Summer has officially arrived, and with it comes the promise of long, warm days spent relaxing in the garden with a refreshing drink in hand. But if you're tired of the same old beer or gin and tonic, we've got you covered with a fantastic selection of cocktail recipes that will elevate your summer sipping.
From elegant spritzes to bold punches, there is something here for every taste. The best part? You don't need to be a professional mixologist to create these drinks. Just follow the simple instructions and enjoy the compliments.
Ibiza Spritz
Ingredients: 50 ml Licor 43, 25 ml lime juice, 100 ml Fever Tree Pink Grapefruit (or alternative pink grapefruit soda), orange and lemon slices for garnish.
Method: Fill a glass to the rim with ice. Add Licor 43 and lime juice, then top with pink grapefruit soda. Stir briefly and garnish with orange and lemon slices. Serve chilled in a wine glass.
Light & Zesty Tonic Spritz
Ingredients: 50ml Caleño Light & Zesty (0.5% abv), 200ml Indian tonic water, fresh pineapple for garnish.
Method: Fill a glass with ice, pour in Caleño, and top with tonic water. Garnish with a pineapple wheel and leaves.
The British Garden Spritz
Ingredients: 50ml The Straw Hat Botanical Strawberry, Rhubarb & Orange Blossom, 100ml sparkling water or lemonade, crushed ice, 2 fresh British strawberries or raspberries, fresh mint, optional 15ml rhubarb liqueur.
Method: Fill a mason jar with crushed ice. Add the Straw Hat gin and rhubarb liqueur if using. Top with sparkling water or lemonade. Add sliced strawberries or raspberries. Stir gently and garnish with mint.
Spring Martini
Ingredients: 50ml Salford Rhubarb Gin, 20ml raspberry liqueur, 50ml pineapple juice.
Method: Hard shake all ingredients with ice and fine strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with raspberries on a skewer.
Żubrówka Apple Zu
Ingredients: 40ml Bison Grass Vodka, apple juice, pinch of cinnamon.
Method: Fill a glass with ice, pour vodka over ice, top with apple juice, and sprinkle with cinnamon. Stir gently and garnish with an apple slice or cinnamon stick if desired.
Kokum Margarita from Farzi
Ingredients: 10ml kokum syrup, 10ml agave syrup, 50ml Cazcabel Blanco, 20ml fresh lime juice, 5 dashes saline water, pinch coriander leaves, lime wedge, pink pepper and Himalayan salt rim.
Method: Mix kokum and agave syrup to make a cordial. Rim a rocks glass with lime and dip in pink pepper-salt mix. Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into the glass. Garnish with coriander.
Spiced Pineapple Daiquiri
Ingredients: 50ml Salford Spiced Pineapple Rum, 12.5ml Velvet Falernum, 25ml lime juice, 25ml pineapple juice, 12.5ml sugar syrup.
Method: Hard shake with ice and fine strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with 3 drops of Angostura Bitters.
Tropical June
Ingredients: 45ml June Mango & Passionfruit Gin, 15ml Aperol, 20ml fresh lime juice, 15ml vanilla syrup, 25ml passionfruit syrup, dash orange bitters, egg white.
Method: Shake all ingredients with ice and a dash of orange bitters and egg white. Serve up in Margarita glasses topped with dried mango slices.
Classic Nemiroff Dry Martini
Ingredients: 60ml Nemiroff De Luxe vodka, 10ml dry white vermouth, 10ml Lillet Blanc, 5ml orange bitters, grapefruit zest.
Method: Chill a martini glass with ice. Add bitters, Lillet, vermouth, and vodka. Twist grapefruit zest over the liquid. Stir for 1 minute with a bar spoon. Discard ice and strain into the glass. Garnish with an olive.
Grape Skin Spritz
Ingredients: 50ml Discarded Grape Skin Vodka, 25ml flat Prosecco syrup, soda water.
Method: Add all ingredients to a wine glass with ice and stir gently.
Nemiroff Local Martini
Ingredients: 50ml Nemiroff De Luxe vodka, 20ml dry vermouth, dash cranberry bitters, pickled onion.
Method: Add bitters, vermouth, and vodka to a glass with ice. Stir slowly and strain into a pre-chilled glass. Garnish with pickled onion on a cocktail stick.
Dark 'n Stormy Granita
Ingredients: 1 can Goslings Ginger Beer, 50ml Goslings Black Seal Rum.
Method: Pour ginger beer into a freezer-proof container and freeze for 3 hours, breaking up ice every 30 minutes. Spoon slush into a glass and top with rum. Garnish with lime.
Banana Colada Spritz
Ingredients: 50ml Discarded Banana Peel Rum, 25ml coconut water, 5-6 pineapple chunks, 50ml Prosecco.
Method: Muddle pineapple in a shaker, add rum and coconut water, shake hard over ice. Double-strain into a wine glass over ice and top with Prosecco.
Spicy Margarita
Ingredients: 30ml tequila, 60ml Cointreau, chilled Picoso Zesty Lime with Scotch Bonnet.
Method: Mix ingredients and garnish with lime slice or salt rim.
Hugo Spritz
Ingredients: 40ml Hendrick's Original, 10ml elderflower syrup, 50ml Prosecco, 75ml soda, cucumber and mint leaves.
Method: Muddle mint in a glass, add gin and elderflower syrup. Fill with ice, top with Prosecco and soda. Garnish with mint and cucumber.
Gin & Tonic Float
Ingredients: 50ml Hernö Old Tom Gin, 100ml tonic water, 1 scoop raspberry ripple ice cream.
Method: Combine gin and tonic in a glass, top with ice cream.
Summer Time Spritz
Ingredients: 50ml Hendrick's Original, 75ml Fever Tree Raspberry & Rhubarb, 100ml Prosecco, cucumber.
Method: Fill a glass with ice, add gin and tonic water, top with Prosecco. Garnish with cucumber.
Gin Martini
Ingredients: 60ml No. 3 London Dry Gin, 10ml dry vermouth, 1 lemon.
Method: Stir over ice in a mixing glass and strain into a chilled Martini glass. Garnish with lemon twist.
Iced Tea Rum Punch (Jug)
Ingredients: 150ml Goslings Black Seal Rum, 100ml lime juice, 100ml pineapple juice, 50ml lemon juice, 100ml simple syrup, 400ml freshly brewed black tea, 4 drops aromatic bitters, ice.
Method: Brew tea and cool. Combine all ingredients in a jug, stir, and garnish with lime and pineapple.
Summer Rum Picoso
Ingredients: 25-50ml white rum, chilled Tropical Mango with Habanero Picoso.
Method: Mix and add a slice of red chilli or lime, or a dash of grenadine for color.
Count Negroni's Punch (Serves 6-8)
Ingredients: 200ml Bathtub Gin, 100ml Campari, 100ml sweet vermouth, 500ml blood orange soda, clementines, bundt cake tin.
Method: Make an ice ring with clementine slices. Combine gin, Campari, and vermouth in a punch bowl; chill. Add ice ring and top with blood orange soda.
Earl Grey Ice Tea
Ingredients: 45ml Hernö London Dry Gin, 60ml brewed Earl Grey tea, 10ml lemon juice, 1 tsp sugar, lemon wheel.
Method: Combine ingredients in a jug, stir, and strain into an old-fashioned glass over ice. Garnish with lemon wheel.
Rose Spritz
Ingredients: 250ml Baron de Ley Rosé, 100ml rose lemonade, 15ml rose syrup, 15ml raspberry puree.
Method: Add puree and syrup to a glass, add ice, pour in wine, stir. Top with rose lemonade and garnish with strawberry slices.
Summer Smokey Spicy Mezcalita
Ingredients: 25-50ml mezcal, chilled Zesty Lime with Scotch Bonnet Picoso.
Method: Mix and garnish with red chilli or lime slice, or Tajin rim.
Kombucha, Peach & Mint Fizz (Pitcher)
Ingredients: 100ml Hernö Old Tom Gin, 600ml sparkling kombucha, 4 peaches, mint.
Method: Muddle peaches and mint in a pitcher, add gin and kombucha, stir with ice. Serve in rocks glasses with peach and mint.
Dark 'n Stormy Ice Cream Float
Ingredients: 1 scoop Dark 'n Stormy ice cream, 50ml Goslings Gold Seal Rum, ginger beer, candied lime.
Method: Make ice cream by blending vanilla ice cream with crystallized ginger and rum. Freeze. In a glass, add ice cream, then pour ginger beer and rum. Garnish with candied lime.
Echoes of Skye
Ingredients: 50ml Torabhaig Sound of Sleat, 2 dashes saline solution, soda water, lemon peel.
Method: Fill a highball with ice, add whisky and saline, stir. Top with soda and garnish with lemon twist.
Negroni Gin
Ingredients: 30ml No.3 London Dry Gin, 30ml Gran Classico or Campari, 30ml sweet vermouth, orange.
Method: Stir ingredients over ice, strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with orange twist.
Piña Co-Lager
Ingredients: 50ml Goslings Gold Seal Rum, 330ml Einstök White Ale, 200ml pineapple juice, 50ml coconut water, pineapple leaves.
Method: Combine rum, pineapple juice, and coconut water in a stein with ice. Top with ale and garnish with pineapple leaves.
The ST-GERMAIN Hugo Spritz
Ingredients: 45ml ST~GERMAIN, 60ml Martini Prosecco, 60ml soda water, mint, lime.
Method: Add ice to a wine glass, pour in ST~GERMAIN, top with Prosecco and soda. Stir and garnish with mint and lime.
Raspberry & Rosemary Gin Spritz (Makes 2)
Ingredients: 100ml Hernö Old Tom Gin, 200ml sparkling wine, 8 raspberries, 2 rosemary sprigs.
Method: Divide raspberries between two flutes and muddle. Top with sparkling wine. Garnish with rosemary and raspberries.
Five Farms Baby Lager
Ingredients: 25ml cinnamon whiskey or Spanish liqueur, 15ml Five Farms Irish Cream Liqueur.
Method: Pour whiskey into a glass. Hold a spoon upside down above the whiskey and pour Five Farms over it to float.
St James's Spritz
Ingredients: 35ml No.3 London Dry Gin, 15ml elderflower cordial, 125ml crémant, rosemary, pink grapefruit.
Method: Fill a wine glass with ice, add ingredients, stir, and top with crémant. Garnish with grapefruit slice and rosemary.
Desi Mango Gimlet
Ingredients: 45ml Desi Daru Mango Vodka, 15ml Cocchi Americano, 15ml coriander seed cordial.
Method: Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass. Express orange zest over the drink.
Rumango Kiwi Punch
Ingredients: 1 cup Goslings Black Seal Rum, 2 cups mango nectar, juice of 1 Jazz apple, 4 kiwi fruits, ½ cup White Heron British Cassis, 2 limes, mint.
Method: Crush two kiwi with mint in a jug. Add cubed kiwi, sliced lime, lime juice, rum, mango nectar, and cassis. Chill. Serve over ice in Nick and Nora or wine glasses.
Orchard Garden Punch (Serves 6-8)
Ingredients: 200ml Bathtub Gin, 100ml elderflower cordial, 500ml cloudy apple juice, 100ml lemon juice, 60ml agave syrup, 500ml sparkling water, mint, apple and lemon slices.
Method: Combine gin, cordial, apple juice, lemon juice, and agave in a punch bowl. Chill. Add ice and sparkling water before serving. Garnish with mint, apple, and lemon.
Desi Mango Soda
Ingredients: 50ml Desi Daru Alphonso Mango Vodka, 100ml soda water.
Method: Build over ice in a highball glass. Stir gently and garnish with lime wedge.
Summer Fruit Daiquiri (Makes 2)
Ingredients: 100ml Goslings Gold Seal Rum, 250ml summer fruit puree, 1 lime, fresh raspberry and blackberry.
Method: Squeeze lime into a shaker, add ice, rum, and fruit puree. Shake and pour into chilled coupe glasses. Garnish with berries.
Sorrento Sunset Punch (Serves 6-8)
Ingredients: 200ml Bathtub Gin Grapefruit & Rosemary, 100ml Luxardo Bitter Bianco, 500ml grapefruit juice, 60ml lemon juice, 60ml agave syrup, 500ml sparkling water, grapefruit slices, rosemary.
Method: Combine gin, bitter, juices, and agave in a punch bowl. Chill. Add ice and sparkling water before serving. Garnish with grapefruit and rosemary.
Spicy Mango Desi-rita
Ingredients: 50ml Desi Daru Mango Vodka, 20ml triple sec, 5ml agave syrup, 25ml lime juice, ½ fresh chilli.
Method: Muddle chilli in a shaker. Add remaining ingredients with ice and shake. Fine strain into a glass rimmed with Achari Masala Salt.
Summer Rummer Pitcher
Ingredients: 100ml Goslings Black Seal Rum, 300g frozen summer fruits, 4 Jazz apples (juiced), 350ml Prosecco.
Method: Blend frozen fruits with apple juice until smooth. Add ice to a jug, pour in smoothie, rum, and stir. Top with Prosecco. Serve over a large ice cube and garnish with mint.
Perfectly Pink Punch (Serves 6-8)
Ingredients: 200ml Bathtub Gin, 150ml raspberry cordial, 150ml lemon juice, 100ml agave syrup, 500ml sparkling water, raspberries, lemon slices.
Method: Combine gin, cordial, agave, and lemon juice in a punch bowl. Chill. Add ice and sparkling water before serving. Garnish with raspberries and lemon.
Desi Mango Spritz
Ingredients: 25ml Desi Daru Alphonso Mango Vodka, 25ml Sauvignon Blanc, 100ml London Essence Co Peach & Jasmine Soda.
Method: Build over ice in a wine glass. Stir gently and garnish with a curry leaf.
Or You Can Just Cheat!
For those who prefer convenience, Salford Distillery has launched its first-ever canned cocktails. The range includes Salford Spiced Rum & Cola and Salford Spiced Rum & Fiery Ginger Beer, each in sleek 250ml cans priced at £3. These ready-to-drink options offer bar-quality rum serves perfect for summer on the go.
