Refreshing Cocktail Recipes For a Hot Day

Imagine a nice sweet, icy cold, fruity drink with a hint of alcohol on a hot sunny day! Doesn’t that just sound fabulous especially in this ridiculous heat? Get inspired with our favorite summer cocktails for you and your friends to enjoy. Let’s get the ball rolling shall we? Here is a list of refreshing cocktails recipes for you to try out, let us know which is your favourite.

Cucumber Pineapple Tequila Cooler

Ingredients
1 cup fresh pineapple cubes
2 limes, skin removed
1 seedless European cucumber, peeled, plus cucumber slices for garnish
4 ounces silver (blanco) tequila
1 1/2 cups ice cubes, plus more for serving
1 tablespoon agave nectar
Pinch kosher salt

Directions

1. Prepare a vegetable juicer (or blender if unavailable).
2. Run the pineapple, limes and cucumber through the juicer, letting all the juices combine.
3. Pour the tequila into a cocktail shaker or pitcher, and then add the juices, ice, agave and salt.
4. Shake or stir vigorously until chilled.
5. Line up 4 tall Tom Collins glasses filled with ice, and pour the tequila cooler over.
6. Serve with straws and cucumber slices for garnish.

White Sangria

Ingredients
3 tablespoons sugar
3 shots Calvados or other apple liquor
1 lime, sliced
1 lemon, sliced
2 ripe peaches, cut into wedges
3 ripe green apples seeded and cut into wedges
1 bottle white Rioja Spanish wine or other dry white wine
1 pint raspberries
Sparkling soda water, for topping off glasses of sangria at table

Directions

1. Combine sugar, Calvados, lime, lemon, peaches and apples in a large pitcher.
2. Cover with 1 bottle of Rioja wine and chill sangria several hours.
3. To serve, spoon fruits into glasses or goblets, adding a few fresh raspberries in each glass, pour wine over top of the fruit.
4. Top glasses of sangria off with a splash of soda water and serve.

Ginger Lemongrass Pina Colada

Ingredients
1 stalk lemongrass
3/4 cup peeled and sliced fresh ginger
1/2 cup sugar
Ice
2 cups pineapple juice, chilled
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup white rum, chilled
Pinch kosher salt
4 fresh mint sprigs or 4-inch pieces lemongrass, for garnish

Directions

1. With the back of a heavy chef’s knife, bruise the lemongrass stalk to expose the inside fibers and cut it into 1-inch lengths.
2. Combine the lemongrass pieces, ginger, sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan.
3. Bring to a simmer and cook a few minutes until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and steep for 20 minutes. Strain the syrup into a bowl, discarding the solids.
4. Place the bowl over a larger bowl filled with ice and whisk the syrup until it cools.
5. Combine the pineapple juice, coconut milk, rum and all of the cooled syrup in a blender and blend; it will make a nice frothy layer on top.
6. Pour into 4 tumblers with or without ice and garnish with the mint or lemongrass.

Double Apple Mojito

Ingredients
Small handful fresh mint (about 10 leaves)
1 cup ice cubes
Splash simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water, heated until sugar dissolves, cooled)
1/4 cup apple juice
1/3 cup vodka
2 red apple slices, for garnish
2 green apple slices, for garnish

Directions

1. In a tall glass, crush the mint leaves with a muddler.
2. Top with the ice, simple syrup, apple juice and vodka.
3. Garnish with red and green apples slices and serve.

Blackberry Gin Fizz Float

Ingredients
1 pint blackberries
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup roughly chopped mint leaves
8 ounces gin
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
Ice, for serving
24 ounces ginger ale
1 pint blackberry sorbet or vanilla ice cream

Directions

1. Heat the blackberries, sugar, and water in a small pot over medium-high heat. While warming, smash with a potato masher, until a thick even consistency is reached, about 8 minutes.
2. Pour the blackberries through a sieve, into a bowl, pushing some flesh through with the juices, making sure to catch the seeds. Cool in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes.
3. Fill a cocktail shaker with 2 tablespoons of blackberry puree, 2 tablespoons of the mint leaves, 2 ounces of gin, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and a handful of ice.
4. Shake vigorously 5 to 6 times until the drink is ice cold. Strain the mixture into a tall glass.
5. Top with 6 ounces of ginger ale and stir lightly. Repeat for the remaining 3 servings. Finish and serve with a scoop of sorbet or ice cream.

Passion Fruit Hurricane

Ingredients
1/2 cup ice cubes
1/2 cup fresh pink grapefruit juice (from 1 small grapefruit), plus 1 wedge for garnish
1/4 cup passion fruit puree, such as Goya
4 tablespoons dark rum
1 tablespoon superfine sugar
Splash seltzer

Directions

1. Place the ice cubes, grapefruit juice, passion fruit puree, dark rum, superfine sugar and seltzer in the pitcher of a blender and blend on high until smooth and slushy.
2. Pour into a double old-fashioned glass and garnish with a wedge of fresh pink grapefruit.

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