Summer Cocktail Recipes
Beat the Heat with Refreshing Cocktails Perfect for Warm Weather: Tequila, Rum & More!
Discover the ultimate collection of refreshing summer cocktail recipes perfect for cooling down on hot days and elevating your seasonal gatherings. From fruity tequila-based drinks and crisp gin spritzers to tropical rum punches and icy vodka creations, these easy-to-make cocktails highlight fresh ingredients like citrus, berries, mint, and cucumber. Whether you're hosting a backyard BBQ, lounging poolside, or enjoying a sunset happy hour, these summer cocktails bring bold flavors and vibrant colors to every occasion. Shake up your drink game with our top-rated recipes to beat the heat.
Classic Margarita
There's a reason that when you think Mexican food, the first cocktail that comes to mind is the margarita. The citrus and sweet character is a timeless match with spicy, salty, saucy Mexican cuisine. If you're looking to impress, these two tips will help you make the perfect, crowd-pleasing margarita.
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The Pearl
Bright, zesty, and effortlessly refreshing, this cocktail brings together smooth tequila, subtle red grapefruit, and a squeeze of fresh lime over ice. It’s the perfect balance of citrusy bite and mellow sweetness—ideal for warm afternoons, sunset happy hours, or whenever you need a crisp, invigorating sip. Simple ingredients, bold flavor.
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Piña Colada
Escape to the tropics with this creamy, dreamy Frozen Piña Colada—the ultimate blend of coconut, refreshing pineapple, and rum for a refreshingly smooth sip! Some claim this refreshing tripartite tropical delight has beginnings dating back to the days of Caribbean pirates.
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Bourbon Peach Smash
Binny's Home Bartender has created the best Bourbon Peach Smash recipe made with Illinois’ famous Calhoun County Peaches, Whiskey Acres Bourbon, ginger beer and mint. The results make for a stunning summer sipper.
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Zombie
Legend has it that Don the Beachcomber concocted the first instance of the Zombie to help a hungover customer survive an important business meeting. We suggest skipping the meeting altogether to enjoy this classic cocktail, which uses four different types of rum.
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Spicy Fever-Tree Paloma
The Paloma cocktail is the cool, refreshing, grapefruity cousin of the Margarita. Both are Tequila and citrus centric, but the Paloma is a tall drink in which the mixer shares center stage with the liquor.
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Mezcal Mule
Mezcal is definitely becoming a new fan favorite. This smoky summer sipper is a twist on the classic vodka mule cocktail. The smoky profile of the Mexican spirit shines through when combined with ginger beer in this Mezcal Mule with bite.
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Aperol Spritz
Looking to up your brunch game? Give a refreshing Aperol Spritz a try. You might not want to indulge in a "bottomless Aperol Spritz" marathon (it's tempting) but one or two of these sparklers with a plate of fruit makes for a lovely and fresh treat. Aperol's herbal bitterness is tamed by orange juice and bubbles, making for a complex and deceptively drinkable sipper.
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Frozen Watermelon Margarita
A quintessential poolside sipper, the Watermelon Margarita. Our recipe utilizes ice cubes made from rich agua fresca for a more intense watermelon flavor and ice cold slushy texture. A summery frozen cocktail designed to combat the heat.
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La Puerta del Cielo
El Cielo’s heavenly appeal is at the fore, supported by soft, lightly sweet vermouth blanc and the outstanding dryish but superlatively orangey Pierre Ferrand Curacao. No simple syrup or other sweetener was required, just a little lemon juice for balance.
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Cucumber Basil Gin Rickey
The classic Gin Rickey is the perfect summer refresher. Just a handful of ingredients and the lack of any sugar make the Rickey so pure, so clean and so very quenching that a second is hard to resist. Not only that, it’s a low-calorie cocktail that lovers of hard seltzer will find familiar. The end result is the kind of invigorating, citrusy and perfectly piney potation that summer sipping demands.
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Pegu Club
So the story goes, this classic dates back to the early 1920's and was served at Burma's Pegu Club in Rangoon, Burma to men of elite status within the government and such. This juicy gin-based gem is simple to make but is full of complex and robust flavors. Perfect for spring sipping.
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Refreshing Lemonade Punch
It's sweet, fresh and easy to make for a large group or for just yourself! A bright citrus vodka is perfect for this summery citrus punch. And that extra dash of sugar - well, that's just optional. (But we recommend it.)
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The Siesta
A mash-up a margarita and a daquiri, The Siesta is easy to make, delicious and follows the pattern that most excellent new wave cocktails follow- use a tried-and-true template, swap out a key ingredient & rebalance.
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Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri
Cool, fruity, and irresistibly refreshing, the Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri is the perfect blend of sweet strawberries, zesty lime, and smooth rum for a vibrant, icy escape! Made with fresh or frozen strawberries, a splash of lime juice, and just the right amount of simple syrup, this classic cocktail is bright, tangy, and deliciously smooth.
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Bramble
The dog days of summer are upon us. The solution for this sticky summer slog? The bramble cocktail. It's a concoction that usually includes blackberry and gin, but variations feature raspberry, blueberry and more. And if gin isn't your style, vodka makes a great substitution, too. With the many twists on this fruity sipper, it was hard to narrow down the list to just our top four.
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Watermelon Squeeze Quencher
Cool off with this refreshing, fruity delight, perfect for warm weather sipping! Crisp vodka meets juicy watermelon and fizzy lemon-lime soda, creating a light, bubbly, and irresistibly smooth cocktail. It’s the ultimate sunny-day sipper—sweet, citrusy, and oh-so-refreshing!
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Sangria
Nothing says spring or summer like a big pitcher of sangria. The best part of mixing up sangria is that you can make it completely your own. Kiwi? Sure! Honey? Go for it! Brandy? The more the merrier. We like to mix ours with a splash of pineapple juice and Cognac. As for the wine, we like to use Underwood - in cans - because it adds a nice light, fruitiness to the mix, not to mention is super convenient.
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San Sebastián Smash
Is it a smash? A sangria? A sparkling wine cocktail? All three? Who cares? It is, undeniably, a deliciously refreshing springtime trip to Spain’s beautiful north coast in one, not so little, glass. Fair warning, this Binny’s original demands savory, salty snacks. Pintxos, anyone?
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Maracuyá Margarita
A fantastically fruity cocktail in full bloom. Fragrant, tart passionfruit shares the stage with bright, floral tequila - while layers of subtle tropical kiwi & pineapple notes round out what is quite possibly the finest spring margarita recipe.
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Humo Rosa
The Humo Rosa, or Smoke Rose, is an intricately mixed cocktail full of sweet and smokey flavors. Mezcal, ginger liqueur and grenadine flow perfectly together to create an uniquely flavorful spring cocktail.
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Big Mama
It's tiki time! Our Big Mama is full of tropical flavors that will have you feeling like you're floating on a flamingo raft somewhere under the sun. This tropical cocktail is a polite mix of lime, ginger, almonds, cinnamon, pineapple, and lemon. The savory sweet combo will have you making another and another and another.
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