10 Classic Summer Cocktails for Endless Sunsets and Minimal Hassle

This article is a part of Classic Summer Drinks Week, a week of content celebrating the arrival of summer. With its tank-top weather and long days, Summer can be one of the best seasons of the year. However, the scorching heat can make it tough to spend your days outside — even if you want to bathe in the sunlight before the cooler months confine you to the indoors. A refreshing, ice-cold drink can be of great assistance when it comes to bearing the sun rays. That’s why, from July 7–11, we’re celebrating Classic Summer Drinks Week with a series of recipes, recommendations, tips & tricks to help you beat the heat. Check out more Classic Summer Drinks Week content here!

What qualifies as a “classic” summer cocktail? More often than not, it all comes down to name recognition. The towering margarita rimmed with enough salt to pucker the lips for a week, or a piña colada garnished with an island’s worth of pineapple slices and cherries. Recipes equal parts delicious and timeless, and for very good reason. But we’d suggest a different frame of mind.

For a truly classic cocktail, all you need are truly classic flavors. Ranging from Brazil to Britain, we’ve collected 10 summer recipes that demand addition to your barcart in months to come.

1. Michelada

(Photo: Alejandro Aznar/Pexels)

The michelada — a Spanish portmanteau of “my cold beer” — is as delicious as it looks and sounds. That is, if you’re comfortable in the ballpark of a good bloody mary or two Combining beer, tomato juice, lime and an assortment of fixings (anything from Worcestershire to soy sauce), the recipe is one of those blank template sort of situations where anything and everything can be heaped in with reckless aplomb. We recommend any version that includes Maggi seasoning, an ultra-rich umami enhancer with a mischievously charming bottle to boot.

Ingredients

• 12 oz Beer, preferably Tecate, Pacifico or Corona
• 1/2 cup Clamato Juice
• 1/2 oz Fresh Lime Juice
• 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• 1 dash Tobasco
• 1 dash Soy Suace
• 1 dash Maggi seasoning
• 1 pinch Black Pepper
• Tajin and/or chamoy, for rimming

Directions

1. Run a lime wedge around the rim of a large chilled glass. Alternatively, dunk the glass in chamoy. Rim with ample Tajin seasoning.
2. Add all ingredients except beer into the glass over ice, stirring well until combined. Top up with beer and enjoy!

2. Caipirinha

(Photo: Marcelo Verfe/Pexels)

The late and great Anthony Bourdain once praised the caipirinha as an “indispensable icon of Brazilian culture.” But to even call it an icon may be an understatement. Made from a three-ingredient combo of cachaça, lime and white cane sugar, the caipirinha is not only Brazil’s national drink, but a liquid testament to Brazil’s national liquor. Our only note: The traditional recipe is supremely booze forward. So maybe drink in moderation.

Ingredients

• 2 limes, cut into wedges
• 4 tsp white cane sugar
• 4 oz Cachaça
• Lime wheel, for garnish

Directions

1. Gently muddle sugar and lime wedges at the bottom of a glass.
2. Top up with ice, add cachaça and stir. Garnish with a lime wedge.

3. Carajillo

(Photo: Licor 43)

The espresso martini has had more than enough time in the spotlight — this summer, we’re trading up for the carajillo. Made from a decadently straightforward mix of espresso, ice and Licor 43, the carajillo is the rare coffee cocktail that makes room for complex flavors of citrus and aromatic herbs. In one of its several origin stories, Spanish soldiers in revolutionary Cuba are said to have mixed brandy with coffee to give themselves courage (“carajo” in Spanish) before going into combat. For a splash of that liquid luck, enrich this recipe with either rum or cognac to taste.

Ingredients

• 3 oz Espresso or Cold Brew Coffee
• 3 oz Licor 43
• Ice

Directions

1. Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker, shaking vigorously until frothy, for around one minute.
2. Pour into a rocks glass over ice, garnishing with a coffee bean and a dusting of cinnamon.

4. Southside

(Photo: Timothé Durand/Pexels)

Mint and lemon are the bread and butter of many a classic summer drink. Add gin and simple syrup, and you’ve got more than enough character to shoo away the hottest of August days. Believed to have been invented during Prohibition (and perhaps named after Al Capone’s Chicago gang, though reports vary), the Southside is as delicious as it is unfathomably easy to recreate at home. If you’re looking for the breeziest of upgrades, the basil smash is built around the same backbone.

Ingredients

• 2 oz Gin
• 1 oz Simple Syrup
• 1 oz Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
• 5 Mint leaves
• Additional mint, for garnish

Directions

1. Combine mint leaves and lemon juice in a shaker, gently muddling for 10-15 seconds.
2. Add gin, simple syrup and ice, shaking until chilled.
3. Double strain in a chilled coupe glass and garnish with spring of mint.

5. Cantarito

(Photo: Lunazul)

The margarita is by far the most famous tequila cocktail in most reaches of the world. Behind that, the paloma and ranch water pull in at an admirable second and third place. But what of a drink that combines all these delicious influences into one? Look no further than the cantarito. Named after the stout clay pot from which it’s traditionally served in Jalisco, the drink combines just about every citrus variety found at your local grocery store for a cornucopia of tart, tangy delight.

Ingredients

• 2 oz Blanco Tequila
• 3 oz Grapefruit Soda such as Squirt, Ting or Fresca
• 3/4 oz Fresh Squeezed Grapefruit Juice
• 3/4 oz Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
• 1/2 oz Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
• Pinch of Salt
• Lime wedge and Tajin, for rimming

Directions

1. Rim a large glass or ceramic cup with lime before dunking in Tajin.
2. Add all ingredients except grapefruit soda to a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled.
3. Double strain into the glass and top up with grapefruit soda. Stir gently to combine.

6. Hurricane

(Photo: Liber & Company)

A big ol’ bruiser of a tiki cocktail if there ever was one, the hurricane is a quintessential New Orleans drink with a quintessential New Orleans look and attitude. Two types of rum, several servings of citrus, passion fruit and grenadine join forces for a wallop of all things summery, topped off with a floating maraschino cherry that acts as the briefest respite from the tidal wave of booze.

Ingredients

• 2 oz Light Rum
• 2 oz Dark Rum
• 1 oz Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
• 1 oz Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
• 1/2 oz Passion Fruit Puree
• 1/2 oz Simple Syrup
• 1 tsp Grenadine
• Orange wheel and Maraschino cherry, for garnish

Directions

1. Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice, shaking until chilled.
2. Pour over pebble ice into a hurricane glass, or other highball glass of choice.
3. Skewer an orange slice and Maraschino cherry onto a toothpick, garnishing on top.

7. Painkiller

(Photo: YesMore Content/Pexels)

The painkiller is one of many enduring cocktail recipes subject to a murky backstory. Most agree that it was invented by Daphne Henderson at the Soggy Dollar Bar in the British Virgin Islands; others contend that it was soon after stolen by Charles Tobias. The recipe now exists in the waters of trademark law and technically only be made with Pusser’s Rum if served at a bar under its original name. Home mixologists should feel free to experiment with the possibilities.

Ingredients

• 2 oz Dark Rum
• 4 oz Pineapple Juice
• 1 oz Cream of Coconut
• 1 oz Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
• Nutmeg

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients except nutmeg into a shaker with ice. Shake until frothing, 15-20 seconds.
2. Pour into a cocktail glass over ice. Garnish with a dusting of nutmeg.

8. Pimm’s Cup

(Photo: Diageo)

Care for an oyster? Conceived in the mid-19th century as a digestive aid for shellfish, Pimm’s gin-based liqueur has since established itself as one of Britain’s most cherished booze staples. If you’re unfamiliar with its herbal, almost licorice-esque flavor profile, we can’t think of a better first step than an icy Pimm’s Cup. Recipes vary quite a bit for this one, though we’d simply suggest you use whatever lemon mixer you have on hand.

Ingredients

• 2 oz Pimm’s No. 1 Cup
• 4 oz Sparkling Lemonade, Lemon-flavored soda (such as Sprite) or Ginger Ale and a splash of lemon juice
• Ice
• Slices of cucumber, orange, lemon and strawberry
• Sprig of fresh mint, for garnish

Directions

1. In a tall glass filled with ice cubes, pour in Pimm’s No. 1 Cup and mixer of choice. Drop in slices of cucumber, orange, lemon and strawberry.
2. Place a sprig of fresh mint in the glass and give the drink a gentle stir to ensure everything is well-mixed.

9. Jalisco Flower

(Photo: Geraud Pfeiffer/Pexels)

Tequila, champagne and elderflower liqueur sound like the perfect ingredients for a TikTok craze. Yet, the Jalisco flower has barely made an impression on the mixology landscape. Essentially a hybrid of a paloma and a Hugo spritz, the drink was invented by Italian ex-pat Vincenzo Marianella at LA’s Doheny Bar in 2008. According to a bartender poll conducted by VinePair, it’s one of the most criminally underrated drinks that money can buy.

Ingredients

• 1/2 oz Reposado Tequila
• 3/4 oz Elderflower Liqueur
• 1 oz Ruby Grapefruit Juice
• 2 oz Champagne or Prosecco

Directions

1. Combine tequila, liqueur, and grapefruit juice in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until chilled, 20-30 seconds.
2. Pour into a highball glass, top with champagne and gently stir.
3. Garnish with grapefruit rind or flowers.

10. The Gold Rush

(Photo: Stitzel-Weller Distillery)

Sometimes, the simplest of substitutions can redefine a centuries-old institution. Sprucing up the whiskey sour with the addition of honey, the gold rush hones in on a perfect balance of caramelized sweetness right at home alongside a high-quality whiskey. A rare bourbon cocktail that’s truly refreshing on a scorching summer day.

Ingredients

• 2 oz Bourbon
• 1.5 oz of Honey or Honey syrup
• 1 oz Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
• Lemon wedge, for garnish

Directions

1. Pour all ingredients into a rocks glass over ice, stirring well until mixed.
2. Granish with lemon wedge!