47 Summer Cocktails to Put You in a Sunny Mood
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No single spirit has a hold on summertime. Great summer cocktails can start with gin, rum, vodka, or tequila (or in the case of the Long Island Iced Tea, all of the above). Sure, whiskey can come out to play too. And plenty of our favorite summer sippers are low in alcohol, with just a touch of sherry or a splash of Aperol, or totally free of booze. Anything goes, really, as long as the drink is cooling and fun to sip (Sea Breeze, anyone?).
Below you’ll find our essential summer drinks, including simple highballs, flavor-packed slushies, big-batch pitcher cocktails, and plenty of tipples that make the most of ripe fruit. These fresh (and occasionally bubbly) summer cocktails are meant for warm weather. So whether you’re in search of a classic daiquiri (or a frozen one) or something fresh and new (hello, avocado margarita), stock your freezer with ice and get scrolling before your next backyard gathering.
Specifically looking for low-alcohol cocktails? Take a spin through our cocktail ABV calculator.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne1/47Our Favorite Aperol Spritz
The ultimate summer cocktail might be a spritz sipped in an Italian piazza, but a really good spritz at home is a pretty decent runner-up. This version is a little lighter on the orangey aperitif for extra refreshment. Serve with salty snacks like potato chips or olives.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton2/47Rosie Ranch Water
If you’re on the hunt for easy summer cocktails, it doesn’t get much simpler than Texas ranch water. Once you’ve got the basic formula down, add your own flourishes. (The spicy salt on this guy is truly fabulous.)
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton3/47Sangria
Any summertime dinner can be improved with a pitcher of sangria. This classic one uses red, not white wine (if you’re looking for a blonde version, try this one from José Andrés). Seek out superfine granulated sugar for this recipe, which dissolves quickly in the wine and liqueur.
Photo by Joseph De Leo7/47Long Island Iced Tea
Gin, vodka, rum, and tequila, all in one drink? It’s none other than the Long Island Iced Tea, the original party drink of the season. In addition to the basic recipe, we’ve included a few variations on this classic: Swap the cola for cranberry juice to make a Long Beach Iced Tea, or add whiskey to make a Texas Tea. Take it in any direction you’d like—just don’t forget to hydrate.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Judy Haubert9/47The Ultimate Paloma
Move over, frosé: the Paloma is the blush-hued drink of the summer. A truly great Paloma layers on the grapefruit flavors—zingy grapefruit soda (preferably Ting) makes up most of the drink, but a squeeze of fresh grapefruit juice brightens the mix and deepens its citrusy character.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Tiffany Schleigh10/47Mai Tai
People have thrown all manner of things into a mai tai, but this recipe is legit: a rum sour made with lime, an orange liqueur, and orgeat—the fragrant almond cocktail syrup. You’ll need two rums here to make this classic cocktail really shine: one grassy, fresh rhum agricole, and another rum that's been aged in barrels.
Photo & Food Styling by Joseph De Leo12/47The Most Refreshing Gin and Tonic
The best gin and tonic is all in the technique, because the most important ingredient in a G&T is not really the gin, or even the tonic. It’s carbonation.
Photo & Food Styling by Joseph De Leo13/47Frozen Gin and Tonic
What do you get when you take classic summer cocktails like the G&T and put them in an ice-filled blender? Well, a little adaptation is required, but once you skip the fizz (using tonic syrup instead of tonic water) you get one of the world's most refreshing summer drinks.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Susan Ottaviano14/47Jam Session
Three ingredients. Low alcohol. This watermelon drink recipe could be your go-to this summer. To make things truly easy, pick up watermelon juice from a local juice bar.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton17/47Bushwick Thirst Killer
Acid phosphate, a vintage soda shop ingredient, stands in for citrus juices in this twist on the Japanese Thirst Killer. Coconut water keeps it hydrating, while club soda adds a touch of fizz to this spritzer.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Sean Dooley19/47Amaretto Sour
The amaretto sour is ready for its redemption tour, and this frothy-sweet-sour cocktail recipe proves that the drink has a swanky side.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Judy Haubert20/47Amethyst Sour
This bright, refreshing twist on an old-fashioned whiskey sour adds fresh blueberry syrup to the equation. It’s a great way to use that farmers market carton.
Photo by Eric Medsker23/47Cynar-Berry Spritz
There’s much more to the world of spritzes than Aperol. Cynar makes a bolder, more bitter, and more complex spritz, perfect for sipping with a charcuterie platter.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton25/47Amaretto Sour Slushy
Yes, this slushy has the fragrant almond flavor you might recall from many too-sweet drinks of your youth, but it’s also truly tart and fresh. And there’s an added twist: It’s served with an optional float of bracingly bitter Fernet Branca, which gives the drink a blast of herbal flavor that pairs remarkably well with the almond liqueur.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton27/47Frozen Rosalita
A margarita is usually sweetened with orange liqueur, but the Rosalita uses bittersweet amaro for added complexity. Freeze the combo first to get it nice and chilled before it heads to the blender with a big scoop of ice. In search of more frozen drink tips? We’ve got you.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton28/473-Ingredient Grilled Orange Margarita
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Kate Schmidt29/47Spiked Ginger-Lemonade Soda Can Cocktail
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton30/47Sherry Colada
Looking for lower-alcohol options for hot days and many hours of barbecuing? This sherry colada packs complex flavor, but hovers at just 5% ABV.
Photo by Ed Anderson32/47Cucumber Cilantro Margarita
If you love savory cocktails, try dressing your margarita with muddled cucumber and cilantro. Next question: what kind of tacos are you making?
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton33/47Frozen Moscow Mule
This version of the popular vodka cocktail skips the ginger beer and heads to the blender for a spicy, frozen drink that’s even more refreshing on humid days. Want a classic Moscow Mule? We’ve got that too.
Photo by Kelly Puleio34/47Perfect Circle
Make your summer dinner party easier by mixing drinks for everyone in one big batch. This simple combination of bittersweet Campari and refreshing fino sherry will quench your thirst.
35/47Classic Michelada
Though this shares some flavors with a Bloody Mary, it requires much less effort to make. This simple, tomato-based beer cocktail works at brunch or the beach.
Photo by Paul H. Christian, Food Styling by Michele Figliuolo36/47Strawberry, Grapefruit, and Chamomile Brunch Punch
Photo by Kelly Puleio39/47Parson’s Negroni Slushy
Nothing wrong with a classic Negroni in summer, but you might want to try this version: a refreshing frozen drink that's juicy, citrusy, and perfectly bittersweet. Stick your feet in a baby pool, put up the sun umbrella, and you're set for the afternoon.
Photo by Zachary James Johnston41/47Attitude Adjustment
This lightly carbonated spin on a daisy gets its fizz not from prosecco, but from Miller High Life (also known as the Champagne of beers).
Photo by Gentl & Hyers42/47Strawberry-Rhubarb Spritz
No, that gorgeous red hue doesn’t come from grenadine. Rhubarb syrup and muddled strawberries give this farmers-market-fresh cocktail its gorgeous ruby hue.
Photo by Ray Kachatorian43/47Tropic Like It's Hot
This tall, refreshing pineapple and tequila cocktail will spirit you away to the beach, even if you're just hosting happy hour on your front porch.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich45/47Classic Daiquiri
While you might hear the word daiquiri and think first of the fruity, slushy strawberry concoction you had once at a tropical hotel, this version of the drink is more in line with the ones bar-goers would’ve been sipping in Cuba in the 1890s. The quintessential rum cocktail contains just three ingredients: light rum, simple syrup, and fresh lime juice.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Drew Aichele46/47Player Piano
Cap off a long summer day with a round of these floral aperitifs. The equal-parts formula is mercifully easy to remember: Simply combine an equal split of Aperol, elderflower liqueur, lime juice, and rhum agricole, plus a boost of tiki bitters.
