Just because summer is over doesn’t mean your summer cocktails have to go, too. Enjoy the last few days of warmth because the sun is still out there, and so are our cocktails. Just grab your choice of spirit and mix it with any fruity flavors that go well to keep you hydrated and party-ready on any day.
If you’re looking for some ideas for summer alcoholic drinks, you’re in luck! Don't be stuck drinking plain old iced drinks when you can choose from these four easy and refreshing summer-inspired cocktail recipes.
Strawberry Vodka
Fresh strawberries are the soul of this cocktail. The balance between the sweet and tart of strawberries and lemon combined with vodka makes this a perfect summer drink. The ingredients are simple:
- About 3 to 4 strawberries
- 1/2 cup of lemon juice
- 1 cup of vodka or one shot of vodka for every 100ml of lemon juice
- Ice
The refreshing drink is also easy to make:
- Muddle the fresh strawberries right in the bottom of the glass
- Add ice
- Add vodka and lemon juice
- Garnish with strawberry slices or basil leaf and enjoy
Banana Daiquiri
Aside from the typical daiquiri ingredients, you just need some bananas to make it a banana daiquiri. Ripe bananas go very well with rum, adding stronger flavors to your daiquiri to release the banana flavor. Here’s how:
- 1 big banana
- 1 shot of light rum
- Lime juice
- Sugar or demerara sugar for a more caramelized richness
- Ice
- 10 ml of Triple sec - an orange-flavored liqueur (optional).
Add all the ingredients to a blender. Adjust the amount of ice to get the texture you want. Blend it up and there you go - a delicious Banana Daiquiri.
Fruit Punch
With only two main ingredients - watermelon and vodka, this is the easiest summer cocktail to make. You need:
- 1/4 of a watermelon, in pieces
- 1 shot of Vodka
- Sugar
- 3-4 basil leaves
- 20 ml lime juice
- 20ml of Agave nectar (optional)
Although the ingredients are more complex than the two above cocktails, it just takes a few simple steps to finish:
- Wet the rim of the glass with watermelon juice, and apply the sugar to the rim
- Add watermelon and basil leaves into the shaker and muddle them,
- Add vodka, lime juice, and agave nectar, then mix everything up
- Strain the punch twice before serving in a glass with ice.
Compared to strawberry vodka and banana daiquiri, this fruit punch has the natural sweetness of watermelon, making it even more refreshing for hot summer days.
Peach Julep
For those who favor sugar-sweet fruits like peaches or plums, a julep would be your ideal cocktail. For the ingredients, you’ll need:
- 1/8 of ripe peach, cut into small pieces
- Mint leaves
- 1 shot of bourbon or another whisky to your liking. Rye whiskey that has a spicy note and complements well with the sweetness of peaches is more in favor.
- 1 shot of lime juice
- Sugar
- Crushed ice
Making a julep is quite similar to making a strawberry vodka:
- Muddle the mint leaves,
- Add peach, and sugar, then muddle them with mint leaves
- Add crushed ice,
- Add bourbon and sugar, then stir the mix
Cocktail on the go
All of these cocktails use fresh fruits as the main ingredients. But fresh fruit is not always available if you throw a party of 10 guests or are on vacation.
It is challenging to preserve the quality of fresh fruit during transportation as it can go bad quickly. So, how could you be able to enjoy homemade cocktails while traveling?
There's always a more convenient alternative - syrup. It is travel-friendly and ready to use. And with the diversity of syrup flavors on the market, you can freely experiment with your mix. For example, if you're not a fan of bananas, try coconut daiquiri; instead of strawberry, other types of berry flavors pair nicely with vodka. Pack up a bottle of spirit and one or two syrup flavors, then off you go.
As one of the oldest French syrup brands, GIFFARD has always been the first choice of professional bartenders around the world. Today, GIFFARD offers more than 70 syrup flavors, from the traditional ones such as Strawberry, Strawberry, Vanilla, and Caramel to specialties such as pistachios, cotton candy, and bergamot. Not only cocktails, but you can also combine GIFFARD syrups with tea to create your own special drinks.
With a wide range of flavors, GIFFARD can please professional bartenders and anyone who is in search of simple tasty cocktail recipes for their friend or family get-togethers.