This summer, from New York City to L.A. and all sites in between, friends are getting ready to gather again for good eats, light drinks, and great fun. If you want to do something special for your pals now that summer weather is here, skip the boring beer and whiskey neat (though you can mix your whiskey with some combination of ginger and citrus for a zesty summertime treat!). Give these cocktail recipes a shot on a hot summer day.
Summer Healthy Drinks
Celebrate safely by having some non-alcoholic, refreshing summer drinks available. Don’t forget to decorate with some petals from a Bouq to make your soiree the one to remember this season.
Summer Cocktails
These summer cocktails will be a hit with your besties and boost your image. Plus, these drink recipes are simple and full of flavor but also stay on the healthy side. Check out the end of each recipe for a flower flourish to give your gathering a look that would make food photographer John Kernick take notice.
Go Pro(secco) with Easy Recipes
Make Mine a Mimosa
When you gather for an impromptu Sunday brunch, take it easy with the cocktail classic named after a famous Southern flower.
Grab some:
- Orange juice
- Prosecco
You don’t need to measure the ingredients. Does your gang like more bubbly than OJ or vice versa? Just mix and serve immediately to keep this party drink fresh.
If you’re watching calories, check the OJ label to make sure it’s not loaded with extra sugar.
Flower flourish: A nasturtium on the rim adds a bright pop of color to this traditional cocktail.
Prosecco Mango Punch for the Bunch
This cocktail hits the spot with a light lunch.
- Mango juice – 1 cup
- Prosecco – 1 bottle
- Seltzer or soda water – 1 cup
- Bitters – 5 or 6 sprinkles to taste
Mix right before serving over ice. For one way to up the wow factor, toss in some summer raspberries.
Flower flourish: Add your choice of carnation color to make this punch even more special.
Wine Not Try These Quick Recipes?
Ready-in-No-Time Rosé Wine Spritzer
Short on time? Who’s not these days? Put this cocktail fast.
- Your favorite rosé or pinot noir – 4 ounces
- Sparkling water – 2 ounces
- Fresh lemon juice – one spritz
Mix, serve, and delight your guests.
Flower flourish: A sprig of honeysuckle adds a delicate touch to your cocktails.
Pretty Pink Punch
This crowd-pleaser is light, easy, and perfect for your summer soiree.
- Sparkling white or rose – 1 cup
- Coconut water – 1-1/2 cups
- Apple or white grape juice – 1/2 cup
- Grenadine – just a splash
- Frozen fruit of your choice
Mix in a pitcher and chill (you and the punch). When you’re ready to serve, add your choice of frozen fruit to keep cocktails cold without diluting them.
Flower flourish: Peonies add a lovely look to this refreshing drink.
Part of Your Summer Cocktail Vodkabulary
Love-my-Friends Lavender Lemonade
Lemonade gets all grown up with this recipe that’s something special, but surprisingly easy to pull together.
- Fresh-squeezed lemon juice – 4 tablespoons (approximately one lemon)
- Water – 3/4 cup (use sparkling water for extra pizazz)
- Vodka – 2 ounces
- Lavender simple syrup
Lavender simple syrup? Don’t panic. Combine:
- Water – 1 cup
- Sugar – 1 cup
- Lavender – 1-1/2 tablespoons (fresh or dried lavender)
Cook water, sugar, and lavender in a saucepan over medium heat. When it simmers, turn the temperature down to low. Continue to cook and stir continuously. After approximately five minutes, the sugar dissolves, and the mixture gets thicker.
Pour into an air-tight glass jar, where you can store it in the refrigerator for three weeks to one month.
If you just made your lavender simple syrup, let it cool.
Mix all your ingredients over ice, garnish with a lemon slice, and savor the flavor of summer.
Flower flourish: Since you’re using lavender to make the simple syrup, save a sprig to add to the glass.
Besties Berry Summer Slush
This recipe serves two summer drinks, so it’s perfect for you and your best pal. If you’re serving a crowd, just double or triple the recipe for summer cocktails for more besties to share.· Frozen mixed berries – 2 cups
- Vodka – 4 ounces
- Water – 1 cup
- Lime – 2 ounces of fresh juice
- Simple syrup – 2 ounces
- Mint leaves – 10
- Ice – 1 cup
You don’t need to be a mixologist to create this all-grown-up slushie. Put everything in a blender, blend well and pour.
Pro tips: Substitute maple syrup for simple syrup. Experiment with flavored vodka.
Flower flourish: Add some borage blossoms as a garnish for a bright blue pop of color.
Tequila Sunsets and Margarita Recipes
Girlfriend Grapefruit Margarita
This simple twist on a beloved cocktail embodies the flavor of summer with a citrus tang.
- Grapefruit juice – 1/2 ounce
- Silver tequila – just under 2 ounces
- Agave nectar (or honey) – 1/2 ounce
- Lime – 1/2 ounce juice
The process is super-easy. Put everything in a cocktail shaker. Toss in ice and shake. Use a shallow dish of water to moisten the rim of a fresh glass. Rim with salt or sugar. Put fresh ice in the glass and strain your drink from the shaker to the glass.
Flower flourish: Brighten up this citrusy summer cocktail with a hibiscus blossom.
WOW! Watermelon Margarita
Nothing says summer like a margarita, but your favorite restaurant’s frozen margaritas may carry a ton of sugar. Try this version to switch out calories, not flavor.
- Watermelon juice – 2 ounces
- Tequila – 1-1/2 ounces
- Simple syrup – 1 ounce
- Lime juice – 1 ounce
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well. Use a shallow dish of water to moisten the edge of a fresh glass. Rim the glass with sugar or salt. Strain your delicious cocktail into the glass and enjoy.
Flower flourish: A few forsythia blossoms add an extra summer touch.
Berry Good Summer Margarita
Grab fresh strawberries at your local farmer’s market or grocery store, then jazz them up for some fantastic summer drinks.
- Strawberries – 1/2 pint
- Tequila – 1 cup
- Cointreau or Grand Marnier – 1/2 cup
- Lime juice – fresh from 4 limes
Combine berries, tequila, Cointreau, and juice in your blender. Blend well and pour into a pitcher filled with ice. Rim the glasses with water or a lime wedge, then dip in salt. Pour and drink up.
Flower flourish: Bee balm adds to the bright berry hue of this summer cocktail.
Ready to Rum-ble Summer Cocktails
Peachy Keen Sangria for the Pals
Peach sangria is an iconic summer drink. It mixes up — and goes down — really easy.
- Pino Grigio – 1 bottle
- Light rum – 3/4 cup
- Club soda – 4 cups
- Fresh peaches – 6
Combine your white wine, rum, and peaches. When it’s time to serve, add club soda.
Flower flourish: A delicate rose gives this cocktail special vibes.
Relaxing Rum Spritzer
Keep it light and easy with this rum spritzer. You don’t really need a recipe, but we’ll share for any by-the-book bartenders.
- Club soda – 3 ounces
- Rum – 1-1/2 ounces
- Lime – for garnish
Pour rum and club soda over ice. Mix, add a slice of lime, and drink.
Flower flourish: Drop a dahlia to give this simple summer cocktail a glow-up.
Summer Strawberry Daiquiri
Strawberries taste like a summer day, and they are everywhere when the weather gets warm. Use fresh and frozen to combine for the flavor and chill.
- Frozen strawberries – 4 cups
- Fresh strawberries – 1 cup, sliced
- Light rum – 4 ounces
- Simple syrup – 5 ounces
- Fresh lime juice – 1 lime
Combine everything in a blender. Mix until smooth. Serve and sip.
Flower flourish: A dandelion blossom or bit of basil completes the summer vibe.
Summer Storm
If you can pour, you can mix up this tropical storm of summer tastes that’s one part piña colada, part Moscow mule. This combo of two classic summer cocktails is sure to become a new favorite with your taste buds.
- Pineapple juice – 4 ounces
- Coconut rum – 3 ounces
- Ginger beer – 8 ounces
- Lime – 2 halves
Get two glasses full of ice. Split your pineapple juice, ginger beer, and rum between the two. Squeeze the juice from half a lime into each glass. Serve.
Flower power: Top with calendula for a hint of the sunset with the storm.
All Gin and Grins
Gimme a Gimlet Recipe
For your friends who fancy gin, you can whip up a classic gimlet with no muss and no fuss.
- Gin – 2 ounces
- Fresh lime – 1 ounce of juice
- Simple syrup – 1 ounce
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add your ingredients and shake until chilly. Pour through a strainer into a fresh glass.
Flower flourish: Violets are a simple yet striking way to dress up this refreshing summer drink.
Come On Over Cucumber Mint Cocktail
Similar to the summer favorite mojito, this super-light cocktail recipe uses gin instead of rum.
- Cucumber – 5 slices
- Mint – 5 or 6 leaves
- Gin – 1-1/2 ounces
- Simple syrup – 3/4 ounce
- Fresh lime – 3/4 ounce juice
Put three cucumber slices and three mint leaves into a shaker. Add simple syrup and muddle (bartender lingo for mash or crush). Add gin, lime juice, and ice, then shake well. Strain over ice into a fresh glass.
To switch it up, substitute basil for mint.
Flower flourish: Use remaining cucumber and mint as a garnish, plus a pansy for a pop of color.
Glass of Glamour
When you and your friends want to glam it up for the evening, take a page from the history books with an aviation, a drink recipe popular during prohibition. This isn’t your average cocktail, so if you’re looking to awe and impress, give it a go.
- Gin – 1-1/2 ounces
- Maraschino liqueur – 3/4 ounce
- Crème de violette – 1/4 ounce
- Fresh lemon juice – 1/2 ounce
Get your cocktail shaker ready. Add ice and your ingredients. Shake until frosty, pour, and serve.
Flower flourish: Add a pastel blush or a pop of color with your choice of peony.
We hope you enjoy these summer cocktails. You can find a ton of refreshing summer drink recipes out there. Build your recipe book of summer cocktails by experimenting with a mint julep, strawberry-basil sangria, or vodka lemonade. When you find cocktails you like, you can multiply the recipe for all your friends.
Make the recipes extra special and add to the wow factor with flower power garnishes.
Remember to shop at The Bouqs Co. for all your plant and flower needs this summer and all year long.
