mango daiquiri! This spin on the classic daiquiri is one of the most refreshing cocktails there is, with an intoxicating sweet tart flavor.
Here’s a final bubbly summer cocktail that’s calling your name: the Cucumber Collins! It’s a spin on the Tom Collins stars cucumber and fresh basil, that peppery herb of the season. It’s got a tangy sweet flavor, a cucumber basil essence and a load of bubbles!
Summer drinks and mocktails
Summer cocktail categories made simple
Frozen and blended
When it’s really hot, nothing beats a frozen cocktail. Try all our Frozen Alcoholic Drinks, like Piña Colada, Frozen Margarita, Strawberry Daiquiri, or Frozen Sangria.
Bubbly and light
For refreshing drinks with effervescence: Aperol Spritz, Moscow Mule, Rosé Spritzer, Gin Rickey, and Limoncello Spritz.
Quick classics
When you want something fast: Ranch Water, Vodka Lemonade, Paloma, and Negroni Sbagliato.
Garden fresh
Make the most of summer herbs: Mojito, Gin Basil Smash, and Basil Gimlet.
By alcohol type
Try our Summer Vodka Cocktails, Summer Gin Cocktails or Simple Gin Cocktails, Summer Rum Cocktails, or Summer Bourbon Cocktails.
Frequently asked questions
Sangrias improve overnight. Individual cocktails are best made fresh, but you can prep garnishes and simple syrups ahead.
Keep white rum, tequila, vodka, and gin on hand – these four spirits cover most summer cocktails. Add Aperol and Prosecco for spritzes.
Sangria, punch, and large-batch cocktails are perfect for groups. Try a margarita pitcher or mojito pitcher! Look for recipes that can be prepped in advance and served over ice throughout the party.
Absolutely! Mocktails mirror the flavors of summer cocktails but without the alcohol. Experiment with sparkling water, fresh juices, fruit purees, and herbs to create refreshing and delicious alcohol-free options. Or try a Virgin Margarita, Virgin Pina Colada, Virgin Mojito, or Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri.
Best Summer Cocktails & Drinks
Pin Recipe
Print RecipeHere’s a classic mojito recipe, perfectly balanced with lime, rum and fresh mint! This iconic Cuban cocktail is refreshing and just sweet enough.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 drink
- Category: Drink
- Method: Shaken
- Cuisine: Cocktails
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 6 mint leaves, plus additional for garnish
- 3 ripe strawberries, plus more for garnish
- 2 ounces white rum
- 1 ounce lime juice
- 1 ounce simple syrup or maple syrup
- 4 ounces soda water
Instructions
- Slice the 3 strawberries in half. In a cocktail shaker, muddle the mint leaves. Add the strawberries and muddle again. Add the rum, lime juice and simple syrup and fill the cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until cold.
- Place ice into a glass, and strain in the liquid. Top off the glass with soda water. Garnish with additional mint leaves and sliced strawberries.
Notes
Pitcher variation: Muddle 1 pint strawberries (24 berries). Then add to this Mojito Pitcher recipe, and garnish with additional sliced strawberries.
To convert to ounces, 1 ounce = 2 tablespoons
More types of cocktails
There are lots more great cocktail recipes to try outside of these summer cocktails! Here are some of our best summer drink collections:
- Sour Cocktails All the very best sours: Boston Sour, Sidecar, even the Margarita and Mojito.
- Lemon Cocktails or Lime Cocktails The best cocktails to make when you’re craving citrus! Includes so many classics.
- Gin Cocktails All the classics: Gin Fizz, Gin and Tonic, and more!
- Bourbon Cocktails Try these bourbon greats: the Old Fashioned, Manhattan, and more.
- Champagne Cocktails These cocktails are light and bubbly! Perfect for celebration.
- Cranberry Cocktails Vibrant cranberry cocktails are so refreshing, like Vodka Cranberry and Sea Breeze.
- Frozen Alcoholic Drinks Cool off with Frose or Frozen Sangria.
from A Couple Cooks https://ift.tt/Hi8m72K
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