Let’s face it: As much as everyone loves the hot pool parties and blazing beach days of summer, some days feel more like a scorching Mad Max desert apocalypse. When those triple-digit-degree days arrive, don’t just sit in your room panting in front of your fan. Battle the heat with cocktails that cool you from the inside out. From a creamy horchata cocktail, to frozen Mojitos that will freeze your sandals off, here are nine of the most refreshing summer cocktails.
Created by Atlanta’s first cidery, Urban Tree, this slushy blends classic hard cider with fresh peach slices, rum, lime juice and a homemade rich vanilla mint syrup. Make sure to blend up a big batch because you’ll be wanting another the second you even get close to the last sip.
The Essentials
vanilla mint syrup
rum
Urban Tree Original Cider
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Made simply with sage-infused water, mezcal, lemon juice and agave syrup, this is as close to a “healthy” cocktail as you can possibly get. According to its creator, Texas bartender Molly Walker, the drink is a perfect aperitif or digestif thanks to sage’s tummy-calming properties.
The Essentials
Mezcal
Sage Water
Water
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Mojitos are already one of the most naturally refreshing cocktails out there, perfect for humid summer days. But this version take the hydration up to 11, thanks to a pour of quality coconut water.
The Essentials
White Rum
Coconut Water
Mint Leaves
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Made with tangy limonata soda, London Dry gin, fresh grapefruit juice and handfuls of aromatic basil, this simple punch comes together in no time. Poured over plenty of ice, it is perfect day-drinking fodder that will keep you quenched. Not your style of Gin Bucket? We have other recipes to try like this one made with sloe gin or this one made with Champagne.
The Essentials
London Dry Gin
San Pellegrino Limonata
Prosecco
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It doesn’t get more refreshingly delicious or simple than the Daiquiri. No need to fuss with your busted old air conditioner to cool down when you can just squeeze a lime into a shaker, and throw in some simple syrup, rum and ice. Give it a shake, and you have yourself a thirst-quenching rum classic. Pro tip: Make sure to keep your coupe glasses in the freezer so they’re just as cold as your drink.
The Essentials
White Rum
Demerara Syrup
Lime Juice
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Sipping this ultra-cooling, effervescent cocktail on a hot summer day is like taking a dip in an ice bath. That blast of citrus tang will serve as an added bonus to a tried-and-true tequila cocktail that is sure to refresh and replenish you from an afternoon in the sun.
The Essentials
Tequila
Lime Juice
Grapefruit Soda
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This modified variation on the classic painkiller is perfect for any summer day spent poolside. Be sure to make yourself more than one so you don’t have to get off your beach chair after chugging down the first glass. Better yet, just bring the entire blender with you and set it down in the shade.
The Essentials
rum
coconut cream
fresh pineapple juice
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There aren’t many drinks out there more refreshing than lemonade—especially if said lemonade is spiked with bourbon and freshly muddled blackberries. This is the drink that will take you back to your kid days while maintaining all that’s fun about being an adult. It’s so good, you may find yourself opening your very own adult lemonade stand.
The Essentials
Bourbon
Blackberries
Lemon Juice
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A low-ABV sipper perfect for day drinking in the sun, the Fino Sherry Sangria is a more delicate, refreshing cousin to the classic, blood-red Spanish punch. When you buy plums, make sure to take advantage of the freshest summer fruit at your local market; they’re in season from May to October, making the sunny season the best time to fix yourself this cocktail.
The Essentials
Lustau Fino Sherry
combier
Sliced Plums
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This cocktail requires rum, pineapple, melon liqueur, popsicles and cucumber, aka, the perfect combination of flavors for those ultra-balmy August nights. The ingredients also double as quite the shopping list of groceries to throw in your cooler and bring to the beach. Either way, you can’t go wrong.
The Essentials
white rum
pineapple juice
lime juice
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Homemade horchata is an absolute must-have beverage in the summer. Make a pitcher for your fridge, and take advantage of the creamy, cooling Mexican staple whenever you can. This recipe mixes reposado tequila with horchata for a cocktail so delicious you’ll be daydreaming about it all week.
The Essentials
Tequila
Crushed ice or pebble ice
Supercall’s House Horchata
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There’s a reason the Mojito was created in the Caribbean: Mint, rum and lime are an intoxicatingly cooling combination that could only be inspired by white-sand beaches and crystal clear blue waters. Make the cocktail a blended slushy, and you have one of the best beverages for tackling a sweltering summer.
The Essentials
gold rum
Sour Mix
mint
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A drink with a name like “The Summer 2017” isn’t going to be some heavy, cold weather type of cocktail laden with absinthe and bitters. No way. This drink takes summer refreshment to 110 percent. If you want to experience the zenith of refreshment, look no further.
The Essentials
watermelon juice
vodka
Sparkling rosé
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