With the days getting longer — and in most locations, warmer — there is no better way to usher in the evening or start the weekend than with a refreshing cocktail at a nice bar. To entice patrons into your establishment, make drinks that give them the feeling they’re at a summer pool party, re-create favorite ice cream parlor treats by adding a splash of alcohol or muddle fresh fruit and transport your customer to white sand beaches. Helping your guests cool down and cool off with some of these thirst-quenching summertime cocktails can heat up your bottom line.
SKYY Starlight
Created by Adam Wilson, Beretta, San Francisco.
1 ½ ounces SKYY Vodka
¾ ounce fresh lime juice
½ ounce simple syrup
1 ounce hibiscus or cranberry juice
Fresh mint
Muddle all ingredients except hibiscus/cranberry juice in bottom of tall rocks glass. Add half a glass of crushed ice and stir well. Add more crushed ice until tightly packed just over the rim of the glass, and pour hibiscus or cranberry juice over top. Garnish with sprig of fresh mint and serve with a straw.
Flaming Lips
Created by Matthew Malliski, Howl at the Moon in Hollywood.
¾ ounce X-Rated Fusion Liqueur
¾ ounce cinnamon schnapps
Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake vigorously and strain into a shot glass. Garnish with sugar on the rim of the shot glass.
Hard Root Beer Float
Served at Luxe Burger Bar in Providence, R.I.
2 ounces Three Olives Root Beer Vodka
½ ounce Tuaca
½ ounce amaretto liqueur
1 scoop vanilla ice cream
4 ounces Harpoon Root Beer
Pack shake glass with ice, add all liquor and fill with Harpoon Root Beer. Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Garnish with an iced-tea spoon.
The Lounging Orchid
Courtesy of The Lounging Gourmet.
4 parts vodka
2 parts ELIXIR of Andean Fire Orchid
1 part grenadine
Fill highball glass with ice, add vodka and grenadine. Top with ELIXIR and a splash of soda.
Bacardi Heat Wave
Courtesy of Bacardi.
3 parts Bacardi Superior
1 part lime juice
Splash of simple syrup
Muddle in sliced jalapenos
Mix all ingredients in a shaker and lightly muddle the jalapenos. Add ice, shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass on the rocks. Garnish with a lime.
Brazilian Panty Dropper
Served at Ten Prime Steak & Sushi, Providence, R.I.
2 ounces Stoli Ohranj vodka
½ ounce Alize Red Passion
½ ounce triple sec
½ ounce cranberry juice
¼ ounce mango puree
¼ ounce passion fruit juice
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker packed with ice, shake until your hand freezes and strain into a chilled Martini glass. Finish with an orange slice and serve.
La Perla
Created by Manny Hinojosa, mixologist and brand ambassador for Tequila Cazadores.
1 ½ part Cazadores Blanco
¼ part mezcal blanco
½ part agave nectar
1 part Prickly Pear from Perfect Puree of Napa Valley
1 part fresh lime juice
3 dashes Tajin chili powder
1 sprig epazote
In a mixing glass, add Cazadores, epazote, lime juice, puree, Tajin, mezcal, agave nectar and ice. Shake 12 times, pour into a rocks glass with new ice and Tajin chili around the rim. Garnish with an epazote leaf.
Chi Chi Loca
Created by Anika Zappe, brand ambassador for Boca Loca Cachaça.
1 ½ ounces Boca Loca Cachaça
½ ounce lemon juice
½ ounce agave nectar
½ ounce Del Maguey Chichicapa Mezcal
5 blackberries
2 fresh sage leaves, torn
Muddle blackberries and add sage, shake with ice and fine strain into a chilled, tall glass.
Top with sparkling wine and garnish with sage and a blackberry.