The temperatures have been creeping up, and chances are your bar customers are looking for something refreshing, light, and summery. We’re collected some summer cocktail recipes perfect to add to your mid-summer cocktail menus—we’ve even included a recipe for boozy ice cream!
Strawberry Slushi Martini
Ingredients:
2 oz. Crystal Head Vodka
1 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
¼ oz. Agave Syrup
5-6 Frozen Strawberries
Mint
Directions:
Combine Crystal Head Vodka, lime juice, agave syrup and frozen strawberries into a blender. Pulse until it forms a puree. Add ice and pulse until the puree is a slushy. Pour into a martini glass with a sugar rim. Garnish with a fresh strawberry, fresh mint and lime wheel.
Recipe courtesy of Crystal Head Vodka.
Salted Banana Daiquiri (non-alcoholic)
Ingredients:
2 oz Ritual Rum Alternative
3/4 oz lime juice
3/4 oz banana syrup
Pinch of salt
Banana slice for garnish
Directions:
Combine the ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake well. Double strain into a chilled couple. Top with a pinch of salt and add garnish.
Photo and recipe courtesy of Ritual Zero Proof.
Wilde Ride
Ingredients:
1.5 Wilde Irish Gin
.75 Lillet Blanc
.75 Aperol
Absinthe glass rinse
Orange Peel Garnish
Directions:
Rinse a glass with absinthe. Mix rest of ingredients in shaker. Strain into a glass. Garnish with orange peel.
Recipe by Wilde Irish Gin.
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Drunken Monkey
Ingredients:
2 oz Yobo Soju
1.5 oz Red Monkey Makgeolli
0.5 oz Lychee liqueur
0.5 oz Peach Schnapps
0.5 oz Triple Sec
Top with tonic water
Garnish: Dehydrated lemon, raisin and ginger candy
Directions:
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice, shake and strain into a copper mug. Garnish with dehydrated lemon, raisin, and ginger candy.
Recipe from Yoon Haeundae Galbi.
Village Bramble
Ingredients:
2 oz village bourbon
.75 oz blackberry puree
.75 oz lemon juice
Directions:
Shake, strain over rocks, blackberry garnish.
Recipe by the Village Garage in Bennington, VT.
Southern Bella
Ingredients:
2 oz hibiscus kiss infused Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch Whiskey*
1 oz fresh-squeezed lime juice
1 oz Crockett Desert Gold Mesquite Honey Syrup**
1 oz egg white
3 dashes of Fee Brothers rhubarb bitters
Directions:
For the Hibiscus Kiss infused Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch Whiskey, combine one bottle
of Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch Whiskey with 2oz of Loose Leaf Tea Market’s Hibiscus Kiss blend. Steep at room temperature until a dark pomegranate juice color is achieved. Once the whiskey is done steeping, strain out any remaining tea.
For the Crockett Desert Gold Mesquite Honey Syrup, combine equal parts hot honey and water. Stir to combine. Allow to cool before use.
For the cocktail, add 2 oz Hibiscus Kiss infused Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch Whiskey, plus all other ingredients to your cocktail shaker. Begin with a dry shake (without ice), followed by your wet shake (with ice) for 8-10 seconds. Double strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a pinch of dry tea in the center.
Recipe courtesy of Uncle Nearest.
The Proclaimer
Ingredients:
2 oz Proclamation Irish Whiskey
1 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
.5 oz sugar cane syrup
3 dashes Angostura Bitters
Topped with freshly drawn soda water
Garnish: dark maraschino cherry on a stick and twist of orange peel
Directions:
Shaken over ice, strained then stirred into ice filled glass. Garnish with dark maraschino cherry on a stick and with a twist of orange peel.
Recipe by Proclamation Irish Whiskey.
Roses Lemonade
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon
Strawberry Lemonade
Lemon
Strawberries
Directions:
Fill glass with ice, add bourbon and top with strawberry lemonade. Garnish
with a lemon wheel and fresh strawberries and relax.
Recipe courtesy of Four Roses.
Puerto Strawberry Sangria
Ingredients:
5 oz. Puerto De Indias Strawberry Gin
1 bottle (750ml) Chilled Rose Wine
8-12 oz. Club Soda or Lemon/Lime soda to taste
Fresh Sliced Strawberries and Lemons
Directions:
Add the Puerto de Indias Gin and the chilled rosé wine to a pitcher filled with ice. Top with the soda and stir to combine. Add the fresh strawberry and lemon slices and stir gently to integrate. Enjoy!
Recipe courtesy of Puerto De Indias.
Raspberry Lemon Soda
Ingredients:
1/2 oz Chambord
Juice from 1/2 lemon
4 oz good quality soda water
Directions:
Fill a tall glass with ice, add Chambord and fresh lemon juice. Top with soda water and voilà !
Recipe by Chambord.
Alizé Lemonade Punch
Ingredients:
1 oz vodka
1 oz Alizé Midnight Passion
3 oz lemonade
1.5 oz sparkling water
Directions:
Build in glass over ice and stir together to mix. Garnish with fresh berries.
Recipe courtesy of Alizé.
Banana Daiquiri
Ingredients:
2 oz Faraday West Indies Rum
.75 Lime Juice
.5 oz Giffard Banana
(thin) .25 oz Simple Syrup
2 dash Angostura
Directions:
Combine ingredients and shake, double (or fine) strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a lime wheel.
Recipe by Faraday West Indies Rum.
Rainbow Melon Lemonade
Directions:
Fill serving glass full of ice. Pour ingredients into serving glass in order listed. Add garnish and serve.
Recipe courtesy of Monin.
Boozy Orange and Lemon Zest Sorbet
Ingredients:
4 oz. Hendricks Gin
3/4 oz. The Perfect Purée Orange Zest, thawed
1/2 oz. The Perfect Purée Lemon Zest, thawed
1/2 cup filtered water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Lime zest
Q Tonic
Directions:
- In a medium sized saucepan, gently heat 1/2 cup filtered water and slowly add 1/2 cup granulated sugar until dissolved.
- Remove from heat and add in The Perfect Purée Orange Zest and Lemon Zest. Stir slowly.
- Combine Hendricks Gin with the zested syrup by stirring in a mixing bowl. Transfer and store in an appropriate container and freeze to allow it to continue to firm. Remove from freezer 10 minutes before serving.
- Rim a well chilled coup or martini glass with Dress the Drink Lemon Lime Zest Mint Sugar Blend. Use a small ice cream scoop to scoop 3 scoops of sorbet into the cocktail glass. Sprinkle with freshly grated lime zest for an additional pop of flavor and color and top off with Q Tonic. Garnish with fresh lemon and lime twists and a sprig of mint.
