5 Delicious Cocktails That Have ‘Summer’ Written All Over Them

Happy hour hits differently once summer rolls around. Gone are the days where you’re holed up in a dark, moody speakeasy or dive bar: Suddenly, you’re schmoozin’, boozin’, and taking in an incredible view. Whether you’re basking on a chic rooftop just before the sun sets or throwing a summery shindig in your backyard, one thing’s for sure: You’ll need to have a cocktail that’s just as delicious as your summery surroundings. 

You could settle for a standard Aperol Spritz or frosé, but if you want to think outside of the box this season, five west coast bartenders are sharing their go-to sips of the season. The beverages below run the gamut from smokey sensations to updated versions of classic cocktails, but they’re all worth toasting to!

Toscana Restaurant Group

1. Rum Classics, Remixed

Cocktail classics might be classics for a reason, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be shaken up. For a trendy take on the traditional, try the Fragolito from Nerrano in Beverly Hills.  “In our opinion, summer calls for two things when it comes to cocktails: Brighter, crisper versions of seasonal classics, and fruits and vegetables straight from the farmers market,” says David Allen, the restaurant’s bar director. “This drink has both of those aspects, taking tropical cues from daiquiris, but making them just a bit breezier.”

Ingredients:

•  2 strawberries
• 4-6 pieces of organic mint leaf
•  2oz Flor de Caña Rum 
• 0.5 ounces of organic agave
• 0.75 ounces of fresh pressed lime juice 

How to Make:

1. Muddle strawberries and mint leaves into the shaker.
2. Add rum, agave, and lime juice.
3. Shake and strain over fresh ice and top with club soda.

2. Embrace the Heat

For something with a bit more spice, Alberto Battaglini of PONY in Santa Ynez says the Nexpa is “an absolute summer treasure”—and for good reason. “It’s the perfect combination of fresh, a little salty, and a little smoky, super complex,” he explains. “The perfect after-surfing drink, at the beach, with the mix of salty water and sun hitting your face.” It’s essentially a smoky mezcal margarita, one Battaglini promises will make you smile bigger with every sip.

Ingredients:

• 1.0 oz lime juice
• Espellete salt
• 1.5 oz mezcal
• 0.5 oz ancho chili liquor
• 2.0 oz fresh mango purée
• 0.5 oz agave syrup

How to Make:

1. Rim your glass with lime juice and salt.
2. Add your ingredients to a tin, shake, and serve over ice.

1 Hotel West Hollywood

3. Sustainable Sangria

Want to make the world a better, greener place? As the Garden Sangria proves, it all starts with your sips. As a favorite amongst the crowd who visits the Juniper Lounge & Garden at 1 Hotel West Hollywood, this low-ABV option is light, refreshing, and keeps food waste to a minimum. “Our secret ingredient, the ‘sustainable sangria syrup,’ reflects our commitment to sustainability at 1 Hotel,” explains Jesse Caetano, director of food and beverage at 1 Hotel West Hollywood. “This syrup is made from the leftover fruit scraps from garnish preparations, which are muddled down and combined with your sweetener of choice, then refrigerated overnight to enhance the flavors.”

Ingredients:

• Sliced strawberries, orange half moons, and mint sprigs for garnish. (Reserve the tops of the strawberries and ends of the oranges.)
• 3.0 oz. Sustainable Sangria Syrup
  • 225 grams strawberry tops
  • 225 grams orange ends
  • 450 grams sugar 
  • 400 grams water
• (1) 750 mL Bottle Pink Flamingo Rosé
• 3.0 oz. Dom Benedictine
• 2.0 oz. Grand Marnier
• 5.0 oz. Fever Tree Club Soda 

How to Make Sustainable Sangria Syrup:

1. Using the fruit scraps from the sangria, weigh out the fruit and add to a small bowl with equal weight in sugar.
2. Use a muddler to fully express the fruit and so that all the sugar is fully covered.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit at room temperature for at least an hour or until all the sugar is fully dissolved.
4. Add water to the mixture to dilute and help separate the syrup from the fruit. 
5. Use a strainer to separate the fruit from the sangria syrup into a quart and store.

How to Make Garden Sangria:

1. Add Rosé, Dom Benedictine, Grand Marnier, Sangria Syrup, and soda water to a cocktail pitcher, then add sliced fruit.
2. Add ice to the pitcher and stir to chill and evenly distribute the garnish.
3. Garnish pitcher with mint springs and serve with rocks glasses with sliced fruit.

4. A Tropical Treat

If you can’t get whisked away on an exotic beach vacation, the next best thing you can do is pour yourself a tropical-inspired beverage. For Rachel Azhadi, general and bar manager of Left Door in San Francisco, it’s all about the Piña Verde, which was made by Erick Castro of Polite Provisions in San Diego.

“It’s such a fun nod to a classic Piña Colada with a balance of very few ingredients showcased in a way that is refreshing, herbaceous, delicious, and just inherently summery,” she explains. “This drink has a substantial body from the coconut and pineapple so it can also be made in larger formats in a blender (yum!) or as my favorite method: poured out as cheekies (shooters) to cheers with friends.”

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz Green Chartreuse
• 1.5 oz pineapple juice
• 0.75 oz cream of coconut (i.e. Coco Lopez)
• 0.5 oz lime juice
• Mint for garnish

How to Make:

1. Combine liquid ingredients into a cocktail shaker and shake until chilled.
2. Strain into a rocks glass over pebble ice (regular ice works here too).
3. Garnish with a mint sprig.

Ty & Chey

5. Move Over, Margarita

Think beyond the typical margarita with the Honey Do, a best-selling beverage at Fools & Horses in Portland, Oregon. According to bartender Ben Purvis, who created the “stunning and thirst-quenching” sip, the Honey Do is so popular that he sees a lot of people coming in and asking for it by name. Though its foundation is similar to a margarita, Purvis says that the honey dew milk punch adds “a beautiful velvety and creamy depth.”

“The vibrant, fruity notes of Midori amp up the organic melon flavor and the citrus is punctuated by infused lime leaf, creating an unbeatable freshness that is balanced with the perfect amount of salt,” he adds. “It is a lush summer cocktail that truly defines what it means to be a margarita!”

Ingredients:

For the Milk Punch:

• 750 ml Tequila Blanco
• 1/2 honeydew melon
• 200 ml Coconut milk

For the Cocktail:

• 3 oz Honeydew Milk Punch
• .25 Midori
• .5 oz Agave 
• .75 oz Lime 

How to Make It:

1. A few hours before drinking, mix your tequila and lime to warm milk and store in a jar. (Generally, mixologists recommend following a 1:4 ratio of milk to punch.)
2. Wait a few hours—until the milk starts to curdle and produce solid globs that fall to the bottom—and strain out your liquids with a cheesecloth. Voilà, milk punch!
3. Mix and stir the milk punch with the rest of the ingredients and serve over ice. (If you’re feeling fancy, add a rim with lime and salt.) 

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