The warm summer weather makes us yearn to spend time outside, soaking up that vitamin D, grilling good food, and sipping on some of our favorite mixed drinks! But not just any mixed drinks, they need to be summer specific mixed drinks. So we've gathered recipes for what we consider to be some of the best summer alcoholic drinks. What makes them the best? Well, they taste great, are easy to make, and are refreshing on a hot day. That we're partial to a few Latin cocktails should come as no surprise, but we've also included a nice variety of easy mixed drinks recipes from all over the world to share with you so that you can play mixologist this summer.
More from MamásLatinas: Delicious food ideas for a cookout this summer
You'll find some of the most popular mixed drinks for summer on our list, as well as some you might not be familiar with but should really get to know because they are like GUAU-zers! As always, remember to drink responsibly, because no one is trying to wake up with a hangover the next morning, and you know we're all trying to model responsible behavior. Oh, and don't forget to have water to sip alongside your mixed drink, because you have to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate on summer days. Anyway, with that in mind, check out our tantalizing list of easy mixed drinks recipes and ¡Salud!
Give ranch water a try.
If you've never had ranch water, it's like a margarita, but with way less sweetness. It's made with tequila, lime juice, and bubbly water. Doesn't that sound refreshing? You can go as light or heavy on the tequila as you want.
Sip on a refreshing watermelon-jalapeño margarita.
Watch the video to see how it's done, or just follow these instructions:
"Add 2 ounces of Blanco Tequila, 3/4 of an ounce of fresh squeezed limed juice, 1/2 ounce of agave syrup and 2 ounces of fresh squeezed watermelon water. Shake and serve in rocks glass filled with watermelon ice."
Make a pitcher of mango mojitos to share.
If you love mangoes and you love mojitos, chances are you are going to love mango mojitos, as they are one of the most popular mixed drinks to enjoy this summer. Make a pitcher of these to share with other mango and mojito lovers in your life, and be prepared to get lots of compliments.
Have you ever had an avocado daiquiri?
The description on the video recipe for this avocado daiquiri cracks us up because it's so honest: "This avocado daiquiri looks weird but tastes awesome. Make it." We get it—some things taste much better than they look, and this is one of them.
Add some sparkle to grapefruit sangria.
You're going to mix together orange juice, green grapes, grapefruit, and oranges in a large pitcher. And to make this a sparkling sangria, you will add prosecco to the mix and combine. It's bubbly, fruity, and oh so lovely.
Make leite de onça.
Leite de onça is a creamy Brazilian cocktail made with cachaça. If you don't have any cachaça available, you can use rum instead. You'll also need cocoa liqueur, cream, and sweetened condensed milk. Get the recipe here.
Pretend you're on vacation with a piña colada.
Admit it—sipping on a piña colada makes you feel like you are on a tropical vacation even when you're not! No? Because that's totally what it does for us, and we are not complaining. We'll take a tropical vacation in our minds one sip at a time with one of the best summer alcoholic drinks, thank you very much!
Try a mezcal saladito.
Sometimes people have a hard time with tequila or mezcal because it has an intense and even sometimes harsh flavor, but that intensity is perfect when used to make a saladito cocktail. There's a bit of kick to this drink that lovers of all things spicy will enjoy.
Mix up a paloma.
Margaritas are really, really popular in the US, but in Mexico, the most popular mixed tequila drink is a paloma cocktail, and for good reason. They are delish! We're not saying you should stop drinking margaritas, but we are suggesting you add palomas to the rotation.
A chelada is great on a hot day.
If you are a beer fan, a chelada should definitely be one of your go-to drinks for the summer. It's one of many cervezas preparadas that are popular in Mexico, and it's probably one of the most easily prepared beer recipes that you can modify to your liking. Get the recipe here.
A Moscow mule on a hot day is EVERYTHING.
Of all these mixed drinks recipes, this one has unbelievable and enticing flavor for how easy it is to make. For us, it's the ginger. That ginger acts like natural air conditioning and leaves you feeling refreshed from the inside out. Believe it.
Pour a tequila sunrise.
A tequila sunrise literally looks like a sunrise in a glass. You definitely want to serve it in a clear glass so that you can admire your gorgeous drink while you sip it into oblivion. Don't worry—you can always make another.
Can't make it to the beach? Create your own sea breeze.
A sea breeze is a classic cocktail and very popular mixed drink that will never go out of style. A sea breeze only has three ingredients in it: vodka, cranberry juice, and grapefruit juice. You can definitely master this cocktail recipe quickly.
Don't be shy about mixing a cosmo.
Listen, you don't have to be a die-hard Sex in the City fan to be a die-hard cosmopolitan fan. Cosmos are freakin' delicious, and learning how to make one is not even a little bit hard. And no, they aren't just for ladies, so go ahead and make them for adults of all genders.
A screwdriver could NOT be easier to make.
A screwdriver has only two ingredients in it. TWO! Vodka and orange juice—that's it. The ratio is one part vodka to two parts orange juice, but you can play around with that ratio because you're the one making it.
Speaking of easy, there are always mimosas to be made.
A mimosa is another two-ingredient cocktail that could not be easier to make. The hardest part is opening the bottle of champs. And no, mimosas are not just for brunch. You can have them whenever you want.
An old fashioned cocktail tastes surprisingly fresh.
It's called an old fashioned, but it's a top-selling cocktail all over the world, so it's definitely not out of fashion. If you have never tried one, you are in for quite a treat. This easy mixed drink recipe has only four ingredients, one of them being Angostura bitters, so do make sure you buy some.
A Cuba libre, please!
How does one go about making a Cuba libre? It's simple! All you need are three ingredients: white rum, Coke, and fresh lime juice. This drink has such a great name, and it's basically a spiked cola drink.
Long Island ice tea is always popular.
Not gonna lie, this cocktail has a lot of ingredients in it—eight to be exact. That might make it one of the more complicated summer mixed drinks on our list, but that doesn't mean it's hard to make. Interestingly enough, this drink doesn't have any tea in it.
You don't have to be in Brazil to enjoy a caipirinha.
The caipirinha is Brazil's national cocktail, but you can make it wherever you are. The drink is made with cachaça, lime, and sugar. Cachaça is a distilled sugar cane juice spirit.
And, of course, a mojito is always welcome.
Can we all please just take a moment to thank Cuba for gifting the world with the mojito? A classic mojito has white rum, sugar, soda water, fresh lime juice, and fresh mint leaves. There's something about mint that really makes a person feel cooler in the summer.
