The weather is getting warmer, which means it’s time to trade in that glass of straight bourbon for something a little fruitier. Summer is prime time for fruity cocktails thanks to the warm weather, and more importantly, the availability of tons of beautiful in-season fruit.
Whether you’re into traditional fruits like strawberries and blueberries or want to get a bit more adventurous in your cocktail by making it with something like cantaloupe, we’ve got you covered. Here are 10 delicious cocktails featuring fresh fruit.
The Brockmans and Tonic
Ingredients:
2 oz. Brockmans Gin
1 oz. Premium Tonic
Peel of pink grapefruit
A few fresh blueberries
Directions: Fill your glass with big ice cubes. Add a double measure of Brockmans Gin. Gently pour the tonic on a swizzle spoon to keep the fizz. Twist the pink grapefruit peel before watching it sink into your drink. Garnish with a few fresh blueberries.
Laphroaig® Back Yard Collins
Recipe by Ivy Mix, NYC
Ingredients:
1 1/2 parts Laphroaig® Select
3/4 part Cherry Heering® Liqueur
3/4 part lemon juice
1/2 part orange juice
1/2 part vanilla syrup* (sub-recipe below)
1 Dash Angostura® Bitters
Light lager beer
Lemon wheel (for garnish)
Directions: Combine all ingredients except lager in a cocktail shaker, shake and strain into a Collins glass with fresh ice. Top with a light lager beer and garnish with a lemon wheel.
*Vanilla Syrup
Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean (split open)
Directions: Combine vanilla syrup ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Let cool and strain.
Spiced Strawberry Margarita
Ingredients:
1 oz. Cointreau
2 oz. Blanco tequila
1 oz. Fresh lime juice
2 Strawberries
3 Dashes angostura bitters
Directions: Muddle strawberries in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add Cointreau, tequila, fresh lime juice and bitters and shake with ice. Strain over ice in a rocks glass with a cinnamon sugar rim and garnish with a strawberry.
Laphroaig Smoked Independence
Recipe by Ivy Mix, NYC
Ingredients:
1 1/2 parts Laphroaig® 10 Year Old
1/2 part pineapple rum
3/4 part lime juice
3/4 part simple syrup
Bar spoon pomegranate molasses
Directions: Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Shake and strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a lime wheel.
Pomegranate Ginger Cosmopolitan
Ingredients:
.75 oz. Cointreau
1 oz. Vodka
.75 oz. Fresh lime juice
.75 oz. Pomegranate juice
2 slices Fresh ginger
Directions: Muddle the ginger in the bottom of a shaker tin. Add all remaining ingredients. Shake and fine strain into a cocktail glass.
Le Grand Fizz Recipe
Ingredients:
1 ½ Parts Grey Goose® Vodka
1 Part St-Germain® Elderflower Liqueur
½ Part freshly squeezed lime (approx. Half a lime)
3 Wedges of fresh lime
2 Parts chilled soda water
Directions: Build in an oversized cabernet wine glass with lots of ice. Add Grey Goose Vodka and St-Germain. Then squeeze fresh lime and discard. Top with chilled soda water. Stir and garnish with fresh lime wedges and a Grey Goose stirrer.
Whistle Blow My Blues Away
By Pamela Wiznitzer at Kola House
Ingredients:
2 oz. Spring 44 Gin infused Blue Pea Flower
6-8 sprigs Basil
.5 oz. Strawberry Syrup
.25 oz. Campari
.5 oz. Lime
.75 oz. White tea cordial
Directions: Shake the white tea cordial, strawberry syrup and lime together. In a tall glass, place the basil at the bottom and pack with ice. Top with the shaken mixture, then layer the soda water and then the blue pea gin. Garnish with basil and/or mint
Melon Ball Punch
Ingredients:
4 oz. Izze Sparkling Juice – Clementine
2 oz. Club Soda
1.5 oz. Vodka
3 or 4 frozen melon balls
Directions: Mix juice, club soda, and vodka in a glass. Add 3 or 4 frozen melon balls. To create melon balls, scoop out watermelon, honeydew, or cantaloupe using an ice cream scoop or melon baller. Place on top of parchment paper and freeze overnight.
Hinterland Punch (Serves 6-8)
Created by Josh Mazza
Ingredients:
12 oz. Jägermeister
5 oz. Grenadine
10 oz. Ruby Red Grapefruit
20 oz. Roobis tea
1 Bottle (26oz) Sparkling Rosé
8 oz. raspberries
8 oz. strawberries
Directions: Add edible flowers to tea and freeze in a bread pan. Combine other ingredients in a punch bowl. Add frozen tea/flowers. Cut berries and add into punch.
Summer Garden Breeze
Ingredients:
5 mint leaves
2 lime wedges
½ oz. Belvoir Organic Elderflower Lemonade
1.5 oz. white rum
1.5 oz. organic apple juice
Directions: Mix in a highball glass with cubed ice, garnishing with a mint sprig.