Summertime is the best time to craft and drink refreshing cocktails at home. Check out our favorite summer cocktails and craft one today.
Sipping summer cocktails is fun whether you’re on vacation or at home. Typically cold and sweet, the best summer cocktails cool things down when it’s hot outside. Plus, they’re fun to sip, either with or without a straw, at any time of the year.
Crafting Summer Cocktails At Home
Our favorite summer drinks are easy to craft without a lot of steps or ingredients. Many are fruity and some are bubbly. Most important – they all taste like summer in a glass.
We first discovered the pleasure of crafting refreshing summer cocktails at home when we crafted our first Porto Tonico during the summer of 2019. We’ve since crafted dozens and dozens of refreshing summer cocktails featuring Campari, Gin, Rum, Tequila and Vodka. And we’re not done yet.
Some people like to craft frozen summer cocktails when the thermometer goes up. We’re not typically those people. While we have no problem pulling out our blender to whip up morning smoothies, we prefer to keep our summer sippers easy.
Adding fresh juice is another story. When given the choice, we always go the fresh juice route when a cocktail recipe calls for orange, lime, pineapple or even passionfruit juice. We recommend that you do the same.
What Are Summer Drinks?
Summer drinks run the cocktail gamut.
You’re probably familiar with classic summer cocktails like the Daiquiri and Margarita. However, some popular summer cocktails like the Dirty Shirley, Garibaldi and Hugo Spritz may be new to you.
We say try them all but not at the same time. Don’t worry – there’s no rush. The summer season lasts for 13 wonderful weeks.
26 Of The Best Summer Cocktails
Garibaldi
The Garibaldi Cocktail, one of summer's hottest drinks, is a sophisticated Italian tipple. Follow this super simple recipe and craft a refreshing Garibaldi at home.
Hugo Spritz
Italy's Hugo Spritz is an ideal summer sipper that's ready for its moment. You'll understand once you take your first delicious sip. Consider yourself warned that your first sip won't be your last.
Pina Colada
The Pina Colada is more than the subject of a 70s hit song. Puerto Rico's national drink is also a frothy, fruity cocktail that's surprisingly simple to make at home either with or without a blender. We go the blender-free route in our easy Pina Colada recipe. It's a winner any time of year but especially during the summer.
Tom Collins
Simultaneously sweet and tart, the Tom Collins cocktail is a delightful drink that tastes like spiked lemonade. It’s also super simple to craft at home with just a few ingredients.
Paloma
The Paloma tastes like summer in a glass. The refreshing tequila tipple is simultaneously sweet, sour and salty. It's also easy to craft at home regardless of the season.
Dirty Shirley
The Dirty Shirley isn't just a grown up version of the popular Shirley Temple drink. It's also a refreshing summer cocktail that's super easy to craft at home in just five minutes.
Jungle Bird
Go wild and craft a Jungle Bird cocktail at home! Despite its surprisingly simple recipe, the sophisticated tiki cocktail is a delight whether you live in an actual jungle or an urban one.
Orange Creamsicle
Our Orange Creamsicle Cocktail is as easy to craft as it is to drink. But make no mistake - this decadent creamsicle drink is a boozy, grown-up version of the summertime ice cream treat.
Mai Tai
The Mai Tai cocktail isn't just the most iconic tiki drink. It's also a classic rum cocktail that's easy to craft at home and even easier to sip. It's ideal for summer too!
Gin and Tonic
The G&T is a global phenomenon that can't be stopped. Follow our easy Gin and Tonic Recipe with gin and tonic water plus a couple surprises. It's a summertime staple!
Porto Tonico
Drinking a white port and tonic cocktail is popular in Portugal all year but especially during the warm summer months. Follow our easy white port tonic recipe and craft a Porto Tonico at home with just five ingredients.
Classic Margarita
The classic Margarita is one of the most popular cocktails in the world. It's also one of the easiest cocktails to craft at home with just three ingredients and no special bar tools. Don't forget the tortilla chips!
Mojito
Our Bacardi Mojito recipe is ideal for summer. You can whip up this Cuban cocktail favorite at home with just five ingredients plus ice.
Fuzzy Navel
A relic of the 1980s, the Fuzzy Navel has become a bit of a joke to serious mixologists. But it's actually a tasty tipple that's almost too easy to sip. How easy? Follow our easy Fuzzy Navel recipe and find out.
Aperol Spritz
The Aperol Spritz is the quintessential aperitivo cocktail in Italy. (Sorry Negroni fans!) Discover the story behind the classic Italian cocktail and learn how to craft one at home.
Limoncello Spritz
The Limoncello Spritz screams summer with its bright flavor and equally bright yellow color. You can sip one in Italy or craft one at home. The choice is yours.
Classic Daiquiri
Leave any preconceptions about the Daiquiri behind when you follow our easy Bacardi Daiquiri recipe. Cuba's most classic cocktail is a sophisticated summer sipper made with just three ingredients that you probably already have at home.
Woo Woo
The Woo Woo cocktail is a tasty vodka drink with a quirky name. It's also easy to craft at home and even easier to sip.
Classic Negroni
Follow our classic Negroni recipe and learn how to make the sophisticated Italian sipper with just five ingredients including ice. Unique for its deep red color and acerbic flavor, a Campari Negroni packs a punch with equal parts of bitter Campari, dry gin and sweet vermouth.
Negroni Sbagliato with Prosecco
The Negroni Sbagliato was allegedly invented by mistake. Fast forward 50 years and this mistaken 'Negroni with Prosecco' has become a worldwide sensation. Join the hype and craft the bubbly sipper at home.
Tequila Sunrise
Our Tequila Sunrise recipe is so easy to craft that you'll be sipping your tasty tequila tipple in just a few minutes. In other words, it's not just another Tequila Sunrise recipe. It's a keeper.
Hurricane
Drinking a Hurricane cocktail at Pat O'Brien's is a rite of passage for first-time visitors to New Orleans. However, you can craft a better version of the fruity cocktail at home no matter where you live. It's fruity and fun!
Ranch Water
Ranch Water may not be on your cocktail radar unless you live in Texas. However, this tequila highball cocktail is so easy to craft and refreshing to drink that it may become your favorite summer sipper.
Cuba Libre
The Cuba Libre cocktail takes Rum & Coke to new heights with the simple addition of fresh lime juice. It's so easy to craft that you'll want to drink the Cuba Libre again and again.
Pimm's Cup
The Pimm's Cup may hail from London but the refreshing tipple is equally popular across the pond in New Orleans. Learn the story behind the transcontinental cocktail and then craft one at home in just five minutes.
Caipirinha
The Caipirinha is so popular in Brazil that it's the country's national drink. You can easily make the potent potable at home with just four ingredients.
Summer Cocktail FAQs
Summer cocktails cool you down when it’s hot outside. They’re often fruity, sometimes bubbly and always refreshing.
The best summer cocktail is the one that you like more than any other cocktail. Popular contenders include the Dirty Shirley, Garibaldi and Hugo Spritz.
Summer cocktails taste best during the months of June, July, August and September.
While it’s fun to drink summer cocktails while on vacation, we prefer to craft summer cocktails at home and sip them with friends.
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About The Authors
Daryl & Mindi Hirsch
Saveur Magazine’s BEST TRAVEL BLOG award winners Daryl and Mindi Hirsch share their culinary travel experiences and recipes on their website 2foodtrippers. Since launching the site in 2012, they’ve traveled to over 40 countries in their quest to bring readers a unique taste of the world.
Original Publication Date: June 21, 2023