7 Great Summer Cocktails That Aren’t Total Calorie Disasters
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A GREAT SUMMER cocktail should be cold, delicious, and relatively easy to make.
Also a plus: flexibility. Because summer cocktails tend to involve “mixers”—fresh-squeezed juices, bubbly seltzers, and the like—the drinks on this list are very forgiving if you need to upsize them for a crowd.
In order to scale up each cocktail without the flavors going awry, just take the ratios specified in each recipe for one drink and then multiply. Eyeballing and tasting as you go along is totally fine, and encouraged even, although keep in mind that the more tasting you do the less able you are to figure out the nuances of the drink. (But summer is not a time for nuances anyway?)
So, this summer, raise a glass to a return to simple pleasures: easy cocktails, with friends and family. Because, really, what else do you need to feel satisfied in life?
Frozen Pimm's Cup
Fresh berries, cucumbers, mint, and the gin-based liqueur Pimm’s No. 1—a Pimm’s Cup is summer in a glass. This recipe is from Every Cocktail Has a Twist.
A frozen Pimm’s is powerfully refreshing and simple, because you toss everything in a blender.
HOW TO MAKE IT: In a blender, combine 6 oz Pimm’s No. 1, 2 oz simple syrup, 1 oz fresh lemon juice, 4 thin cucumber slices, 4 medium strawberries (tops removed), 1 quarter-inch-thick slice of peeled ginger, and 12 mint leaves, plus 2 cups of ice. Blend until smooth. Divide equally among 4 tall glasses and garnish with additional cucumber slices, strawberry halves, and mint. Serves 4
Mescal Paloma
Tequila tends to be sweet and smooth. Mescal is smoky and complex, which adds oomph to the sweet-bitter flavors of a Paloma. “A pinch of salt, along with some citrus, really helps make the drink pop and makes it more three-dimensional,” says Noah Small, the corporate beverage director at Empellón in N.Y.C.
HOW TO MAKE IT: In a tall glass filled with ice, combine 1 1⁄2 oz mescal, 2 oz fresh grapefruit juice, 1⁄2 oz fresh lime juice, 3 drops grapefruit bitters, and a pinch of kosher salt. Stir to combine, then top with club soda and garnish with a slice of pink grapefruit. Serves 1
The Pacific Standard Michelada
This Mexican drink is awesome because beer—not some fancy combo of specialty liquors—does all the work. “It’s just not the sort of thing that needs to be super overthought,” says Jeffrey Mor- genthaler, co-owner of Pacific Standard in Portland, Oregon. He takes a crisp lager and adds a duo of fresh citruses for tang and a touch of heat for an afterburn.
HOW TO MAKE IT: Rub the rim of a chilled pint glass with lime, then roll it in a shallow plate sprinkled with Tajín seasoning. In a separate glass, combine 3⁄4 oz orange juice, 3⁄4 oz lime juice, 1⁄2 oz simple syrup (optional), and 1 tsp Tapatío hot sauce. Fill the glass with ice, top with lager, gently stir to combine, and pour the whole thing into the prepared glass. Garnish with a lime wedge. Serves 1
The Naked Arnold Palmer
Half lemonade, half iced tea—the Arnold Palmer is a classically straightforward NA drink. That doesn't mean it has to be boring (or even NA).
First off, bring the sugar count waaaay down. Go unsweetened on the tea and lower-sugar on the lemonade. (Santa Cruz’s lemonade has about 11 grams in 4 oz) Then shake. “Tea has a tendency to aerate really well and get nice and frothy, and it just creates a really awesome drinking experience,” says Harrison Snow, co-owner and beverage director at Lullaby in New York City.
HOW TO MAKE IT: Shake 4 oz unsweetened iced tea and 4 oz lemonade with ice. Strain into a glass with fresh ice and garnish with a sprig of mint and a lemon wedge. Serves 1
Spike It: Add 1 oz vodka, gin, or bourbon.
Sidecar
Cognac, lemon, andorange liqueur—a sidecar is as simple as a manhattan or martini, only way less everywhere. If you’ve never had one, this version trades the orange for less in-your-face peach. The key is a high-quality liqueur, says Shay Prince, co-owner of Parlor, a cocktail lounge in Atlanta.
HOW TO MAKE IT: In a cocktail shaker with ice, combine 2 oz cognac (Prince likes D’ussé VSOP), 1⁄2 oz fresh lemon juice, 1⁄2 oz peach liqueur, and 1⁄2 oz simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water). Shake until well chilled and strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube. Serves 1
Mezcal Fizz
The Mezcal Fizz combines takes the bite of a margarita and supercharges it with smoke, body, and bubbles. A fizz is simple—sparkling water, sugar, spirit—so the cocktail is also infinitely versatile.
This version adds an egg white for more oomph (and protein!) and citrus for twang. Pamela Wiznitzer, beverage consultant for NYC’s The Lookup, recommends complex, bittersweet mezcal to make a fizz even better.
HOW TO MAKE IT: In a shaker, add 2 oz mezcal, ½ oz agave nectar, ¾ oz lime juice, 3 dashes orange bitters, and 1 egg white. Shake for 7 seconds to help the drink foam. Open the shaker, add ice, and shake again till well foamed, another 7 seconds. In a highball glass, pour in 1 oz soda water; strain in the contents of the shaker. Let the fizz settle, top with more soda water until the foam reaches the rim. Garnish with lime zest. Serves 1
Bourbon Punch
Poolside, grill-side, anywhere outside—this punch fits in at all the parties. Fill a bowl with a balance of high-quality ingredients, drop in ice, go have fun.
This recipe comes from Richard Marin, bar manager at Kingfisher in Durham, North Carolina. Marin recommends putting out garnishes like berries, sliced cucumbers, and herbs to let guests garnish the drink. Easy.
HOW TO MAKE IT: In a punch bowl filled with ice add 12 oz bourbon, 8 oz double-strength peach tea (Marin recommends Celestial Seasonings Country Peach), 6 oz Pimm’s No. 1 Cup Liqueur, 2 oz rum (Marin likes Smith & Cross), and 2oz simple syrup. Serves 8
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