Most Refreshing Summer Cocktails

If there is a cocktail that most defines summer, it might just be the mojito. A cocktail of Cuban origin, it is made with rum, lime, sugar, mint and, most important of all, lots of ice. The traditional image of a mojito is drinking one beside a bodega in Havana, being refreshed by the cool temperatures of the ice and the cool flavors of the mint. The sugar helps the alcohol go down very easy.

Mojito ingredients

• 2 oz white rum
• 1 oz lime juice
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• Fresh mint leaves
• Club soda

Method

1. In a glass, muddle the mint leaves and sugar together.
2. Add lime juice and rum.
3. Fill the glass with ice cubes and top it off with club soda.
4. Stir gently and garnish with a sprig of mint.

Discover a fruity twist on this classic with our article on how to make a strawberry mojito.

Just because we want a refreshing summer cocktail, doesn't mean you can't get one of your 5 a day fruits and vegetables. Although the calories and other elements of the Bloody Mary mean it is not exactly a health shake, it is a tasty and refreshing cocktail which is particularly popular of an afternoon. Named after Queen Mary I of England, it is believed to originate in France during the 1920s.

Bloody Mary ingredients

• 2 oz vodka
• 4 oz tomato juice
• ½ oz lemon juice
• Dash of Worcestershire sauce
• Dash of hot sauce (e.g., Tabasco)
• Pinch of salt and pepper

Method

1. Fill a glass with ice cubes.
2. Add vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, salt, and pepper.
3. Stir well to combine.
4. Garnish with celery stalk, lemon wedge, or other desired garnishes.

If you want some more ideas for this summer cocktail, take a look at our article on how to make the perfect Bloody Mary.

Lime, ice, sugar and cachaça are the basic ingredients of one of the most refreshing cocktails in the world. The caipirinha is a Brazilian twist on the mojito, although we won't argue over who came up with it first. It is a delicious refreshing cocktail which can be drunk on a warm summer evening on its own, although it is also a common aperitif for dinner. The spirit cachaça replaces the rum and it doesn't usually have any soda water. It is so popular it has become the national cocktail of Brazil.

Caipirinha ingredients

• 2 oz cachaça (Brazilian rum)
• ½ lime (cut into wedges)
• 2 teaspoons sugar

Method

1. In a glass, muddle the lime wedges and sugar together.
2. Add cachaça and stir until the sugar dissolves.
3. Fill the glass with crushed ice and give it a gentle stir.
4. Serve with a lime wedge as a garnish.

Vodka and nuances of sour fruit make the Cosmopolitan one of the most glamorous cocktails on the planet. This is what Carrie Bradshaw instilled in us, the star of the famous series Sex and the City brought to life by actress Sarah Jessica Parker. If you want to feel like a true celebrity and enjoy this succulent cocktail this summer, you just have to know that it is easily prepared with vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice and lime juice.

Cosmopolitan ingredients

• 1 ½ oz vodka
• 1 oz cranberry juice
• ½ oz lime juice
• ½ oz triple sec (orange liqueur)

Method

1. Fill a shaker with ice.
2. Add vodka, cranberry juice, lime juice, and triple sec.
3. Shake well until chilled.
4. Strain the mixture into a martini glass.
5. Optionally, garnish with a twist of lime or orange peel.

Although an incredibly refreshing summer cocktail, the piña colada somehow shouldn't work. Heavy cream isn't an ingredient we often associate with a hot day, but this ingredient makes this pineapple-based cocktail have a depth of flavor not all summer cocktails can boast. It has become one of the most popular and requested cocktails in summer for something, it is precisely because of its sweet and refreshing flavor.

Piña Colada ingredients

• 2 oz white rum
• 2 oz pineapple juice
• 1 ½ oz coconut cream
• Pineapple wedge (for garnish)

Method

1. Fill a blender with ice cubes.
2. Add rum, pineapple juice, and coconut cream.
3. Blend until smooth and creamy.
4. Pour into a glass.
5. Optionally, garnish with a pineapple wedge.

Do you like super tropical cocktails in summer? If the answer is yes, this combination cannot be missed. The Mai Tai is known as the grandfather of tiki cocktails that base their creation on tiki culture, the god of life in Hawaiian culture. It is made with aged rum, Jamaican rum, amaretto, Cointreau, lime juice, pineapple juice and grenadine. The result is a brightly colored, delicious and fruity cocktail that lives up to its name, since the Tahitian expression mai tai means delicious.

Mai Tai ingredients

• 1 ½ oz dark rum
• 1 oz white rum
• ½ oz orange curaçao
• ½ oz lime juice
• ½ oz orgeat syrup
• Splash of grenadine
• Pineapple wedge and mint sprig (for garnish)

Method

1. Fill a shaker with ice.
2. Add dark rum, white rum, orange curaçao, lime juice, orgeat syrup, and grenadine.
3. Shake well.
4. Strain the mixture into a glass filled with crushed ice.
5. Garnish with a pineapple wedge and a sprig of mint.

If you are planning a tiki party, check out our article on how to decorate for a Hawaiian party.

Another of the great cocktails of Cuban origin is the strawberry daiquiri, one of the variations of the traditional daiquiri made with white rum and lemon or lime juice. The mixture of these ingredients provides a refreshing and sweet cocktail, ideal to enjoy while you relax in a hammock on the beach or by the pool. If you want to savor another Caribbean delight, the strawberry daiquiri is the perfect summer cocktail.

Strawberry Daiquiri ingredients

• 2 oz white rum
• 1 oz lime juice
• 1 oz simple syrup
• 4-5 fresh strawberries
• Ice cubes

Method

1. In a blender, combine rum, lime juice, simple syrup, fresh strawberries, and ice cubes.
2. Blend until smooth and creamy.
3. Pour into a glass.
4. Optionally, garnish with a strawberry or lime slice.

If you want to be refreshed this summer, but don't want the booze, take a look at our recipe for a non-alcoholic strawberry daiquiri.

We have obtained numerous delicacies from Mexican gastronomy and this is one of our favorites. The michelada is a cocktail that is a beer cocktail, something which is not as strong in alcohol as other cocktails, but which provides just as much favor. It has the freshness of an ice cold beer, as well as the acidity of lime which gives it its tangy touch. You can find multiple versions, some of which use shrimp and other savory treats. It is also considered a good hangover cure by some.

Michelada ingredients

• 1 chilled beer (lager or light beer)
• 2 oz tomato juice or Clamato
• 1 oz lime juice
• Dash of Worcestershire sauce
• Dash of hot sauce
• Pinch of salt and pepper

Method

1. Rim a glass with salt (optional).
2. Fill the glass with ice cubes.
3. Add tomato juice or Clamato, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, salt, and pepper.
4. Stir gently to mix.
5. Slowly pour the chilled beer into the glass.
6. Stir lightly and serve.

Did you know that the Spanish city of Valencia has its own cocktail? Although not as world famous as some of the other refreshing summer cocktails on our list, it is just as delicious on a hot summer afternoon. Don't be fooled by its name, because it doesn't have any water. Agua de Valencia is a combination of cava or champagne, orange juice, vodka and gin. It is one of the most refreshing cocktails, but also one of the ones that go to the head faster, so it is best drunk in moderation.

Agua de Valencia ingredients

• 4 oz fresh orange juice
• 2 oz cava (Spanish sparkling wine)
• 2 oz vodka
• 1 oz gin
• Sugar (to taste)
• Ice cubes
• Orange slices (for garnish)

Method

1. In a pitcher, combine fresh orange juice, cava, vodka, gin, and sugar to taste. Stir well until the sugar dissolves.
2. Fill glasses with ice cubes.
3. Pour the Agua de Valencia mixture into the glasses.
4. Garnish each glass with an orange slice.
5. Stir gently before serving.

And we finish this selection of the best and most refreshing cocktails for summer with another Mexican delight: the margarita. If you are a fan of tequila, this cocktail is ideal for you. The traditional recipe is usually prepared with tequila, lemon juice and Triple sec. We currently can find other versions such as the strawberry margarita which use fruit purées to taste. Of course, the glass is served with salt on the edges, to give a greater contrast to the tequila. The freshness and the explosion of flavors is guaranteed with a delicious margarita.

Margarita ingredients

• 2 oz tequila
• 1 oz lime juice
• 1 oz triple sec (orange liqueur)
• Salt (for rimming the glass)
• Lime wedge (for garnish)
• Ice cubes

Method

1. Rim a glass with salt by moistening the rim with a lime wedge and dipping it into a plate of salt.
2. Fill the glass with ice cubes.
3. In a shaker, combine tequila, lime juice, and triple sec.
4. Shake well until chilled.
5. Strain the mixture into the glass over the ice.
6. Optionally, garnish with a lime wedge.

If you think this is too complicated, check out our recipe on how to make an easy margarita on the rocks.

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