By Food & Wine Editors
These refreshing summer cocktails can keep you cool whatever the seasonal occasion. Some of our favorites include a cucumber-rose gin spritz, which gets subtle floral flavor from dried rose petals, and a golden-hued white sangria infused with Thai basil, and fun frozen drinks. Read on for those recipes and more summer cocktails we love.
01. Paloma
Fresh grapefruit juice is the star of this cocktail. Shaken with flavorful reposado tequila, a squeeze of lime, and lots of ice, the drink is topped with splashes of lemon-lime and club sodas for a not-too-sweet version that is sure to refresh.
02. Watermelon Daiquiri
Preparing fresh watermelon juice gives this blend-and-sip cocktail a burst of cool melon flavor, though fresh, high-quality store-bought juice will work here, too. It's a rum drink for margarita lovers, with a salted rim that balances tart lime juice with sweet agave syrup and just as easily makes one drink with leftover juice as it does eight for a crowd.
03. Tabernacle Crush
This light and refreshing cocktail is as reminiscent of the American South as it is of the South of France. It's made with fresh peach and basil, gin, Lillet, lemon juice, club soda, and a bit of simple syru.
04. Tom Collins
With likeness to a Gin Sling or Gin Fizz, the Tom Collins is an easy cocktail made with gin, freshly squeezed lemon juice, a bit of sugar, and carbonated water. It's thirst-quenching and refreshing, with balanced sweet and sour flavors along with an enticing, fizzy finish.
05. Thai Basil Sangria
The Spanish drink sangria draws its name from the blood-red color of its traditional red wine base. This stripped-down version gets its rich golden hue — and zingy flavors — from white wine, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and a kick of brandy.
06. Aperol Spritz
Typically served in a stemmed wine glass filled with ice along with an orange wedge garnish, it's best to use brut Prosecco for this drink, which already has plenty of sweetness from its eponymous ingredient. Feel free to toy with the ratios — for a more bitter flavor profile, add more Aperol; for a less boozy spritz, opt for more soda water.
07. Cucumber-Rose Gin Spritz
A classic combination of gin, lemon, and club soda gets a refreshing twist with cucumber, basil, and cardamom-infused syrup. Dried rose petals add a subtle floral flavor and act as a beautiful garnish.
08. Tamarind-Mezcal Sour
Smoky mezcal and savory bitters are rounded out by sweet-tart lemon juice and tamarind puree in this punchy cocktail.
09. Banana-Rum Old-Fashioned
A bold, strong cocktail with both high-proof bourbon and light rum gets a hit of floral sweetness from mellow crème de banane.
10. Third-Wave Swizzle
A swizzle stick is key to this cold and frothy gin-based drink, but if you don't have one on hand, you can use a long bar spoon to mix. To create the best froth and chill, rub the swizzle stick between both hands to swish it back and forth in the cocktail.
11. Strawberry-Rum Coolers
Ripe strawberries are cooked with lime, ginger, and agave until fragrant and tender, then get blended with both white and dark rum and topped with a float of ginger beer.
12. Pimm's Cup
The Pimm’s Cup is an example of a fruit cup or summer cup, an English category of cocktail that features herbal spirits, bubbly mixers, juices, and plenty of seasonal edible garnishes. This cocktail is a classic quintessential summer cup, as it includes an herbal, gin-based liqueur, bubbly ginger ale or lemon soda, and elaborate garnishes like sliced apples, lemons, oranges, cucumbers, and plenty of mint.
13. Fresh and Easy Piña Coladas
Coconut milk provides richness that rounds out sweet-tart chunks of frozen pineapple, adding a creamy texture to this lighter take on classic piña coladas that uses both white and dark rum. Be sure to vigorously shake the can of coconut milk before opening to recombine the coconut liquids and coconut cream.
14. Sour Cherry Mezcal Margarita
This fruity spin on a margarita combines smoky mezcal, citrusy Cointreau, and sweet-tart cherry puree in a vibrant red drink perfect for late-summer sipping. Bright, pleasantly tart sour cherries are in season for a limited window, so this simple roasted puree is an easy way to preserve their flavor.
15. Mai Tai
Perhaps the most well-known tiki drink, the Mai Tai is a true celebration of rum. The pale yellow cocktail topped with a classic rum float elegantly marries citrus flavors with just the right amount of sweetness. It gets its rich, nutty flavor from orgeat, a sweet cocktail syrup crafted from a base of blanched, ground almonds that are boiled and sweetened with sugar.
16. Apricot Nectarine Julep
A puree of roasted apricots and nectarines brings out bourbon's notes of vanilla and nutmeg, making for the ultimate late-summer cocktail. Pour some of the reserved puree on top of the crushed ice for a cocktail that almost resembles a Hawaiian shave ice. The same roast-and-puree technique can be used for more stone fruits, such as plums and sour cherries.
17. Tequila-Watermelon Aguas Frescas with Prosecco
In this cooling cocktail, Prosecco adds a lively spritz to a light, watermelon-forward margarita. If you happen to have a juicer on hand, you can certainly use it here.
18. Strawberry-Lemon Mojitos
Strawberries sweeten these mojitos from mixologist Joaquin Simo. "This is a great drink when you're in the mood for something fruity," he says.
19. Frozen Cucumber Margaritas with Chili-Sumac Salt
"My most recent slushy obsession is a tequila, cucumber, and coconut water creation, blended up with cilantro and lime and rimmed with a mix of chili powder, sumac, and salt," Top Chef judge Gail Simmons says of her recipe for Frozen Cucumber Margaritas with Chili-Sumac Salt, which we first published in 2019. "It's an ode to my favorite Mexican street snack, fruta con chile y limón: little bags of sliced mango, cucumber, and jicama usually sprinkled with Tajín, a spicy and sour snack seasoning."
20. Long Island Iced Tea
The Long Island Iced Tea is not for the faint of heart. Made with a combination of vodka, white rum, silver tequila, gin, triple sec (or orange liqueur), simple syrup, cola, and if you’re feeling fancy, some lemon juice, it's a potent cocktail filled with a range of flavors.
Originally Published: https://www.foodandwine.com/cocktails-spirits/modern-summer-cocktails
Posted on 06/01/2023 at 10:00 AM
