Cool off this summer with some delicious cocktails! Wind down and relax with any of these easy-to-make drinks. They don’t require a ton of effort and should be available near you. A ton of these can also be made and enjoyed without alcohol for those who are staying sober or don’t like alcohol. These are only some of the easiest cocktails but the possibilities are endless. You can experiment with different flavours to your liking.
Mojito
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- Small handful of mint leaves, plus an extra sprig to serve
- 60 ml white rum soda water, to taste
Step 1: Muddle the lime juice, sugar and mint leaves in a small jug, crushing the mint as you go – you can use the end of a rolling pin for this. Pour into a tall glass and add a handful of ice.
Step 2: Pour over the rum, stirring with a long-handled spoon. Top up with soda water, garnish with mint and serve.
Pinã Colada
- 120 ml pineapple juice
- 60 ml white rum
- 60 ml coconut cream
- A wedge of pineapple, to garnish (optional)
Step 1: Pulse all the ingredients along with a handful of ice in a blender until smooth. Pour into a tall glass and garnish as you like.
Aperol Spritz
- Ice
- 100 ml Aperol
- 150 ml prosecco
- Soda, to top up
Step 1: Put a couple of cubes of ice into 2 glasses and add a 50 ml measure of Aperol to each. Divide the prosecco between the glasses and then top up with soda, if you like.
Cranberry Vodka
- 250 g fresh or frozen cranberries or other berries
- 1L bottle vodka
- 175 g caster sugar
Step 1: Prick each cranberry a couple of times with a fork and layer up in a large sterilised Kilner jar with the sugar. Pour over the vodka and leave for 2 weeks, shaking the jar each day.
Step 2: Strain and decant into decorative bottles. Then, seal and label.
Tequila Sunrise
- 2 tsp grenadine
- Ice
- 50 ml tequila
- 1 tbsp triple sec
- 1 large orange, or 2 small ones, juiced
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 1 cocktail cherry
Step 1: Pour the grenadine into the base of a tall glass and set aside. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add the tequila, triple sec and fruit juices. Shake until the outside of the shaker feels cold.
Step 2: Add a few ice cubes to the serving glass then carefully double strain the cocktail into it, trying not to disturb the grenadine layer too much. Add more ice, if needed, to fill the glass then garnish with a cherry on a stick or cocktail umbrella.
Passion Fruit Martini
- 2 ripe passion fruits (they should have a crinkly appearance), halved
- 60 ml vodka 30ml passion fruit liqueur
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp sugar syrup
- Prosecco, to serve
Step 1: Scoop the seeds from one of the passion fruits into the glass of a cocktail shaker, and add the vodka, passion fruit liqueur, lime juice and sugar syrup. Add a handful of ice and shake well, strain into 2 martini glasses, top up with prosecco, then add half a passion fruit to each. Serve immediately.
Woo Woo
- 50 ml vodka
- 25 ml peach schnapps
- 100 ml cranberry juice
- A few drops of fresh lime juice
- Ice
- Wedge of lime
Step 1: Fill a cocktail shaker with ice then add the vodka, peach schnapps, cranberry juice and a few drops of lime juice. Shake really well then strain into a tumbler with extra ice. Garnish with a wedge of lime.
Cosmopolitan
- 120 ml vodka
- 60 ml orange liqueur
- 60 ml cranberry juice
- Juice of 1 lime
Step 1: Stir the ingredients and a little ice together or put them in a cocktail shaker to combine. Strain into two chilled martini glasses.
Watermelon Daquiri
- Ice
- 50 ml white rum
- 25 ml watermelon liqueur or watermelon-flavoured spirit, such as gin
- 10 ml lime juice
- 100 g watermelon (prepared weight), plus a wedge to garnish
Step 1: Put a handful of ice in a blender suitable for crushing ice, along with the rum, watermelon liqueur, lime juice and watermelon flesh. Blitz until just smooth.
Step 2: Fill a tall glass with ice, pour over the daiquiri and garnish with a wedge of watermelon.
White wine sangria
- 2 bottles of white wine
- 300 ml ginger wine
- 80 ml elderflower cordial
- 4 limes, thinly sliced into rounds
- 3 peaches, sliced large handful of raspberries
- Ice
- 1 L sparkling water
Step 1: Put all the ingredients (except the ice and water) into two large jugs and put them in the fridge for at least 1hr to chill. Just before serving, top up with the ice and water. Pop a few edible flowers in the jug, if you like.
Buck’s Fizz
- 100 ml orange juice, freshly squeezed
- 200 ml chilled champagne
Step 1: First, pour 50ml of the orange juice into each glass.
Step 2: Very slowly top up each glass with 100ml champagne.
Coco Fizz
- 25 ml coconut rum
- 50 ml coconut water
- Juice of ½ lime
- Ice
- 50 ml prosecco
Step 1: Put the coconut rum, coconut water and lime juice into a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake until the outside of the shaker is icy-cold to the touch. Strain into a chilled coupe glass, top with the Prosecco and serve.
Rum Old-Fashioned
- 50 ml dark rum
- 1 tsp sugar syrup
- A few dashes of orange bitters
- Ice
- Strip of orange peel, to garnish
Step 1: Put half the rum, the sugar syrup and bitters in a mixing glass or jug. Add three ice cubes and stir slowly with a mixing spoon until the outside of the glass feels cold. Add the rest of the rum and a few more ice cubes, then stir to just combine.
Step 2: Strain the drink into an ice-filled rocks glass or tumbler and garnish with a strip of orange peel.
Reverse Espresso Martini
- 30 ml freshly brewed espresso
- 50 ml vodka
- 25 ml Irish cream
Step 1: Freeze the espresso in an ice cube tray until frozen solid. Pour the vodka and Irish cream into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Stir together for about 1 min then strain into a tumbler. Put 4-5 coffee ice cubes into the drink to serve.
Moscow Mule
- 50 ml vodka
- Crushed ice
- 150-200 ml ginger beer
- A few dashes of ginger bitters
- Sprig of mint (to serve)
- A wedge of lime (to serve)
Step 1: Pour the vodka into a metal mug, julep tin or tumbler. Load up ¾ full with crushed ice, then fill to the top with the ginger beer and stir gently to combine. Add a few dashes of ginger bitters. Serve with a sprig of mint to garnish and the lime to squeeze over.
Mimosa
- 350 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
- 750 ml bottle of chilled dry Champagne or Prosecco
- Orange slices, for garnish (optional)
Step 1: Divide juice between 6 champagne flutes (55-60 ml each), then top each with champagne. Garnish each with a slice of orange if desired.
Gimlet
- 60 ml Gin
- 30 ml fresh lime juice
- 22.5 ml simple syrup
- Ice, for shaking
- Lime zest and wheel, for garnish
Step 1: Combine gin, simple syrup and lime juice in a shaker. Shake for 10 to 15 seconds until the shaker is frosty. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with lime zest over the top and a lime wheel on the rim.
Negroni
- 30 ml Campari
- 1 ml gin
- 1 ml sweet vermouth
- Orange peel, for garnish
Step 1: Fill a measuring glass with ice, then pour Campari, gin, and vermouth. Stir with a bar spoon until chilled through.
Step 2: Strain into a rock glass filled with ice. Garnish with orange peel.
