20 Summer Drinks Guide: Refreshing Cocktails for Hot Weather
Summer is the season for long, cold, high-acid drinks that cool you down and keep the mood light. This 20 Summer Drinks Guide covers classic and easy cocktails you can make at home, from citrus highballs to tropical favourites and refreshing spritzes. Every recipe below uses precise ml measures so you can make them properly.
These drinks work beautifully for poolside afternoons, barbecues, and warm evenings. For pairing ideas with food, see our Seasonal Drink Pairing Guide. For more poolside inspiration, check Summer Sips That Slay Poolside.
Jump to a Recipe
- Classic Margarita
- Classic Mojito
- Aperol Spritz
- Tom Collins
- Paloma
- Piña Colada
- Daiquiri
- Mai Tai
- Watermelon Margarita
- Cuba Libre
- Gin and Tonic
- Whisky Highball
- Moscow Mule
- Dark and Stormy
- French 75
- Strawberry Basil Smash
- Peach Bellini
- Cucumber Mint Cooler
- Blackberry Gin Fizz
- Pineapple Rum Punch
Classic Summer Refreshers
1. Classic Margarita
Ingredients (1 serving)
- 60 ml tequila (blanco or reposado)
- 25 ml fresh lime juice
- 20 ml orange liqueur (Cointreau or triple sec)
- Salt for the rim (optional)
Method
Rim a glass with salt if desired. Shake all ingredients hard with ice and strain into the glass over fresh ice. See our Margarita Showdown: Salt, No Salt, or Tajín? for variations. The 60 ml pour tastes like the spirit; a 50 ml version is lighter.
2. Classic Mojito
Ingredients (1 serving)
- 60 ml white rum
- 25 ml fresh lime juice
- 10–15 ml simple syrup
- 6–8 mint leaves
- Soda water to top
Method
Gently press the mint with the syrup and lime in a glass (do not pound). Add rum and ice, then top with soda water. Stir gently. Learn more in Mojito Magic: Why Mint is Queen.
3. Aperol Spritz
Ingredients (1 serving)
- 60 ml Aperol
- 90 ml prosecco
- 30 ml soda water
- Orange slice
Method
Fill a large wine glass with ice. Add Aperol, prosecco and soda water. Stir gently and garnish with an orange slice. For more spritz ideas, see Springtime Spritzes to Make You Bloom.
4. Tom Collins
Ingredients (1 serving)
- 60 ml gin
- 25 ml fresh lemon juice
- 15 ml simple syrup (1:1)
- Soda water to top
Method
Shake the gin, lemon and syrup with ice. Strain over fresh ice in a tall glass, then top with soda. A Collins made with cordial instead of fresh lemon is a different (and worse) drink.
5. Paloma
Ingredients (1 serving)
- 60 ml blanco tequila
- 15 ml fresh lime juice
- Cold grapefruit soda to about 120 ml
- Salt on half the rim (optional)
Method
Build in a tall glass of ice. Salt half the rim if using. Grapefruit juice from a carton with no soda tastes flat and sweet. The soda is the point. More poolside ideas in Summer Sips That Slay Poolside.
Tropical Favourites
6. Piña Colada
Ingredients (1 serving)
- 60 ml white or coconut rum
- 90 ml pineapple juice
- 45 ml coconut cream
- Pineapple wedge or cherry to garnish
Method
Blend with ice until smooth and frosty, or shake hard and strain over crushed ice. Garnish and serve immediately. For a fun twist, see Piña Coladas in the Bathtub.
7. Daiquiri
Ingredients (1 serving)
- 60 ml white rum
- 25 ml fresh lime juice
- 15 ml simple syrup (1:1)
Method
Shake hard with ice and strain into a chilled coupe. No ice in the glass. If it tastes sharp, the syrup was short, not the rum. Do not fix it with pineapple juice — that is a different drink. Full guide: Daiquiri Done Right: Fresh, Zesty, Perfect.
8. Mai Tai
Ingredients (1 serving)
- 60 ml aged rum
- 20 ml orange curaçao
- 15 ml fresh lime juice
- 10 ml orgeat
- Mint sprig to garnish
Method
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain over crushed ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with mint. See Mai Tai Moments: From Tiki to Trendy for more.
9. Watermelon Margarita
Ingredients (1 serving)
- 60 ml tequila
- 30 ml fresh watermelon juice or puree (from a small handful of fruit)
- 20 ml fresh lime juice
- 10 ml simple syrup (or to taste)
- Salt or Tajín for the rim (optional)
Method
Shake everything hard with ice and strain over fresh ice. Use only a small handful of fruit — a full cup dilutes the drink before the ice starts. Taste before adding more syrup. Related: Margarita Showdown.
10. Cuba Libre
Ingredients (1 serving)
- 60 ml white or gold rum
- 120 ml cola
- Lime wedge
Method
Fill a highball with ice. Add rum, top with cola, and squeeze the lime wedge over the top before dropping it in.
Highballs and Long Drinks
11. Gin and Tonic
Ingredients (1 serving)
- 60 ml gin
- Tonic water to top (about 120–150 ml)
- Lime wedge or cucumber slice
Method
Fill a tall glass with ice. Add gin and top with tonic. Stir once and garnish. Use good tonic and plenty of ice.
12. Whisky Highball
Ingredients (1 serving)
- 60 ml whisky (bourbon, rye or Japanese)
- Soda water to top
- Lemon or orange twist
Method
Build over ice in a tall glass. Top with soda, stir once, and express the citrus peel over the top. For whisky classics, see The Old Fashioned Makeover.
13. Moscow Mule
Ingredients (1 serving)
- 60 ml vodka
- 15 ml fresh lime juice
- Ginger beer to top (about 120 ml)
- Lime wedge
Method
Build in a copper mug or highball filled with ice. Add vodka and lime, top with ginger beer, and stir once. Garnish with the lime.
14. Dark and Stormy
Ingredients (1 serving)
- 60 ml dark rum
- Ginger beer to top (about 120 ml)
- Lime wedge
Method
Fill a tall glass with ice. Add the rum, top with ginger beer, and squeeze the lime over the top. The dark rum floats briefly for the classic look if you pour it last.
15. French 75
Ingredients (1 serving)
- 60 ml gin
- 20 ml fresh lemon juice
- 10 ml simple syrup
- About 60 ml cold prosecco or champagne
Method
Shake the gin, lemon and syrup with ice. Strain into a chilled flute and top with the cold sparkling wine. Do not shake the bubbles. If the sparkling wine is sweet and you use a full 15 ml of syrup, it tastes like cordial.
Easy Fruit and Herb Drinks
16. Strawberry Basil Smash
Ingredients (1 serving)
- 60 ml gin or vodka
- 3–4 ripe strawberries (a small handful)
- 4–5 basil leaves
- 20 ml fresh lemon juice
- 10 ml simple syrup
Method
Gently muddle the strawberries and basil with the syrup and lemon. Add the spirit and ice, shake hard, and strain over fresh ice. Taste before adding more syrup — strawberries vary.
17. Peach Bellini
Ingredients (1 serving)
- 60 ml peach purée (fresh or good-quality)
- Prosecco to top
Method
Spoon the purée into a chilled flute. Top slowly with cold prosecco and stir gently once. Serve immediately. For more brunch classics, see Bellinis and Mimosas: Brunch’s Battle Royale and Boozy Brunch Cocktails.
18. Cucumber Mint Cooler
Ingredients (1 serving)
- 60 ml vodka or gin
- 3–4 cucumber slices
- 5–6 mint leaves
- 15 ml fresh lime juice
- 10 ml simple syrup
- Soda water to top
Method
Gently press the cucumber and mint with the syrup and lime. Add the spirit and ice, top with soda, and stir once. Do not over-muddle the mint.
19. Blackberry Gin Fizz
Ingredients (1 serving)
- 60 ml gin
- 4–5 blackberries
- 20 ml fresh lemon juice
- 10–15 ml simple syrup
- Soda water to top
Method
Muddle the blackberries with the syrup and lemon. Add gin and ice, shake, and strain over fresh ice in a tall glass. Top with soda.
20. Pineapple Rum Punch
Ingredients (1 serving)
- 60 ml white or gold rum
- 60 ml pineapple juice
- 15 ml fresh lime juice
- Soda or ginger beer to top
Method
Build over ice in a tall glass. Add the rum, pineapple and lime, top with soda or ginger beer, and stir once. Garnish with a pineapple wedge if you like. For punch ideas, see Holiday Party Punches.
Quick Tips for Summer Drinks
- Use plenty of ice and chill your glassware.
- Fresh citrus makes a big difference.
- Batch the non-carbonated ingredients ahead for parties.
- Offer at least one low-alcohol or non-alcoholic option.
For technique help, see Shake It Like a Pro and Ice Matters.
These 20 summer drinks cover the classics and easy variations that work all season long. Keep the flavours bright, the ice cold, and the glasses full.
The house pour: four specs that were only names
A list of twenty drinks is useful only if you can make the ones that were a single line. These four are the ones people actually ask for once the margarita and the spritz are already on the table. The lighter 50 ml versions exist; if you want the drink to taste like the spirit, use 60 ml and do not add more mixer to hide it. The full recipes above already use the 60 ml house pour.
Paloma (recap)
60 ml blanco tequila, 15 ml fresh lime juice, and cold grapefruit soda to about 120 ml. Build it in a tall glass of ice. Salt on half the rim is enough.
Daiquiri (recap)
60 ml white rum, 25 ml fresh lime juice, 15 ml sugar syrup (1:1). Shake hard with ice and strain into a chilled coupe. No ice in the glass.
Tom Collins (recap)
60 ml gin, 25 ml fresh lemon juice, 15 ml sugar syrup, soda water to top. Shake the gin, lemon and syrup, strain over fresh ice, then add the soda.
French 75 (recap)
60 ml gin, 20 ml fresh lemon juice, 10 ml sugar syrup. Shake those three, strain into a chilled flute, and top with about 60 ml cold prosecco or champagne.
What goes wrong in hot weather
Ice made yesterday and left in a warm tray tastes like the freezer. Make a tray the night before and keep the glass in the fridge, not the freezer, for a highball. A frozen glass on a humid day sweats so hard the first sip is water.
Mint bruises into bitterness if you pound it. Press it once with the syrup, then stop. Strawberries and watermelon throw a lot of water. If you blend a cup of fruit into a 60 ml pour, you have diluted the drink before the ice starts. Use a small handful, and taste before you add more syrup.
Batching: mix everything that is not fizzy, in the same ratios, and keep it cold. Add soda, ginger beer or prosecco in the glass. A jug of premixed spritz goes flat and, once the ice goes in the jug, weak.
These are full-strength serves for adults of legal drinking age. One is a drink, not a starter. If you are driving, pregnant, or on medication, skip the alcohol.
