Summer is the perfect time to experiment in the kitchen. Alongside recipes for aromatic cakes and modern salads, it's also worth exploring recipes for summer drinks! Colourful, fruity, and refreshing cocktails are an almost essential highlight of any summer party. Served in crystal-clear glasses with colourful garnishes at special occasions and garden parties, they will impress every guest! How do you make original drinks for hot days?
Summer drinks
Summer is a time for parties until dawn, lively weddings, and long gatherings in the garden or on the terrace with friends. On hot days, people tend to reach for light salads, juicy fruits, and thirst-quenching beverages – including alcoholic ones! It's worth learning a few recipes for refreshing drinks that, after the first sip, evoke the sound of the sea, the buzz of promenades in holiday resorts, and memories of travels to exotic places.
Spectacular presentation
Summer drinks require a special presentation. Before the party, prepare plenty of ice cubes. Frozen fruit is an alternative. Simply place lemon, lime, or strawberry pieces into silicone moulds, pour water or the drink they're intended for over them, and freeze. You can also chill them on their own – in both cases, their melting won't affect the final taste of the beverage.
When preparing drinks for hot days, you can stick colourful umbrellas or toppers on toothpicks (featuring palms, flamingos, and other summer symbols) into fruit slices hooked onto the rim of the glass. You can also add sprigs of herbs like mint, rosemary, lavender, or lemon balm for flavour and decoration.
For an eco-friendly and zero-waste approach when serving drinks for hot weather, you can use metal straws – silver, gold, and with a metallic, colourful coating. They can be washed in a dishwasher or by hand with a brush attached to a metal handle. Their contact with alcohol doesn't affect its taste, and the amount of post-party waste is significantly reduced.
It's also worth knowing how to prepare a crust to make your fruity drinks look professional. Pour some lemon or lime juice onto one plate, and sprinkle cinnamon, sugar, coconut flakes, or another topping onto another. Dip the rim of the glass first in the juice, then in the contents of the second plate, which will adhere to the glass, decorating it.
A shaker is very helpful in preparing a cocktail. However, if you don't have one at home, the ingredients can be mixed in a separate, tall glass with a spoon or latte spoon and then poured into the target glasses through a sieve.
Colour, aroma, and taste of drinks
Summer cocktails are not just drinks with mint and lots of ice. Refreshment can be achieved in many different ways, especially since these beverages stimulate several senses at once, standing out with their vibrant colour, invigorating aroma, and a taste that allows for a moment of blissful escape.
The shape of the vessel in which holiday drinks are served is therefore very important. Some have glasses specifically designed for their serving. For others, a good idea will always be a short or tall glass with thick, temperature-retaining walls or a red or white wine glass.
It is important that the glass is perfectly clear so that you can observe the shimmering colour of the cocktail in the sun. Additionally, the bowl should allow you to smell the drink before tasting it. This will prepare your taste buds for the upcoming explosion of flavours.
If you have many guests, you can multiply the drink recipe by the number of servings and make the beverage in a… pitcher. It's a good idea to put fruit skewered on a stick inside. This way, you can prepare the cocktail long before the party and store it covered in the refrigerator, without worrying about losing flavour and aroma.
When preparing for a summer party, it's worth equipping your kitchen with various cocktail glasses. KROSNO offers complete sets for seasoned home bartenders or a starter set with different individual glasses designed for serving the most popular cocktails. How do you prepare the best ones?
Caipirinha Drink
Caipirinha is a cocktail with Latin American roots. It was created by Portuguese peasants – caipiras – living in what is now Brazil. After work, they indulged in sugarcane brandy: cachaça. They added ice to cool down and ate lime to improve its taste. Finally, they started sweetening it with sugar from the sugarcane they cultivated. This is how one of today's iconic drinks was born. It also comes in a Caipirosca variation – to prepare it, you should use vodka instead of cachaça in the cocktail.
To prepare Caipirinha, you will need:
- 60 ml cachaça;
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar;
- 2 limes, sliced;
- 5-10 ice cubes.
Place the lime in a tall glass. Cover it with sugar, then thoroughly and firmly crush it with a spoon. Next, add ice over the fruit and pour the alcohol over everything.
Mojito Drink
Mojito is one of Cuba's national treasures. Its minty, refreshing taste, like no other, is associated with summer parties. No wonder – it's perfect for hot, summer evenings. It supposedly originated as early as the 16th century, becoming the favourite drink of the English privateer, Captain Drake. A "long drink" glass would be ideal for serving it. By multiplying each ingredient by 10, you can also serve it in a pitcher!
To prepare Mojito, you will need:
- 50 ml white rum,
- Half a lime + a quarter for decoration;
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar;
- A few mint leaves;
- 25 ml sparkling water;
- Crushed ice.
Wash the lime, cut it into quarters, and put it in a glass. Cover with sugar and crush thoroughly. Then add the mint leaves and crush again. Add ice halfway up the glass, then rum, and then more ice. Stir. Add sparkling water. Garnish the glass with lime and mint leaves.
Spritzer Drink
Spritzer, known to Poles as Szprycer, is a cocktail with a turbulent history in Northern Italy. When the Austrians took control of Lombardy and Veneto Euganean at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, they weren't fond of strong Italian wines. They preferred to dilute them with sparkling water, which "sprayed" – in German, the verb is Spritzen. The Italians regained their homeland – and during this time, the Spritzer conquered the world, reaching even the United States.
This cocktail is best served in a white wine glass. You can add a slice of orange or lemon to it. All ingredients should be at least 8°C.
To prepare Spritzer, you will need:
- 100 ml white wine, preferably dry;
- 100 ml sparkling water.
Pour both ingredients into a glass and gently mix with a latte spoon. You can also increase the amount of the drink, maintaining a 1:1 ratio, and prepare it in a pitcher or decorative decanter.
Aperol Spritz Drink
Aperol Spritz is a variation on the Spritzer, which has been a staple in Italian restaurant menus for several years. This cocktail smells of bitter, sun-ripened oranges. It's pleasantly sparkling and refreshing even on the hottest days. It's served directly in large red wine glasses or in a pitcher – in the latter case, slices of orange, grapefruit, or lemon can be skewered and kept in the vessel to slowly release the flavour of the bitter rind.
Aperol Spritz can be prepared in two ways. The easier method is to mix cold Martini Fiero and tonic or sparkling water in a 1:1 ratio in a glass filled with ice. The second, traditional recipe is below.
To prepare traditional Aperol Spritz, you will need:
- 150 ml Prosecco wine;
- 100 ml Aperol liqueur;
- 100 ml sparkling water;
- Large, red orange;
- 5 ice cubes.
Wash the orange and slice it. Place ice and a few orange slices in a glass. Pour sparkling water, Aperol, and Prosecco over them. Mix. Serve well chilled in large red wine glasses.
Strawberry Daiquiri Drink
Daiquiri is another souvenir from Cuba and a relic of its turbulent history. After the Spanish-American War, Americans were frequent guests at local bars. They asked for modifications to their favourite drinks – thus an original combination was created that particularly delighted them. They named it after the nearby beach: Daiquiri. The drink was loved and popularized by Ernest Hemingway.
In its strawberry version, this exotic cocktail takes on a truly summery character. Sweet and aromatic, shimmering with a unique colour, it will be a great choice for a summer garden party! To make it even more refreshing, the strawberries can be frozen before blending.
To prepare Strawberry Daiquiri, you will need:
- 50 ml rum;
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar;
- Juice of 1 lime;
- 100 g strawberries;
- 5 ice cubes;
Clean the strawberries from their stems and transfer them to a blender. Sprinkle with sugar, pour in rum and lime juice. Blend until the mixture is perfectly smooth. Then add ice and blend again until the ice is crushed into small pieces. Serve in Martini glasses, which can be decorated beforehand with a brown sugar crust or strawberry pieces.
Whisky Sour Drink
Whisky sour is so tasty and refreshing that American newspapers once wrote extensively about its creation. In the 19th century, the press reprinted recipes for this cocktail, attributing its authorship to many different people.
The original recipe for this sweet-and-sour drink includes raw egg white, giving it a velvety texture. It is vigorously shaken with alcohol in a shaker to create an impressive foam. However, it can be omitted – and even without it, this drink is perfect.
To prepare Whisky Sour, you will need:
- 40 ml Scotch whisky;
- 30 ml lemon juice;
- 15 ml sugar syrup;
- 1 teaspoon egg white;
- 10-15 ice cubes.
Transfer all ingredients except ice to a shaker. Mix vigorously for a long time until the egg white is frothed. Once achieved, add ice cubes to the shaker and mix vigorously again. Pour the liquid into a whisky glass filled with ice. Serve chilled.
Gin&Tonic Drink
This sweet-and-tart drink originated during the British colonization of India. They knew that quinine would help them combat malaria. However, its bitter taste – now available as tonic water – was too much for many to swallow. So, soldiers began mixing the medicine with their favourite juniper berry alcohol – gin.
For those not convinced by the original, herbal taste of the cocktail, various variations have been created. One of the more interesting ones is achieved by adding 50 ml each of cranberry and orange juice to the drink and placing a sprig of rosemary in the glass with the beverage.
To prepare Gin&Tonic, you will need:
- 30 ml gin;
- 70 ml tonic;
- 2-3 lemon slices;
- 5 ice cubes.
Place ice and lemon slices in a tall, angular glass. Pour gin and tonic over everything. Stir gently. Serve the drink chilled.
Pina Colada Drink
The exotic taste of a Pina Colada cocktail immediately brings to mind golden sand and palms offering shade and respite. It can be served in a hollowed-out coconut shell or pineapple, but it will be decidedly more practical in tall glasses adorned with a coconut crust and fruit slices.
To prepare this cocktail, which originates from Puerto Rico, you will need a blender. All ingredients should be pre-chilled, or even slightly frozen.
To prepare Pina Colada, you will need:
- 50 ml white rum;
- 25 ml coconut liqueur;
- 300 g chilled pineapple;
- 200 ml cold coconut milk;
- Crushed ice (can be made in a blender beforehand);
- 10 ml lime juice;
- 2 tablespoons coconut flakes.
Dip the rim of the glass in lime juice, then in coconut flakes spread on a plate to create an attractive crust. Place diced and peeled pineapple, rum, liqueur, and coconut milk into a blender. Blend thoroughly. Add crushed ice and blend again for a few seconds. Pour into decorated glasses.
Tequila Sunrise Drink
The legend describing the creation of Tequila Sunrise certainly won't appeal to those who value health and safety regulations! Apparently, this drink was invented by a romantic bartender who always waited until the end of his shift to secretly prepare a cocktail for himself, away from the owners of the establishment. He experimented for a long time to make the drink's colour resemble the sky at sunrise. It must be admitted that he succeeded remarkably – which you can see for yourself by preparing the drink in a tall glass with crystal-clear glass.
To prepare Tequila Sunrise, you will need:
- 50 ml white tequila;
- 10 ml Grenadine syrup;
- 150 ml orange juice – preferably freshly squeezed;
- 15 ice cubes.
In a shaker, mix tequila, orange juice, and 10 ice cubes. Strain through a sieve into a glass filled with the remaining ice. Slowly pour in the syrup – wait for it to sink to the bottom. Serve with an orange slice hooked onto the rim.