12 Refreshing Rums, Tequilas and More Make That the Perfect Summer Drinks to Help Beat the Heat

As the temperatures rise and the days grow longer, nothing quite beats the heat like summer drinks. Summer is for slowing down and stepping away from the daily grind. It’s for spending time with family and friends — while enjoying a great cocktail, of course.

Whether you intend to sip mai tais poolside, plan on enjoying an old fashioned by a roaring campfire during a balmy evening or just want something nice to sip neat or on the rocks, we’ve curated a list of our favorite rums, tequilas, gins, and whiskeys to add a little bit of sizzle to your summer mixology game.

Best Rum for Summer Drinks

Coconut Cartel Blanco Rum

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Coconut Cartel Blanco is a deliciously airy and fruity rum from the Miami rum brand, Coconut Cartel.

This white rum is from the Dominican Republic and is cut to proof with crisp and refreshing coconut water. If you’re a fan of agricoles and cachaças, Coconut Cartel’s white rum will be right up your alley. With a suggested retail price of $28.99, you’ll find this tropical, light-as-a-feather rum that bursts forth with plentiful flavors of plantains might be your go-to for summer mojitos or daiquiris.

This rum is a blend with a base of unaged pot still rum and a one-year-old column still rum aged in ex-bourbon barrels. The team at Coconut Cartel sourced locally harvested Brazilian Green Dwarf coconuts and used the water within to cut the distilled rum to 46% ABV.

Minoki Mizunara Finished Rum

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Attention all beach bums: if you’re looking for a briny and lifted rum with one heck of a story to tell, be sure to check out Minoki, a Japanese rum.

The name “Minoki” means Ocean Princess and is derived from a Japanese legend that tells the tale of the first emperor of Japan descending from an ocean princess-dragon from the depths of the sea and her surrounding coral palace. This distinctive rum was coral-filtered, making it truly a liquid ode to the ocean.

Minoki is a blend of Japanese and Pacific Rums, and it’s aged in Japanese Mizunara oak casks, which lend it an elegantly spiced finish. Minoki is lifted and not too heavy on the palate and the pour offers up aromas of sugar-glazed grapes and passion fruit, making it the perfect sipping rum to indulge in as the temperatures rise. The Mizunara oak is beautifully integrated throughout, and just a kiss of oceanic salinity is present on the finish.

This maritime rum can be purchased for around $40 and has an ABV of 40%. Portions of the profits are donated to protecting and restoring coral reefs, making this rum a purchase you can feel good about.

Mount Gay Single Estate Series Rum 23 01

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Mount Gay really knocked it out of the park with this offering in the Barbados rum brand’s Single Estate Series.

Mount Gay Single Estate Series 23 01 marks the first release from this series, and is a blend of 2016 and 2017 harvests of sugar cane grown at the brand’s own farm. After the cane was harvested and turned into molasses, it was copper pot distilled and aged in ex-bourbon casks before being bottled at 55% ABV.

The pour on this rum is beautiful, big and bold with heavy dessert influences. Aromas of mango and banana bread pudding drizzled with toffee jump out of the glass and segue into a palate with coconut shavings, honey, cracked pepper and toffee. This dark, lusciously rich and powerful rum is a serious sipper, perfect for summer evenings.

This rum is a bit of a splurge, with a suggested retail price of $400.

Best Tequila and Mezcal for Summer Drinks

Del Maguey Chichicapa Mezcal

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Out of all the expressions of Del Maguey Mezcal, the Chichicapa is a fan favorite. And after that initial smoky whiff out of the glass, it’s easy to see why people fall in love with the stuff.

This mezcal host an ABV of 46%. Picture aromas of sweet, light ash coupled with blueberries and frosting. The palate is beautifully complex, with a honeyed throughline and some melon. This isn’t a “bruiser” of a mezcal and there’s plenty of sophistication throughout. Del Maguey’s Chichicapa finishes in a beautifully earthy, mineral-driven way.

If you’re looking to spiff up a margarita or make yourself some refreshing ranch water to sip on the front porch, definitely consider this flagship expression that hosts a price range of between $60 to $100.

Codigo 1530 Rosa Tequila

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So you’re tired of the #roséallday trend and overwhelmed by the myriad bottles of pink potions at your local wine shop. Well, consider something different: rosa tequila. Rosa tequila gets its punchy pink hue from aging in tequila casks that previously held red wine.

Rosa tequila has been on the rise for a few years now,  and this offering from Codigo 1530 will make you believe it’s not just some passing fad. Codigo 1530 refers to itself as an insider’s brand, and the recipes for its tequilas carefully curated by an Amatitán family date back several generations. You find a bottle priced anywhere within the $30 to $59.99 range.

Codigo 1530 Tequila Rosa Blanco hosts an ABV of 35%. Picture plenty of bright floral aromas, with citrus and black pepper. On the palate, flowers do dominate, with roses bursting forth at the forefront. The tequila finishes with a vanilla and herbaceous edge.

Paladar Blanco Tequila

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This crisp, fresh and refreshing blanco tequila is from NOM 1109, the brand behind everybody’s favorite workhorse tequila, Arette. Paladar is another budget-friendly offering that’s dangerously sessionable, and clocks in at 40% ABV.

Folks who enjoy their spirits on the more savory side will immediately vibe with this tequila’s citrusy and earthy nose. The palate possesses lemon, lime, pepper and vanilla cream soda with plenty of spice. The tequila finishes clean and has just a whisper of anise at the end.

You can pick up a bottle of Paladar Blanco for anywhere between $30 to $60.

Best Gin for Summer Drinks

Empress 1908 Cucumber & Lemon Gin

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Popular Canadian Gin brand, Empress, unveiled this afternoon tea-themed release in May. Empress 1908 Cucumber and Lemon Gin possesses the crisp, acidic brace of citrus coupled with crunchy cucumber, making this one of the most refreshing spirits on our list.

Empress 1908 Cucumber Lemon Gin hosts a suggested retail price of $39.99 and an ABV of 42.5%. Additional botanicals used in the gin include cardamom and jasmine for just a bit of a kick.

Consider throwing this bright gin into a Spanish-style gin and tonic for an instant cool down.

St. Pete Tropical Gin

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Old St. Pete Tropical Gin is just one of the myriad releases from Florida-based St. Petersburg Distillery. The brand implements locally sourced ingredients in its gins and has a diverse portfolio consisting of vodkas, liqueurs and infused bourbons.

Just one sip of this 90-proof gin will transport you to a tropical island in no time with its 11-botanical combination. If you’re looking to score a bottle, you’re in luck: this relatively affordable gin typically ranges from $30 to $59.99 in price.

On the nose, St. Pete Tropical Gin hosts flavors of pineapples aplenty, coupled with juicy oranges.  Green herbaceous florals balance out the ultra-fruity nature of this gin, giving it plenty of balance. On the palate, gin lovers will still get plenty of juniper right through to the finish.

Fid Street Hawaiian Gin

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Fid Street Gin is the first gin made on Maui, and the gin hosts a distinctively Victorian influence. The gin takes its name from an antique sailor’s term for the word “drink,” or “Fid.” Fid Street Gin stylistically resembles a traditional London Dry gin with a Hawaiian twist.

Fid Street Gin focuses on sustainably distilling its spirit in small batches using a glass still. The brand pulls from local Hawaiian botanicals like Maui gold pineapples, angelica and cedar leaf tips. Fid Street Gin clocks in at 90 proof, and is an attempt at putting “Hawaii in a bottle.”

With a juniper-driven profile, coupled with clean florals and citrus, Fid Street Gin is a fantastic summer sipper that can be purchased from $30 to $59.99.

Best Whiskey For Summer Drinks

Mary Dowling Bourbon Finished In Tequila Barrels

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A relatively new bourbon brand that was unveiled in August, Mary Dowling is the brainchild of none other than Rabbit Hole founder Kaveh Zamanian. The new brand is an ode to the “mother of bourbon.” Mary Dowling is considered one of the most influential female distillers during pre-Prohibition, though most of her story was lost to history. Zamanian’s bourbon brand intends to tell her story. At one point in her life, Dowling relocated her distilling operations to Juarez, Mexico, and this bourbon’s tequila finish serves as a nod to that chapter in her life.

This tequila-finished bourbon hosts a mashbill of 70% corn, 25% malted rye and 5% malted barley. The bourbon was finished in ex-sacrificial sherry barrels for a year, Oloroso sherry barrels for four years, a Vin Doux Naturel barrel for two years and then spent two years finishing in Reposado tequila casks. It has an ABV of 45.5% and typically retails anywhere between $60 to $99.99.

The nose bursts forth with fresh fruit, honey, and light apples. There’s a kiss of agave, as well, promising more on the pour. The bourbon is a symphony of cocoa, agave and honey on the palate, coupled with a crisp and easy finish.

Kavalan Triple Sherry Cask

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This easy-sipping, ultra-fruity single malt from the Taiwanese whisky brand Kavalan is a great summer whisky option. The nose offers up aromas of strawberry shortcake with the perfect mixture of fruit and cream.

The palate of this whiskey possesses cherry, strawberry and oatmeal raisin cookies. Despite a proof of 86, its viscosity is far from thin — but don’t worry, it’s easy drinking enough for you to want a second glass. The finish of the Kavalan Triple Sherry Cask is full of tobacco, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Kavalan’s Triple Sherry Cask is liquid proof that sherry-finished single malts can be for summertime too.

Glenglassaugh Sandend

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Glenglassaugh’s Sandend is like a beachside barbecue in a bottle. Glenglassaugh Master Blender Dr. Rachel Barrie revived the brand’s core portfolio in September, and the coastal environment surrounding the Glenglassaugh Sandend was a major influence.

An easy breezy scotch whisky that can be purchased for anywhere from $60 to $99, Glenglassaugh’s Sandend was matured in a mix of bourbon, sherry and manzanilla casks and bottled at 101 proof ABV.

With loads of sweet smoke interspersed with dark chocolate and brine, this deliciously light and savory scotch is like a fresh ocean breeze, making it perfect for warm weather.

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