Woohoo! It is finally SUMMER!Time to raise a summer co*cktail in the air and cheer for warm weather, sunny days, barbecues, picnics, and every single fantastic thing about summer!
It feels like this summer was a long time coming. I don't know about your area but getting a warm sunny day has been a process here in Spokane. Oh my!
I am so excited to mix up some great summer co*cktail recipes and enjoy them on the deck this summer.
Best Summer co*cktails
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Whether you are looking for a classic co*cktail, sangria, or something new this list has the perfect summer co*cktail.
Grab the tonic water, club soda, simple syrup, grapefruit juice, lemon juice, gin, agave syrup, ice, and get ready to pour a delicious summer drink.
Ranch Water
Easy Ranch Water Drink co*cktail is the unofficial co*cktail of summer! It is quick and easy to make and tastes amazing. Made with Topo Chico, Lime Juice, and Tequila you will love how refreshing this co*cktail tastes.
Copy Cat Chili's Twisted Lemonade
While we love making trips to our favorite restaurants, there’s something seriously satisfying about enjoying our favorite restaurant co*cktails, like this smooth, refreshing, and boozy Chili’s lemonade, without leaving the house or worrying about getting home.
Piña Colada
National Piña Colada Day may fall on July 10, but we’ll raise a glass to this classic rum, coconut, and pineapple juice co*cktail on any summer day.
Watermelon Margarita
We love co*cktails that are effortless to throw together so that we can spend more time enjoying them, along with the summer weather. This delicious margarita requires only three ingredients - watermelon, tequila, and triple sec!
Make Ahead Strawberry Frozen Margarita
We love making multiples of these make-ahead-friendly strawberry margaritas and storing them in containers until it’s time to drink. There’s nothing like pulling a fresh margarita from the fridge anytime the craving hits!
White Wine Margarita
I didn’t know what an epic addition wine would be to a margarita until discovering this recipe in the 200 Easy Mexican Recipes Cookbook. I am a total convert after trying it for the first time.
Salt or sugar rim works perfect for this margarita.
Smirnoff Lemon Sorbet Martini
We used Smirnoff Sorbet Light Lemon, one of the brand’s reduced-calorie flavored vodkas, to make this fun twist on a snow cone. This co*cktail was also one of our first experiments with making shaved ice with a snow cone machine.
Fresh Peach Daiquiri
This fruity co*cktail is for you if biting into a fresh, juicy peach as you sip on a drink brings you joy. While you can make it with frozen peaches, it’s an excellent way of taking advantage of fresh summer peaches.
93 Calorie Mango Passion Fruit Lemonade co*cktail
Thanks to Smirnoff Sorbet Light Mango Passion Fruit, you can indulge in a second round of this summery lemonade co*cktail that clocks in at just under 100 calories per serving without worrying about working it off the next day.
Maple Old Fashioned with Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum
This twist on an old-fashioned is for you if you’re a dark spirit drinker but need a go-to summer co*cktail. The rum we use in this co*cktail is aged in toasted oak barrels and finished in charred bourbon oak barrels for a spirit that lets you enjoy the best of both worlds, no matter the time of year.
Smirnoff Sorbet Raspberry Pomegranate Cosmopolitan co*cktail
co*cktails are notorious for being high-calorie, especially once you get to those containing many add-ins. Smirnoff Light Sorbet Raspberry Pomegranate gives this yummy two-ingredient beverage the taste of a cosmopolitan, only much more guilt-free since each serving contains just 93 calories.
Avocado Margarita
Like the tomato, the avocado is a fruit often considered a vegetable for its uses in savory dishes. While a vegetable may not be your first thought when you think of a co*cktail, it gives this blender margarita a creamy lusciousness.
Homemade Limoncello
This recipe requires some patience, as the mixture needs to steep in a cool, dark place for 30 days before it’s ready to drink, but it’s a fun science experiment if you’ve been curious about making limoncello at home.
Frozen Mango Margarita
We may never know why National Margarita Day is in February. However, you can pair this delicious blender mango margarita with our carne asada tacos for a fantastic Mexican meal and co*cktail as close to a Puerto Vallarta restaurant experience as you can get on this side of the border.
Hurricane co*cktail
While you may not be able to magically transport to the French Quarter at the drop of a dime, you can enjoy this classic New Orleans co*cktail anytime you crave it and have all the ingredients. It contains three ounces of liquor, so sip slowly before considering a second round.
Garnish with an orange slice and enjoy this refreshing summer drink.
Lava Flow
We wish it could be Aloha Friday every day, but we’ll take a yummy co*cktail that makes it feel that way any day of the week! This tropical blender co*cktail is enjoyable in more ways than one; it gets its name for how the strawberry puree looks like lava as it mesmerizingly swirls into the pineapple-coconut mixture.
Copy Cat Chili’s Calypso Cooler
This rum, peach, and orange co*cktail from Chili’s is one of those dangerously delicious ones that tastes epic but creeps up on you. Prepare a carafe and enjoy it with loved ones as you cool off and enjoy the summer sun!
Blue Margarita
This Carnival Cruise margarita may be as blue as the pool water near your lounge chair, but it’s packed with citrusy delight from the blue curaçao and lemonade. We first sampled it aboard the gorgeous Carnival Horizon, which you can read more about here.
Blue Hawaiian
This tropical blue co*cktail takes five minutes and three ingredients to come together, giving you a delicious drink and more time to lounge by the swimming pool and catch some vitamin D under the summer sun.
Tequila Sunrise
When you get the layering down pat, this layered co*cktail resembles a gorgeous Cabo San Lucas sunrise. It’s fantastic for summer brunches, celebrating National Tequila Day, or sipping on the balcony or porch on a hot summer evening.
Jamaican Paradise
In this copycat version of a Chili’s favorite, amber gold tequila, neon-green Midori Melon Liqueur, and blue curaçao combine for a stunning emerald co*cktail that tastes like tropical paradise in a glass.
Blue Shark
With two base spirits and a third ingredient containing alcohol, this twist on an old-fashioned co*cktail looks pretty but packs a punch! Serve it for tiki parties, Shark Week, or whenever you think a bright blue co*cktail would brighten your day.
Coral Reef
This coconut rum and strawberry co*cktail is an excellent way to enjoy a taste of tropical paradise without leaving the house! As with our other co*cktails made using a blender, we recommend using a powerful blender like the Ninja Blender to get the perfect slushy consistency.
Cactus Colada
This take on the piña colada features a toasted coconut topping, making it perfect for anyone who loves this classic summer co*cktail but wishes it had more coconut. It is another selection from the 200 Easy Mexican Recipes Cookbook that’s perfect for your Cinco de Mayo festivities.
Blue Agave Margarita
Three of the four ingredients in this bright blue co*cktail contain alcohol, making for a potent drink that deserves a filling meal to go along with it. Pair it with our slow cooker nacho chicken, grilled avocados, tequila-spiked guacamole, and a bag of tortilla chips!
Strawberry Basil Lemonade co*cktail
The inspiration for this easy lemonade co*cktail came from Smirnoff’s Sorbet Light Strawberry; can’t you tell we’ve been having so much fun with the flavors in this lineup? The muddled basil adds a yummy herbal sweetness that pairs fantastically with strawberry and makes it disappear before you know it.
Garnish with fresh berries and basil.
Bahama Mama Popsicle
Adults deserve boozy popsicles for summer fun, and that’s exactly what we wanted to deliver in this co*cktail-inspired ice pop recipe! We love making a large batch for summer parties, barbecues, tiki parties, picnics, and other warm-weather festivities.
Electric Blue Lemonade
You can make this pretty blue lemonade co*cktail individually or pitcher-style! If you make it pitcher-style, leave out the Sprite and finish each glass with the Sprite so that each person has a perfectly fizzy and refreshing beverage.
Boozy Blueberry Mojito Popsicle
While no one has to know that the popsicle you’re enjoying on the porch on a summer afternoon tastes like a blueberry mojito, we recommend labeling them for storage so that no one under age gets their hands on them.
Adult Fuzzy Navel Ice Pops
Peach is a seasonal stone fruit that appears in many sweet summertime treats, so why not take advantage of fresh summer peaches and make some peachy-keen boozy ice pops? We recommend these zipsicle pouches with an included funnel for mess-free popsicle making.
Lavender Lemonade co*cktail
This floral lemonade co*cktail features Oakhurst Spirits Lavender Vodka, a flavored spirit made in a small-batch distillery at the southern gateway to Yosemite National Park. You can serve it as-is, make it pitcher-style, or finish it with sparkling lemonade or Prosecco to make it bubbly.
Cosmopolitan Popsicle
Channel your inner Carrie Bradshaw and cool off on a hot summer day (or stay in the shade while you watch Sex and the City reruns) with this popsicle version of this iconic pink co*cktail!
Screwdriver Popsicle
Equal parts adult beverage and icy cold dessert, this two-ingredient co*cktail-inspired popsicle more than pulls its weight! We used disposable Dixie cups as popsicle molds, but any other method we’ve covered in our co*cktail popsicle series works fine!
Crock Pot Lemonade Moonshine
This homemade lemonade moonshine would be a fantastic replacement for vodka in any co*cktail that pairs well with lemon! Like all moonshine, a little goes a long way with the booze factor.
Boozy Black Cherry Lemonade Ice Pops
We discovered the Zoku Quick Pop Maker around the time we made this recipe, which helped us up our co*cktail popsicle game in a big way! These easy adult popsicles contain just two ingredients - a can of Mike’s Hard Lemonade in Black Cherry and a can of regular Mike’s Hard Lemonade.
Carnival Cruise Alchemy Bar Cucumber Sunrise
This brunch-worthy watermelon, cucumber, and orange juice co*cktail was one of our favorites at Alchemy Bar, Carnival Cruise’s premium onboard co*cktail destination, before heading to dinner or seeing some live entertainment.
Rainbow co*cktail
This layered co*cktail is eye-catching and colorful, much like the fashion that becomes trendy once the weather warms up. We have a guide to pouring the perfect layered drink if you need to practice your bartending skills.
Peach Iced Tea co*cktail
Whether you make it by the glass or prepare a pitcher for sharing, all is peachy-keen when you have a glass of this fruity iced tea co*cktail in hand! Freeze some fresh peaches and use them as ice cubes for even more peachy fun.
Favorite co*cktail tools
We hope you enjoy these epic Summer co*cktails! Here are some of our favorite co*cktail tools for our home bar.
2 ounce shot glasses- We love these 2 oz shot glasses especially for layered shots.
Bar Spoon- Bar spoons help to create layers in the co*cktail shot. They fit perfectly into the co*cktail shot glass.
co*cktail Shaker – This co*cktail shaker comes with a fantastic set of tools to shake and strain the best summer drink.
Stemless Martini Glasses- These stemless martini glasses are fantastic.
Martini Glass- We like the look of the classic martini glass
Jell-O Shot Cups- We suggest using two-ounce Jell-O shot cups.
OXO angled jiggers- these are our go-to measuring tools for co*cktails. They work perfectly for pouring in layers for co*cktails.
Margarita Glasses- We like the look of classic margarita glasses but you can use any glass for this great co*cktail.
Copper Mule Mugs - Copper Mule Mugs are the classic way to serve Moscow Mules. The copper mugs keep them nice and cold and look amazing.
Highball glass, wine glass, Collins glass are also popular drinkware.
Great co*cktail Collections
2 Ingredient co*cktails - Easy 2 ingredient co*cktails and shots that require as little effort as they do ingredients from your home bar.
Great Martini Recipes- Shake or stir your favorite martini with these great recipes
Tequila co*cktails- Easy drinks made with tequila including margaritas and more.
Blue co*cktails- Blue co*cktails are as eye-catching as they are tasty. Here are our blue co*cktail favorites that can be made from home without needing to leave home and open a bar tab.
Moscow Mule Recipes- Try a new variation on the classic Moscow Mule Drink. Grab the ginger beer, crushed ice, and a sprig of mint leaves to make a great mule drink.
Red Colored co*cktails- Epic Guide to Red co*cktails You Can Make at Home!
Cranberry Juice co*cktails- Easy co*cktails with Cranberry Juice that taste amazing! These cranberry juice co*cktails are perfect year-round.
Check out all of ourco*cktail Recipes
Do you love recipes? Check out ourcopycat recipes,dessertrecipes, and ourCrockPot Recipes.
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