6 Refreshing Cocktail Recipes to Kick Off Summer

As summer approaches, many are getting ready to welcome the season with open arms. With holidays like Memorial Day, Father’s Day, and the Fourth of July on the horizon, it’s the perfect time to enjoy good company and festive gatherings. These cocktails are a great match for sunny afternoons and backyard cookouts, bringing a splash of sunshine to every glass. Best of all, they’re easy to whip up using ingredients you probably already have at home—perfect for impressing your guests with minimal effort.

Check out six perfect cocktail recipes for summertime fun here!

Kentucky Lemonade

Ingredients:

-2 oz Jeptha Creed Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon
-4 dash Ne Oublie Strawberry Ginger bitters
-½ oz elderflower liqueur
-½ oz simple syrup
-1 oz lemon juice
-Lemon Lime soda
-Mint sprig
-Lemon wheel

Instructions:

-Add all ingredients except soda to shaker tin
-Add ice and shake
-Double strain over ice in highball (collins) glass
-Top with lemon lime soda
-Garnish with mint sprig and lemon wheel

Galliano Sour

Ingredients:

-2 oz Galliano Autentico
-1 oz Fresh Lemon juice
-1/3 oz Egg white
-1 Dash Angostura bitters

Pallini Spritz

Ingredients:

-2 oz Pallini Limoncello
-3 oz Prosecco
-1 oz Sparkling water
-Garnish: Lemon Slice

Instructions: 

-Add all the ingredients in a large wine glass filled with ice and garnish with a lemon slice.

Alabama Slammer

Ingredients:

-0.5 oz Bols Amaretto​
-0.5 oz Sloe gin
-1.0 oz Southern Comfort
-2.0 oz Orange juice
-1.0 oz Fresh lemon juice
-0.2 oz Sugar syrup

Pineapple Express

Ingredients:

-Bottom layer: 2 oz pineapple juice
-Middle layer: 1 oz Kōloa Kaua‘i Coffee Rum
-Top layer: 1 oz Kōloa Kaua‘i Spice Rum

Instructions:

-Float each gently into a chilled glass and garnish with a piece of pineapple.

Pineapple Rickey

Ingredients:

-1.5 oz Drumshanbo Gunpowder Gin Brazilian Pineapple
-.5 oz Lime Juice
-.75 oz pineapple juice
-Top with Soda Water

Instructions: 

-Combine all ingredients in Highball glass building over ice
-Top with soda water, stir with straw or spoon to balance and fully dilute
-Garnish with pineapple piece or leaf