6 Easy Cocktails To Celebrate The Unofficial Kickoff To Summer

Memorial Day marks the start of warmer summer temperatures across the country. If you are looking for some easy cocktails to make at home to make this afternoon and into the next few weeks, here are some recipe ideas to get you going.

1.5 oz. E11even Vodka

1 oz. peach syrup

1 oz. lemon juice

Fresh basil

Fever Tree Lemonade Soda

Build liquid ingredients in a tin along with a few fresh basil leaves. Shake and strain into a Collins glass over fresh ice. Top with Fever Tree Sicilian Lemonade. Garnish with a dehydrated lemon wheel and basil leaf clipped to the glass rim.

iichiko Shochu is Japan’s leading shochu brand, boasting three disticnt expressions. Created specifically for bartenders, iichiko Saiten is a full-flavored expression of shochu, perfect for cocktails at 43% ABV. Made with koji, a main ingredient in soy sauce known for its umami flavor, this expression pairs perfectly with both sweet and savory flavors.

1.5 oz. iichiko Saiten

1 oz. lime juice

.75 oz. simple syrup

Fresh blueberries

Club soda

Muddle a handful of blueberries in a cocktail shaker. Add ice, iichiko Saiten, lime juice, and simple syrup. Shake, then strain into a glass with ice. Top with club soda and garnish with mint and blueberries.

Amal’s Guava Slay

This breezy Lebanese restaurant bar in Coconut Grove boasts a year-round summer vibe that invokes the Mediterranean. This simple cocktail combines refreshing citrus notes with a tropical sweetness from guava.

1.5 oz. Tromba tequila reposado

.75 oz. guava purée

.75 oz. lime juice

1 oz. grapefruit juice

1 oz. Fever Tree grapefruit soda

Add all ingredients in a wine glass. Build over ice, top with Fever Tree grapefruit soda and stir.

The Marrakesh Garden is a tantalizing cocktail in a beautiful pale green color. The first sip reveals a delightful balance of flavors, with the sweetness of the mint syrup and the coolness of the cucumber juice blending harmoniously with the sharpness of the lime juice and the rich flavor of the gin.

2 oz. gin

1 oz. lime

1 oz. cucumber juice

1 oz. mint syrup

Combine ingredients in a long glass. Add ice and garnish with nigella seeds and mint sprig.

One of the signature cocktails at this casual and sophisticated American kitchen, The Eagle is a sweet, herbal and spicy summer sipper.

2 oz. Beefeater gin

½ oz. green Chartreuse

½ oz. citrus

½ oz. orgeat

¼ St. Germain

2 jalapeño slices

4 basil leaves

4 cubes cucumber

Add jalapeño, cucumber, and basil into a tin and muddle together. Build remaining ingredients into tin and shake vigorously. Strain into glass over ice and garnish with a large fresh basil leaf.

Mezcal Pimms Spritz

Veteran bartender Carlos Ruiz use of limes in cocktails goes back to his Peruvian upbringing. “The acidity in fresh citrus helps balance the sweetness in cocktails,” says Ruiz. “It can cut through the richness of other ingredients and provide a refreshing and palate-cleansing effect.”

.5 oz. mezcal

1 oz. Pimm’s Liquor

1/2 oz. lime juice

1/2 oz. simple syrup

2 cucumber slices

2 oz. ginger ale

2 oz. Prosecco

In a cocktail shaker add all ingredients. Muddle, whip shake, strain into wine glass. Add crushed ice and top with 2 oz. ginger ale and 2 oz. Prosecco. Garnish with a cucumber slice.