45 Summer Cocktails You Can Make All Season Long
Soak up the sun... and the booze. 😎
Summer has finally arrived, and you know what that means—spending as much time outside as possible—preferably by a pool or the beach—with a fruity, flirty, fun cocktail in hand. From frozen drinks to icy margaritas to tropical tiki drinks, there's something here for every mood, party, and holiday this summer. Celebrate the return of warm weather and sunshine with these 45 essential summer cocktails—cheers!
Summer days are loooong, which means you’re likely to find yourself drinking during the day and into the night. If you don’t want to risk going overboard (or like us, getting sleepy early 😴 ), try one of our tips for lower ABV cocktails. First off, we love adding seltzer to a cocktail to make it extra bubbly and keep us hydrated. Try our bittersweet Aperol spritz or our strawberry jalapeño mint julep—we’ve added soda water to both to great effect. You could also go simple with our ranch water cocktail: It’s pretty much a tequila soda with lime, with added Cointreau to make it like a less-sweet margarita. Our second trick is to make your drink more savory than sweet. It’s super-easy to suck down a sweet cocktail fast, but add a few salty umami ingredients, and it becomes something to savor. Try our beer-based Michelada (secret ingredient: soy sauce) or taco Bloody Marys (complete with optional mini tacos!).
Don’t have a blender? No sweat. Go with one of our summer fruit-inspired margaritas instead. We’ve got a peach margarita, a blueberry lemonade margarita, a spicy jalapeño margarita, and more... take these recipes as proof you can pretty much turn anything into a marg, then get creative!
Not a tequila fan? We got you too. Try our rum runner (with two kinds of rum!), our spiked sparkling basil lemonade (basil-infused vodka? yum!) or our classic citrusy, almond-y Mai Tai.
If you’re having a summer party, cocktails ARE important, but don’t forget options for other refreshing beverages too. Whether it’s mocktails for your teetotaler friends or non-alcoholic drinks like lemonade and iced tea, we’ve got options.
Mai Tai
Like any good tiki drink, these babies are strong and sneaky, so you won’t need much to get the party started. Serve these at a tiki-themed backyard bash, weekend brunch, or when you had an extra long day at work.
Get the Mai Tai recipe.
Frozen Blue Moscato Margaritas
Wine lovers will absolutely love these margarita slushies because of the tasty addition of sweet moscato. Simply combine all ingredients and blend 'em up! You can make this as frozen or as loose as you want, based on how much ice you use. We love garnishing these with blueberries in the summer (particularly to keep with the bright blue theme), but use whatever fruit you like.
Salted & Spiced Watermelon Margaritas
This clever recipe combines everything magical about margaritas (tequila, lime juice, triple sec, and a salt rim), with a kick of heat from fresh jalapeños and refreshing sweetness from watermelon juice.
Layered Ombre Lemonade Drops
These take the idea behind classic faves like frozen margaritas and strawberry daiquiris to the next level with colorful, bright layers. They’re quick, simple, and best of all, only need 5 ingredients (plus fresh fruit garnishes, if you like) 😍.
Get the Layered Ombre Lemonade Drops recipe.
Blueberry Gin & Tonic
The addition of a blueberry simple syrup turns a classic gin and tonic into a special summer drink—it's fruitier and sweeter than the OG, and a beautiful shade of purple. The syrup will make more than you need for one drink, but we bet you can come up with some uses for it.
Get the Blueberry Gin & Tonic recipe.
Skinny Margaritas
Margaritas are pretty slimmed down (or “skinny”) already, ingredients-wise, so all we’re doing here is removing some of the refined sugar and replacing it with more natural ingredients. This means not only are these “skinny margs” lower in calories, they’ve also got slightly less alcohol (meaning you can enjoy more of them 😉). Win win!
Get the Skinny Margaritas recipe.
Red Sangria
Fruity, refreshing, and perfect for serving a crowd, sangria is one of our go-to cocktails to enjoy all year long. If you’re planning a dinner party, a late-night chat sesh with your friends, or just craving the most refreshing summer drink, our sangria recipe won’t let you down.
Get the Red Sangria recipe.
Piña Coladas
This tropical vibe in a glass is easy enough to order out at a bar, but when you want the perfect combination of sweetness, creaminess, and slush factor, making it at home is tops. After a double-digit number of attempts, we landed on the ideal blend of pineapple, coconut, rum, and effort that will help you reach paradise in no time.
Get the Piña Coladas recipe.
Key Lime Mojitos
Got an abundance of Key limes after making a classic Key lime pie? Use them to make this refreshing twist on a mojito. The tart Key lime juice paired with cream and a graham cracker crust-inspired rim tastes just like the fruit pie you love (but with WAY less effort 😉).
Get the Key Lime Mojitos recipe.
Dirty Shirley
Bright and colorful, sweet with just a hint of booze, the Dirty Shirley Temple is quickly gaining popularity with cocktail drinkers. And who can blame them? It’s a boozy version of that nostalgic beverage so many of us grew up with—and let’s be honest, what too-sweet mocktail can’t be improved with a shot of vodka?
Get the Dirty Shirley recipe.
Sex On The Beach
Most well-known for its provocative name, this classic drink is also one of the best ways to bring tropical vibes to your warm weather celebrations. Though it’s fallen a bit out of vogue and has become harder to order out, our recipe will have you feeling like you’re on a beach in no time.
Get the Sex On The Beach recipe.
Pineapple Margarita
When we’re feeling the beach vibes, we reach for a pineapple margarita. Fresh and fruity with the perfect kick of tequila, this margarita will take you straight to the shore, frosty glass in hand, in less time than it takes to squeeze those limes.
Get the Pineapple Margarita recipe.
Caipirinha
If you’ve ever been to Brazil, there’s a very good chance you’ve downed at least one ice cold glass of the country’s national cocktail. The key ingredient is cachaça, a spirit made from fermented sugar cane juice. The resulting liquor is funky and vegetal, with sharp grassy flavors that are balanced by sugar and fresh lime juice. First-timers: Look for brands with light, fruity flavor profiles!
Get the Caipirinha recipe.
Honey Deuce
If you love melon, you're going to flip over this drink that's served at the U.S. Open. Even if you don't, we bet the raspberry liqueur, tart lemonade (homemade is best!), and cute honeydew melon balls will still win you over.
Get the Honey Deuce recipe.
Limoncello
Slightly similar to a sour lemon drop, limoncello is the beverage you seek after linguini with clams or a Neapolitan-style D.O.P. pizza on the Amalfi coast. The liquor is quite sweet and strong with a lasting, delightful flavor. Best of all? It's relatively easy to make at home.
Get the Limoncello recipe.
Paloma
While the classic margarita may get all the attention stateside, the paloma (its pink-hued cousin) deserves its fair share of the spotlight. It’s certainly beloved here at Delish, with one of our food editors calling it “dangerously drinkable” after just one sip. Along with its sweet, citrus-y flavor, the paloma is also perfectly simple to create, making it an ideal low-lift summer drink.
Get the Paloma recipe.
Blue Hawaiian Coolers
If you close your eyes while drinking this rum-and-coconut slushy, you might just be able to imagine you're at the beach (even if you're just home on your couch, dying in front of your A.C.).
Get the Blue Hawaiian Coolers recipe.
Strawberry Mezcal Margarita
With an earthy, slightly smoky flavor, mezcal brings a uniquely savory quality to the typically tequila-based margarita. Add some fresh strawberries, and you have the perfect balance of sweet, tart, and a hint of smokiness. If you're looking for a way to shake up your classic summer cocktail, this is it.
Get the Strawberry Mezcal Margarita recipe.
Spicy Jalapeño Margaritas
Infusing alcohol is one of our favorite ways to get creative with cocktails, and it works especially well with jalapeños. A long steep in tequila allows the fresh verdant flavor of the pepper to come through, along with that signature spice. To balance the heat, we recommend the addition of sliced cucumber to cool things down (but don't worry, they're still plenty hot!).
Get the Spicy Jalapeño Margaritas recipe.
Shark Punch
If Shark Week is basically your Christmas, then consider this our gift to you. Be sure to prepare the "lifesaver" well in advance so that it's fully frozen. As it melts, it will create the foamy white waves and make the summer punch extra creamy.
Get the Shark Punch recipe.
Camille Lowder is the digital food producer at Delish, otherwise known as our resident queen of recipe galleries. Previously, she attended the Natural Gourmet Institute for culinary school and worked at/managed a number of New York restaurants. She loves anything vegan, foods masquerading as other foods (hello, cauliflower), and a well-used Oxford comma.
10 Easy Dump Cake Recipes
32 Big-Batch Party Cocktail Drink Recipes
33 Non-Alcoholic Drinks
48 Ultimate S'mores Recipes