If you’re not ending your day watching the sunset with a cocktail in hand, is it even really summer? Summer should be filled with beach days, vacationing, and phenomenal cocktails that wipe your worries away. Since most of us will be vacationing in our backyards this summer, it’s time to take notes on how to whip up the best summer cocktails that will help us create that beachy vibe at home. Just close your eyes and you will feel like you’re on a beach far, far away. Cheers!
Cocktail #1 – Classic Margarita
Ingredients:
- 4 ounces of tequila
- 1½ ounces of freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 ounces of triple sec (if you can get your hands on Cointreau, that’s best!)
- 2 lime wedges
- Salt (for rimming the glass)
Directions:
The perfect summer cocktail: the classic margarita. Pour the tequila, lime juice, and triple sec into a cocktail shaker half-filled with the ice. Shake the mix, pour it in a glass with a salted rim, garnish with wedge lime, and imagine yourself on the beaches of Mexico.
Cocktail #2 – Authentic Mojito
Ingredients:
- 2 ounces of white rum
- 1 ounce of freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 tsp of superfine white sugar
- 6 mint leaves
- 3 ounces of club soda
Directions:
Transport yourself directly to the Caribbean with this extremely refreshing, citrusy drink! Add rum, mint, lime juice, and sugar to a cocktail shaker and shake well. Pour the mixture into a glass with ice and top off the drink with club soda. You can substitute the club soda with tonic water if you like a more bitter taste.
Cocktail #3 – Tropical Mai Tai
Ingredients:
- 1½ ounces of white rum
- 1 ounce of dark rum
- 2 ounce of triple sec
- 1 ounce fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp superfine granulated sugar
- A splash of grenadine
- Cherries for garnish
Directions:
Nothing screams island vacation quite like a Mai Tai on the beaches in Hawaii. To make this Hawaiian classic, just mix all of the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with a large ice cube to chill your drink. Then strain the mixture over a glass with ice. Garnish with a cherry! Aloha.
Cocktail #4 – Watermelon Frosé
Ingredients:
- 1 bottle of your favorite rosé wine
- ½ cup fresh lime juice
- ½ cup superfine sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1lb watermelon
- Mint for garnish
Directions:
The prep for this cocktail starts the night before. Pour the bottle of rosé into ice cube trays and freeze until solid. The next morning, slice up the watermelon and toss it into the freezer for a few hours. While you wait for the watermelon to freeze, you can start making the simple syrup. Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, turn off the heat, and let stand for 15 minutes. Once the syrup has cooled to room temperature, put the rosé cubes, frozen watermelon, simple syrup, and lime juice in a blender and mix until smooth! Garnish with mint.