Once June rolls around, we crave recipes that are just a little bit easier. That's why so many of our favorite summer cocktails are straightforward, refreshing, and call for ingredients we likely already have on hand. Whether you're keeping things classic and tropical by making a Mai Tai or Mojito, or reaching for the blender to make one of our favorite frozen treats, these cocktails are exactly what we want to drink for all kinds of summertime celebrations.
If the only Mai Tai you've ever had was pink, then you've never had a Mai Tai. Perhaps the most well-known Tiki cocktail, the Mai Tai is a true celebration of rum. The pale yellow cocktail topped with a classic rum float elegantly marries citrus flavors with just the right amount of sweetness. While …
The simplicity of the Mojito allows high-quality ingredients to shine. The Mojito is a classic highball that consists of white rum, lime juice, sugar, club soda, and mint. Though there are many ways to prepare a Mojito, the tool perhaps most associated with creating the cocktail is the muddler. A …
This cocktail proves why tequila and coke belong together. The Batanga is a cocktail made with tequila, lime, and Coca-Cola served with a salted rim. It was invented in the 1960s by a restaurant owner in Mexico who named it after a customer who was “batanga” — slang for “thick in the middle” — aka …
It turns out a simple classic cocktail can get better with a blender and a few cups of ice. While the gin and tonic is one of the simplest cocktails to make, it also happens to be one of the most satisfying. It’s a classic for a reason: bittersweet tonic water brings out the floral and herbaceous …
This boozy afternoon treat is the easiest frozen drink you can make. If Americans have frosé — which, don’t get me wrong, is a perfectly acceptable summertime treat — the Italians have one upped us with Sgroppino. I first came across this boozy frozen treat made with lemon sorbet, vodka, and …
What drink is bright orange, bittersweet, and beloved all over the world? What Is an Aperol Spritz? The past century has been a busy one for the iconic orange aperitif, Aperol. First created in 1919 Silvio and Luigi Barbieri, two brothers who wanted to make an aperitif unique to their hometown of …
Smoky mezcal and savory bitters are rounded out by sweet-tart lemon juice and tamarind puree in this punchy cocktail. 2 tablespoons Tamarind-Citrus Syrup 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 1/2 tablespoons (3/4 ounce) manzanilla sherry 1 1/2 tablespoons (3/4 ounces) mezcal joven espadín or Del Maguey …
Your new favorite Margarita is powered by unexpected pantry staples. The Spicy Sake Margarita is what happens when a classic Margarita walks into a Japanese pantry. On the menu at Makoto Vail, a Colorado-based sushi restaurant, beverage director Eduardo Dingler calls this sweet, tart, and spicy …
Sweet, smoky, and slightly spicy, this mezcal-based spritz is made for warm-weather sipping. Made to serve a crowd, this easy and refreshing cocktail combines the flavors of coconut, ginger, and elderflower with smoky mezcal. The base for the drink can be made in advance and stored in an airtight …
This fruity twist on Brazil’s national cocktail features ruby-red strawberries and fragrant Meyer lemons. The caipirinha wouldn’t exist without the millions of Africans who toiled under brutal conditions on the nation’s sugarcane farms to produce the foundation of cachaça, Brazil’s prized distilled …
Gin, Campari, grapefruit and soda make this a perfect warm-weather cocktail. The Bicycle Thief is a refreshing, bittersweet long drink that combines gin, Campari, fresh grapefruit juice, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a highball glass, topped with club soda. Named for the classic 1948 Italian film, …
Espresso Martini and Carajillo fans, you'll want to make this tropical coffee cocktail all summer long. Inspired by San Sabino chef/owner Scott Tacinelli’s summers spent slurping classic Mind Eraser cocktails in the sun on the Jersey Shore, the Belmar Special is a cocktail that truly offers …
This chocolaty, caffeinated cocktail might look like an average milkshake, but it packs a deliciously boozy punch. If you’ve ever wondered how a chocolate milkshake could possibly get better, look no further than its boozy, caffeinated cousin, the Bushwacker. Created in 1975 in the Virgin Islands by …
