It’s here, summer is finally here! Now that we’ve been warmed by the sun and actually able to leave our homes, we’re thinking about outdoor summer shindigs, patios, and summer cocktails enjoyed outside.
So wipe down that patio furniture, pull out your sundresses from storage, spruce up the cottage, and grab your cocktail shaker. Maybe even plan a retro garden party! These 11 adult beverages will take you all the way through to the Labour Day long weekend, and beyond if we’re lucky.
Refreshing Summer Cocktails:
photo: via cookieandkate.com
Aperol Spritz
Put on your floppiest hat, cook up a beautiful plate of your favourite pasta dish, and get ready to embrace Italy in the summer with this classic cocktail. With just the right amount of sweet paired with bubbles, the Aperol Spritz is one of the most perfect summer cocktails whether you’re enjoying an Italian sunset or simply lounging in your backyard.
If you want to try an Aperol Spritz for yourself, here’s how to make the classic cocktail.
What you’ll need:
- Ice
- 3 oz Aperol
- 3 oz dry Prosecco
- 1 oz club soda or unflavored sparkling water
- Orange slice, for garnish
What to do with it:
1. Add ice to a wine glass until it is nearly full. Pour in the Aperol (about half the glass should be full).
2. Pour in an equal amount of Prosecco. Add a splash of club soda, an orange slice to garnish and enjoy!
Rosé Apple Cider
When you’ve had a long day at the (home) office, followed by a longer night getting the kids to sleep, the last thing on your mind is getting out a cocktail shaker and a few ingredients. You want something you can grab, open, and enjoy. On those nights, look no further than a delicious bottle of Rosé Apple Cider.
Pairing together two of our favourite grab-and-go summer drinks, Strongbow’s Rosé Apple Cider falls right in the middle of the dry-to-sweet cider spectrum. The Rosé Apple Cider is made with real red-fleshed apples—that’s where it gets its beautiful pink tint from! The cider drinks like a crisp, semi-dry cider with fruity notes.
We wouldn’t say no to a Strongbow Rosé Apple Cider at the cottage, on a patio or while we’re barbequing.
Available at the LCBO.
photo: via wideopeneats.com
Pear Mojito
It might not seem like a foregone conclusion that pear and mint work well together. But we’re here to tell you that they do indeed. Especially when you add in a bit of rum! This twist on a perennial favourite is refreshing and adds another layer to an already complex—yet simple—summer cocktail.
What you’ll need:
- 5 oz rum
- 75 oz lime juice
- 75 oz simple syrup
- 1 pear
- Fresh mint leaves
- Club soda
What to do with it:
1. In a food processor, blitz one peeled pear of your choice. Set aside.
2. In a highball glass, lightly press on mint leaves with a muddler.
3. Add 1 oz of your homemade pear puree, rum, lime juice, and simple syrup.
4. Add ice and transfer into a shaker and shake.
5. Add club soda and pour back in a highball glass and garnish with mint leaves.
Pimm’s Cup
If the Aperol Spritz takes you to the Italian countryside, a delicious Pimm’s Cup transports you to an English Garden party or, if your feeling sporty, Wimbledon. While you might not have a bottle of Pimm’s No. 1 stashed in your liquor cabinet, after a sip of this fresh, fruity, low-alcohol cocktail, you’ll want to always have one on hand.
This recipe makes a pitcher, making it perfect for your next summer party—whether or not it’s a garden party.
What you’ll need:
- 8 oz. Pimm’s No.1
- 40 oz. lemonade
- Mint
- 2 orange
- 12 strawberries
- 1 cucumber
What to do with it:
1. Slice up your oranges, strawberries and cucumber and add to a pitcher along with ice and mint.
2. Add Pimm’s No.1 and lemonade to your pitcher. Stir and serve.
Tart Summer Cocktails:
Sour-Cherry Gin Smash
If you haven’t tried a can of Georgian Bay’s Gin Smash, it’s a refreshingly lovely drink, perfect for a summer afternoon at the cottage. If you want to put a twist on the standard citrus cocktail, this sour cherry version is a real treat.
Swap out the sugar cube for your sweetener of choice and the sour cherries for 8-10 raspberries for a slightly less tart cocktail.
What you’ll need:
- 2 oz Gin
- 6 sour cherries (fresh or thawed)
- 1 sugar cube or 1 tsp of your sweetener of choice
- 5 oz fresh lime juice
- Ginger ale
- 1 lime wedge
What to do with it:
1. In a cocktail shaker, add the cherries and the sugar cube, and muddle until the sugar is broken down. Then add in your lime juice and gin, and shake.
2. Strain into a glass filled with ice.
3. Finish it off with a splash of ginger ale and garnish with a lime wedge.
Backyard Cherry Bomb
This summer cocktail’s ingredients list reads like the summers of your childhood, with a bit of vodka thrown in for good measure. This recipe will make a whole pitcher of this yumminess. So call up your friends, your neighbours, even that nice woman you met at hot yoga, and have a backyard party worthy of these perfect summer cocktails.
What you’ll need:
- 4 oz vodka
- 16 oz lemonade
- 9 oz cherry soda
- 15 sweet dark cherries (frozen)
What to do with it:
1. Add ice, vodka, and lemonade to a pitcher and stir.
2. Pour cherry soda into a pitcher, add cherries, and serve.
Spiked Pineapple Limeade
Say hello to summer with two flavours that are emblematic of beach vacations—pineapple and lime. Cool down with a glass packed full of pineapple and lime flavours, mixed to perfection. Leave out the vodka—and the mint for picky eaters—and you’ve got a fun mocktail that your kids are sure to love.
What you’ll need:
- 1 oz vodka
- 2 oz limeade
- 3 chunks of fresh pineapple
- 2 mint leaves
- Additional mint and lime slices
What to do with it:
1. Place mint and pineapple in a shaker and muddle together.
2. Add vodka, limeade and ice and shake well.
3. Pour into a glass and garnish with mint and lime slices.
photo: via sugarandcharm.com
Strawberry Tequila Sodas
We couldn’t do a roundup of summer cocktails without including at least one tequila cocktail, now could we? This cocktail is a take on the classic vodka tonic, but with a little more fun and a lot more tequila. The fun pink hue comes from the fresh strawberries, which also add a subtle fruity taste to the cocktail.
What you’ll need:
- 3 ripe strawberries, top cut off
- 1 oz tequila
- Juice of large ½ lime
- 2 oz tonic water
What to do with it:
1. Muddle the strawberries in the cup you’ll be serving the soda in.
2. Add in the tequila, lime juice and tonic water and stir.
3. Top with ice and enjoy!
Sweet Summer Cocktails:
Whisky Sweet Tea
Head down south for your next cocktail inspiration. Perfect for lazy summer nights on the porch, this whisky sweet tea cocktail is a refreshing blend of sweet tea, whisky, and mint.
If you aren’t planning on making your own sweet tea, you can substitute the sweet tea for unsweetened iced tea and 1 tsp simple syrup. If you want to try your hand at making your own, we love this recipe.
What you’ll need:
- 2 lemon wedges
- 4 mint leaves
- 1 oz sweet tea
- 1 oz whisky
- A sprig of mint to garnish
What to do with it:
1. In a shaker, add the lemon wedges and mint leaves. Muddle together.
2. Add the remaining ingredients to the shaker and fill with ice.
3. Shake, and strain into a glass filled with fresh ice.
4. Garnish with a sprig of mint.
photo: via abeautifulmess.com
Blackberry Cilantro Margarita
Looking for a sweet and savoury cocktail? This Blackberry Cilantro Margarita is the perfect blend thanks to simple syrup, tart blackberries, and fragrant cilantro. Not a fan of cilantro? Swap it out for mint or basil for a different take.
This is one of our more complicated summer cocktails, but the end result is more than worth it.
What you’ll need:
- 5 oz tequila
- 1 oz Cointreau
- 1 oz simple syrup
- Fresh blackberries
- Juice of one lime
- 6 sprigs fresh cilantro
- Sea salt
- Honey
What to do with it:
1. Brush the rim of your glass with honey and roll it in coarse sea salt (this step is optional but you’ll be glad you did it!).
2. In a shaker, combine the tequila, Cointreau, simple syrup, 8 fresh blackberries, juice of one lime, and cilantro
3. Muddle the blackberries until combined.
4. Add ice and shake. Fill glass with ice and strain drink.
photo: via readytoyumble.com
Mimosa Poptails
With temperatures already reaching the mid-30s, it’s going to be a hot summer. So why not cool down with the ultimate in chilly summer cocktails—one that comes with its own popsicle!
These mimosa-flavoured popsicles are served in a glass of your favourite sparkling wine. And bonus—this recipe makes 10, so you can plan a party or stock up for those exceptionally hot summer evenings.
What you’ll need:
- 4 chopped fresh strawberries (or chopped fruit of your choice)
- 2 ½ cups orange juice
- 3 ½ oz Triple Sec
- 2 bottles of your favourite sparkling wine
- 10 strawberries, whole, for garnish
- Popsicle mould
- Popsicle sticks
What to do with it:
1. Place chopped strawberries in the bottom of popsicle moulds.
2. Combine OJ and Triple Sec in a pitcher and pour into the mould, leaving a half inch at the top of each mould.
3. Place in freezer. Once slightly frozen (about 30-60 minutes), add in popsicle sticks and freeze until solid.
4. Once frozen, remove from the mould and serve in a glass of your favourite sparkling wine with strawberries for garnish.
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