June has us craving just a few easy recipes. The weather is warm, your air conditioner may not be working perfectly, and there’s plenty to do outside and outside the kitchen.
That’s why many of our favorite summer cocktails are simple and refreshing, calling for ingredients you already have in your pantry or home bar, like fresh lime, lemon, tequila, rum, or gin.
Whether you’re making a Mai Tai or Mojito for a classic tropical vibe, or using your blender to create your favorite frozen treats like a Bushwacker or Frozen Gin and Tonic, these cocktails are truly the perfect drinks for any kind of summer celebration or casual backyard barbecue.
Mai Tai
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling: Lucy Simon
One of the most famous tropical cocktails, the Mai Tai is a drink that truly showcases the goodness of rum.
The original recipe dates back to the 1930s, and the addition of orgeat imparts a rich, nutty flavor, while lime and orange curacao add essential citrus notes to this vacation-perfect drink.
Mojito
When making an iconic drink like the Mojito, the Caribbean cocktail often associated with author Ernest Hemingway, the process is key.
Stirring the mint leaves thoroughly releases their aromatic oils, giving this cocktail a refreshing, herbal flavor.
Batanga
Greg Dupree / Food Styling: Emily Neighbors-Hall / Prop Styling: Christina Daly
This sweet, fizzy, slightly earthy Mexican Highball is perfect for a hot summer afternoon, especially when you’ve got a can or two of Coke in the fridge.
Want to elevate your Batanga? Try adding a splash of Fernet Valette, an Italian liqueur that adds bitterness and aromatic complexity.
Frozen Gin and Tonic
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling: Lucy Simon
It’s so much fun to take a simple drink like a gin and tonic and add some flavor with a little ice and a glass of Lillet Blanc.
This herbaceous, slightly sweet recipe from Leon’s in Charleston, South Carolina, is one of our favorite frozen cocktails.
Sgroppino
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling: Lucy Simon
Frozen drinkers will love this easy frozen Italian cocktail.
The classic Sgroppino calls for vodka and prosecco, but feel free to use whatever sparkling wine you have on hand, such as cava, crémant (go French) or sparkling chenin blanc.
Aperol Spritz
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling: Lucy Simon
Typically served in a stemmed wine glass filled with ice and garnished with an orange wedge, this classic spritz is best served with Brut Prosecco, which has plenty of Aperol sweetness to it.
Feel free to play around with the ratios: use more Aperol for a more bitter flavor, or more soda water for a less alcoholic drink.
Tamarind Mezcal Sour
Smoky mezcal and dry, delicate Manzanilla sherry create the perfect combination in this citrus-infused sour.
Tamarind citrus syrup adds an unexpected tart and sweet kick to this vibrant yellow cocktail.
Spicy Sake Margarita
Food & Wine / Photography: Bree Goldman / Food Styling: Lauren McAnelly / Prop Styling: Adeline Evans
We all know and love the classic margarita, but adding sake gives this go-to party drink a floral, slightly sweet flavor like no other.
This is one of those cocktails where you shouldn’t skip the garnish: a few drops of sesame chili oil on top of the drink.
coconut water mezcal spritz
Greg Dupree / Food Styling: Emily Neighbors-Hall / Prop Styling: Christina Daly
Champagne adds the tartness, bright flavor, and toasty, nutty notes that this rich, alcoholic cocktail needs.
Meanwhile, the slightly spicy ginger syrup enhances the floral aroma of the elderflower liqueur, making it a drink that will appeal to everyone.
Meyer Lemon and Strawberry Caipirinha
Victor Protacio / Food Styling: Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling: Claire Spollen
This seasonal take on the classic Caipirinha is sure to be a hit at any summer party – just add the ingredients to a pitcher instead of a shaker and add more.
Mashed strawberries give this cachaça-based cocktail plenty of sweet flavor, while Meyer lemon juice adds a tart kick.
Bicycle thief
Food & Wine / Tim Nusog
If you love the classic Negroni but want something a little lighter and refreshing for summer, the Bicycle Thief is the perfect drink for you.
Easy to make in minutes thanks to its combination of gin, Campari, and grapefruit soda, this tangy and refreshing highball is a drink the ingredients for which are always on hand.
Belmar Special
Food & Wine / Photography: Greg Dupree / Food Styling: Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling: Claire Spollen
The Belmar Special is a caffeinated cooler that espresso martini lovers and Carajillo fans alike are sure to love.
Our simplified version replicates the flavor of the drink served at New York chef-owner Scott Tacinelli’s restaurant San Sabino, and takes inspiration from the Mind Eraser, a retro cocktail that peaked in popularity around the 1980s.
Bushwacker
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling: Lucy Simon
What’s more fun than an alcoholic chocolate milkshake? The Bushwacker is a playful, caffeinated summer cocktail that originated in the Virgin Islands and is still commonly served today.
I recommend using a sweet coffee liqueur like Kahlua, but I recommend Coco Lopez over other sweet coconut cream brands to avoid it being too sweet.
