Our Favorite Summer Cocktails

Summer weather beckons a light and refreshing cocktail. Below is a list of some of our favorites!

Classic Aperol Spritz

You can never go wrong with a classic cocktail like an Aperol spritz. We love this recipe from Cookie and Kate!

Ingredients:

• Ice
• 3 oz Aperol
• 3 oz dry prosecco
• 1 oz club soda or unflavored sparkling water
• Orange slice, for garnish

Instructions:

1. Add ice to the glass until it’s nearly full.
2. Pour the Aperol until one-third of the glass is full. Add 1 equal parts of Prosecco.
3. Top off the drink with club soda and garnish with an orange slice.

Tamarind-Mezcal Sour

If you are like us and love the smoky taste of mezcal, you should try this tamarind-mezcal sour recipe from Food & Wine. This cocktail is both sweet and tart.

Ingredients:

For the Syrup:

• 1 lemon
• 1 grapefruit
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1⅔ cups tamarind purée or 1 (14 oz) package frozen unsweetened tamarind pulp

For the Cocktail:

• 2 Tbsp tamarind-citrus syrup
• 1½ Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1½ Tbsp manzanilla sherry
• 1½ Tbsp mezcal
• 2 dashes Bittermens Xocolatl Mole Bitters
• Pineapple fronds, edible flowers, sliced star fruit, and orange peel, for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

1. Make tamarind-citrus syrup: Peel lemon and grapefruit. Squeeze lemon juice, about 3 Tbsp, in a saucepan. Combine sugar, tamarin purée, lemon juice, lemon peels, and grapefruit peel. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat and whisk constantly until the sugar is fully dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 30 minutes.
2. In a shaker, combine tamarin-citrus syrup, lemon juice, sherry, mezcal, and bitters with ice. Cover shaker and shake vigorously for 30 seconds.
3. Strain into an ice-filled glass and garnish.

Apricot Nectarine Julep

This apricot nectarine julep is a sweet frozen summer cocktail from Food & Wine. This recipe is so delicious, we know we will make it all summer long.

Ingredients:

For the Apricot-Nectarine Purée:

• 1 pound fresh apricots, halved and pitted
• 1 pound fresh nectarines, halved and pitted
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar

For the Cocktail:

• 15 fresh mint leaves (about ¼ cup, loosely packed)
• 2 oz bourbon
• Finely crushed or pebbled ice
• 1 mint sprig, for garnish

Instructions:

1. Make apricot-nectarine purée: Preheat oven to 400° F. On a baking sheet, spread evenly tossed nectarines, apricots, and sugar. Roast fruit until soft, approximately 20 minutes. Stir halfway through roasting time. Allow the fruit to cool for 5 minutes before adding it and scrapings into a food processor or blender. Pulse fruit 5-8 times, until smooth. Pour the mixture through a fine wire mesh into a bowl and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.
2. Muddle together mint and ¼ cup of fruit purée at the bottom of a julep cup.
3. Add bourbon and crushed ice, stirring until chilled. Fill the cup with additional ice, forming a mound.
4. Add 2-4 Tbsp of the purée over the ice, then garnish.

Strawberry Lemonade Mojito

Lemonade is a summer staple, so incorporating it into a mojito seems only natural! Five Heart Home has a recipe that is everything we want out of a summer cocktail.

Ingredients:

For the Mint-Infused Simple Syrup:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup mint leaves

For the Cocktail:

• 1 large lemon, cut into 8 wedges
• 6 large strawberries, very ripe
• 20 mint leaves
• 3 oz fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 4 oz mint-infused simple syrup
• 6 oz white or gold rum
• 8 oz seltzer
• Ice

Garnish (optional):

• 4 lemon slices
• 4 whole strawberries
• 4 mint sprigs

Instructions:

1. Prepare the syrup: In a small pot over medium-high heat, combine water and sugar and bring to a boil. Stir until the sugar completely dissolves and remove from heat. Add mint and steep until syrup is cooled. Strain and discard the mint.
2. In a large pitcher or deep bowl, use a wooden spoon to crush and muddle the lemon wedges, strawberries, and mint leaves. Add lemon juice, 4 oz mint simple syrup, rum, seltzer, and ice. Stir before pouring through a strainer into a clean pitcher or glasses filled with ice. Add garnish.

Piña Colada

A refreshing hot weather drink we always return to is the piña colada. It instantly transports us to a beach vacation. Check out this Simply Recipes recipe for a delicious option.

Ingredients:

• 6 oz white rum
• 6 oz cream of coconut
• 6 oz of pineapple juice
• ½ cup frozen pineapple chunks
• 4 cups ice
• 4 oz golden or añejo rum (optional)
• Pineapple leaves or wedges for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

1. In a blender, combine white rum, coconut cream, pineapple juice, chunks, and ice; process until completely blended.
2. Pour the blend into glasses and top off with golden rum until it floats to the top.
3. Garnish with pineapple leaves and slices.