20 best Summer cocktails

When it comes to cocktails, summer screams "Sex on the Beach", or at least fruit-forward rather than spirit-forward, more refreshing cocktails, but not necessarily long drinks. I've tried to be imaginative in compiling my 20 best summer cocktails.

50:50 Margarita
With: Reposado tequila, blanco tequila, triple sec, agave syrup, lime juice, and Margarita bitters.
We say: A split base margarita with both tripe sec and agave syrup.

Absinthe Dripped
With: Absinthe, sugar syrup, and chilled water.
We say: An traditional Absinthe Drip without the faff.

Bahama Mama
With: Jamaican aged blended rum, overproof aged rum, coconut rum, coconut liqueur, coffee liqueur, lemon juice, and pineapple juice.
We say: The holy trinity of rum, coconut and pineapple served in a well-balanced, not overly sweet tropical-style cocktail.

Californian Margarita
With: Blanco tequila, triple sec, lemon juice, falernum and saline solution.
We say: A classic margarita but "with a few tweaks", including falernum.

Caipirinha
With: Fresh lime, powdered sugar, and cachaça.
We say: The Brazilian national cocktail made the way I discovered in Brazil.

Chartreuse Swizzle
With: Green chartreuse, falernum, pineapple juice, and lime juice.
We say: A swizzle for people like me- Chartreuse lovers. Best enjoyed on a hot summer's evening.

Canchànchara
With: Gold rum, lime juice, and honey syrup.
We say: The forerunner of the Daiquiri, drunk by Cuban revolutionaries at the end of the 19th century.

Difford's Fruit cup No.1
With: Gin, orange curaçao, rosso vermouth, aromatic bitters, ginger ale, and cola.
We say: This long refreshing fruity cocktail mimics the characteristics of a Pimm's Cup but with the punch and fullness flavour, reminiscent of distant decades when Pimm's No.1 carried a full 9% more alc./vol. than it does today.

Gin Basil Smash
With: Basil leaves, gin, freshly squeezed lemon juice & pure cane sugar syrup.
We say: Jörg, the creator of this cocktail, says, "Better too much, than not enough basil in this drink."

In the August Sun
With: Overproof rum, sherry, falernum, pineapple juice, and cream of coconut.
We say: Looks like a Piña Colada and indeed tastes a lot like a Piña Colada but overproof rum, fino sherry and falernum ensure this is no ordinary Piña Colada.

Lemon Beat
With: Silver cachaça, lemon juice, and honey syrup.
We say: Made with a quality cachaça, a freshly squeezed ripe lemon and a raw honey syrup, this simple cocktail is deliciously refreshing.

Limoncello Spritz
With: Prosecco sparkling wine, limoncello and soda water.
We say: Zesty, almost creamy, lemon enlivened with fizz.

Midsummer Daydream
With: Cognac, coconut water, freshly squeezed lime juice, orange bitters & tonic water
We say: There is a double slug of brandy in this dry refreshing long summery aperitivo.

Paloma
With: Blanco tequila, pink grapefruit juice, freshly squeezed lime juice, agave syrup, and pink grapefruit soda.
We say: Reminiscent of a long, fruit Margarita

Pineapple & Mint Caipirinha
With: Lime juice, white caster sugar, fresh pineapple, mint leaves, and silver cachaça.
We say: Minty fresh pineapple transports the Caipirinha into the realm of tropical drinks.

Prescription Julep
With: Mint leaves, cognac, rye whiskey, sugar syrup, and orange bitters.
We say: Rye whiskey and cognac combine harmoniously in this delicious julep.

Sangaree (Sangria)
With: Spanish brandy, orange curaçao, shiraz red wine, orange juice, lemon juice, sugar syrup, and cinnamon syrup.
We say: Summer in a glass. Heavy wine tannins are sweetened, lightened and infused with fruit.

Southside Rickey
With: Gin, freshly squeezed lime juice, pure cane sugar syrup, mint leaves & soda water
We say: A gin-based Mojito served over cracked ice meets the classic Southside. The result is refreshing and easy drinking.

Sunflower
With: Absinthe, gin, triple sec, elderflower liqueur, and lemon juice.
We say: Elderflower liqueur replaces aromatised wine in this riff on a classic Corpse Reviver No.2. This means the bitter oils is from the lemon zest twist are crucial to the balance of this aromatic floral and citrusy cocktail.

Santa Marta Daiquiri
With: Light white rum, lime juice, sugar syrup, and kirschwasser eau-de-vie.
We say: A float of kirschwasser adds fruity aromatics to an otherwise classic Natural Daiquiri.

100s more Summer cocktails