Summer is here and Roger has a line-up of fruity, spritz, easy-to-make cocktails for the hot days ahead. When you Google “summer cocktails”, the usual suspects come up. Roger wanted to shake things up with some similarly refreshing and simple cocktails that maybe you haven’t heard of before. The great thing about summer is all the fresh, on-hand fruit and herb ingredients that you can get from the store or even your backyard garden.

Like many of the cocktails we make on Barrel to Bottle, it's easy to riff on any of these and make them your own. Change the juices, change the spirits, change the sparkling, change the herbs if you want! Make them tall, make them short, make them strong, make them any way you want. 

Check out all the cocktail recipes below:

QUICK 'N' EASY SALTY DOG

Roger’s first cocktail is the Salty Dog, a riff on the Greyhound. As with many interesting cocktails over the years, people started substituting vodka in for the more flavorful base spirit.

INGREDIENTS:

• Kosher Salt
• 2 oz Citadelle Jardin D'Ete (aka Citadelle Giardiniera) 
• Fever Tree Pink Grapefruit Sparkling Water

SIMPLE STEPS:

Rim a Collins glass with salt. Fill with ice and add gin. Top with grapefruit sparkling water and gently stir to combine. Try Chris’ variation, using fresh grapefruit juice instead of grapefruit soda, with a grapefruit twist. 

BOURBON BERRY SMASH

A few years ago, the Bourbon/Whiskey Smash became the new hotness on social media. The Smash involves muddling fresh fruit and fresh herbs in your glass, then adding bourbon. Grab a handful of fresh mint from your garden, then muddle it with some lemon and a selection of berries. Finally, add your favorite bourbon.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Demerara Sugar Cube
• ½ cup mixed fresh berries (today Roger used blackberries, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries)
• ½ large lemon, cut into wedges
• 1 bunch (4-5 leaves) fresh mint
• 2 oz J. Henry & Sons Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Ice cubes
• Fever Tree Ginger Ale

SIMPLE STEPS:

Place sugar cube, lemon wedges, mint, and berries in a large mason jar and muddle until it forms a saucy jam. Add bourbon, fill with ice cubes, and screw lid on jar. Shake and strain into an ice filled Collins glass or mason jar. Top with ginger ale and garnish with mint and whole fresh berries.

TEQUILA BERRY SMASH

The great thing about the Smash Cocktail is you can mix and match ingredients, including your spirit of choice.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Demerara sugar cube
• ½ cup mixed fresh berries (blackberries, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries)
• ½ large lemon, cut into wedges
• 1 bunch (4-5 leaves) fresh mint
• 2 oz Clark & Sheffield Blanco Tequila
• Fever Tree Pink Grapefruit Sparkling Water

SIMPLE STEPS:

Place sugar cube, lemon wedges, mint, and berries in a large mason jar and muddle until it forms a saucy jam. Add tequila, fill with ice cubes, and screw lid on jar. Shake and strain into an ice filled Collins glass or mason jar. Top with grapefruit sparkling water and garnish with mint and whole fresh berries.

CAPE COD/CAPE CODDER

Believe it or not, Chris is sticking with the theme today and making simple cocktails. No egg whites, no swizzle sticks, no fat rails of nutmeg. He’s even using vodka! But it’s a really nice vodka.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 ½ oz North Shore Distillery Vodka
• 3 oz Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail
• Lime wedge

SIMPLE STEPS:

Fill a highball glass with ice. Add vodka, top with 3 oz cranberry juice cocktail. Stir. Garnish with a lime wedge. 

GIN BUCK

Mules have been all the rage for a few years. Before the Mule, there was the Buck. It likely got it's name from the fact that it had more "kick" than a mule. It's the kind of really easy cocktail that Pat is happy to make. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 ½ oz gin 
• ½ oz fresh lemon juice
• Fever Tree Ginger Ale or Ginger Beer
• Mint leaves

SIMPLE STEPS:

Pour gin and lemon juice into an iced filled Collins glass. Top with ginger ale or beer and stir gently to combine. Garnish with a lemon twist and mint. For a quick and easy variation, try subbing in bourbon.

SEA BREEZE

Pat tried to shove it out of his memory, but the Sea Breeze is a riff on the Sex on the Beach cocktail. There are many members of this family of cocktails, including the Bay Breeze. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 ½ oz North Shore Distillery Vodka 
• 3 oz Ocean Spray Cranberry Cocktail
• 1 ½ oz grapefruit juice

SIMPLE STEPS:

Fill a highball glass with ice. Add vodka, cranberry cocktail and grapefruit juice. Stir. Garnish with lime wedge. 

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