August sipped away like a bottle of wine… and we’re now heading into Labor Day Weekend! The ‘official’ last weekend of summer is here and we’re celebrating with some festive and delicious cocktail recipes. From gin fizzes to tangy margaritas, to vibrant canned cocktails, we’ve got something for everyone here!
Cincoro Strawberry Lemonade
Take the tangy agave-rich Cincoro Reposado and mix it with a refreshing strawberry lemonade flavor and you’ve got the perfect cocktail to sip away summertime. To make, add 3-4 strawberries into a tin, then add 1 oz lemon, 2 oz water, and 1/2 oz to 3/4 oz simple syrup. Muddle all ingredients together & add 2 oz of Cincoro Reposado. Add ice and give a healthy shake. Strain into rocks filled or Collins glass.
Cucumber Lemon Refresher
Another bright and refreshing cocktail brought to you by Kate Hudson’s new King St. Vodka. Combine ½ cup cucumber chopped in small pieces, ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, 4 oz King St. Vodka and 2 cups lemonade. This is the perfect beach-sipping cocktail!
Onda Tequila Seltzer Cocktails
We’ve said it once and we’ll say it again, you’ll never regret picking up one of Shay Mitchell’s Onda canned cocktails. The brand just launched a new collection, The Paradise Collection, which is the most delicious way to enjoy your ‘endless summer.’ The collection introduces four new, exciting, tropical-inspired flavors to the Onda family: Mango, Passion Fruit, Pineapple, and Strawberry, that will transport you to a beach vacation, no matter the season.
Doña Vega’s Doña Limonada
If you’re a tequila fan but hesitant about the smokiness that comes with a mezcal, then Doña Vega is for you! Doña Vega is an organic, small-batch, artisanal mezcal that is the perfect balance of taste and tradition- created to give a modern take on mezcal, with a flavor that isn’t too strong or smoky, but complex and playful. Enjoy the Doña Limonada by combining 2 oz. Doña Vega, 0.75 oz fresh lemon juice , 0.5 oz clover honey , 1/8 teaspoon of ground cardamom , 2 medium sized strawberries and Mezsal hibiscus mole salt rim.
Belvedere Blackberry & Lemongrass Spritz
We love an infused cocktail and Belvedere’s newest infusions are a must-try, especially this long weekend! Combine 1 ¼ oz Belvedere Blackberry & Lemongrass, ¼ oz Dry Vermouth, 1 TSP Honey Water, 2 oz Dry Sparkling Wine, 2 Fresh Blackberries and Sprig of Mint in a Spritz glass over cubed ice and stir. Garnish with mint and sip, sip!
Topo Chico Hard Seltzer Spicy Strawberry-Chamoy Picosito
If you haven’t seen the ‘Ranch Water’ trend on TikTok, then look no further than this recipe bringing some spice to your Topo Chico Hard Seltzer. To elevate your ‘Ranch Water,’ make a Picosito Rim by using ½ cup sugar, 1/3 cup crushed dried strawberries, ¼ cup chamoy, 1 tablespoon chili lime spice mix and 1 tablespoon lime juice. Mix until smooth and then dip the rim of Topo Chico Hard Seltzer into Picosito and serve immediately. Yum!
BON V!V Dragonfruit Sunrise
The BON V!V Dragonfruit Sunrise was created in partnership with the brand’s Creative Director Priyanka Chopra Jonas and it’s a bright, refreshing addition to your final “hoorah” in the summer sun. An easy crowd pleaser for picnic gatherings at the park or a day at the beach, the BON V!V Dragonfruit Sunrise brings together the flavors of gin, orange juice, BON V!V Raspberry Dragonfruit, and the burst of fresh raspberries to garnish. To make, combine 1 oz gin of your choice, 2 oz orange juice and top with BON V!V Raspberry Dragonfruit. Garnish with 3 raspberries!
BACARDÍ Life’s a Beach
Get fruity with this BACARDÍ cocktail this Labor Day Weekend! Combine 1 ½ oz. BACARDÍ Añejo Cuatro Rum, ¾ oz. Reàl® passion fruit puree-infused syrup, ¾ oz. lime juice, and 1 ½ oz. coconut water in a shaker. Shake all ingredients with ice, and strain into a highball glass over cubed ice. Garnish with a pineapple leaf and/or pineapple wedge.
Spritz Society
Spritz season is never truly over, right? Toast to summer with one of the newest canned cocktails on the market, brought to you by Ben Soffer (@boywithnojob). Spritz Society is a new brand that just launched with a line of contemporary, ready-to-drink sparkling canned Spritz cocktails. The beverage is produced in Sonoma, has a base of 100% white wine infused with natural fruit flavors and a touch of effervescence, and is focused on modernizing the classic Spritz and making the elevated cocktail consumed and loved by the masses more accessible and convenient than ever. It comes in four delicious flavors: Grapefruit, Lemonade, Blood Orange, and Pineapple.
Hard Cranberry Arnold Palmer, created by Ocean Spray
A Hard Arnie is one of the most refreshing summer drinks (a personal fave). Add some Cranberry into that mix and you’ve got yourself a classic! In a highball or collins glass with ice, add 1 ounce sweet tea vodka, 1 ounce vodka, 4 ounces Ocean Spray® Cran-Lemonade Cranberry Lemonade Juice Drink and stir. Garnish with a lemon slice and serve it up!
D’USSÉ Sparkling Mojito Sangria
This cocktail really has it all and if you’re hosting a party this LDW, you can make big batches of this drink and it’ll be a definite crowd pleaser. In a sangria pitcher, add, 12 oz D’USSÉ VSOP Cognac, 12 oz Fresh Lime Juice, 12 oz Simple Syrup, 750 ml MARTINI & ROSSI Asti, 12 Lime Wheels and 25 Mint Leaves. Before adding the mint, slap it between both hands to release oil, then add ice to the mixture. Stir until well mixed. Pour into ice-filled stemless wine glasses. Garnish with mint sprig and lime wheel. The recipe listed serves 4 to 6 people and we’re positive they’ll love it!
Yuzu Coconut Gimlet
This gimlet is a light, low-cal and refreshing drink to sip on throughout the long weekend. First, 2 tsp. of honey and 1 tsp. water in a small microwave oven safe cup, warmed 10 – 12 seconds. Add that mixture with 2 oz coconut water and ½ oz fresh squeezed lime juice into a a cup of ice, and then pour into another cup or shaker back and forth until ingredients are well combined. Stir in 5 oz. Yuzu MAD TASTY to top off. Decorate with lemon or Yuzu lemon (if available) twist.
Frozen Gin & Tonic
You can’t celebrate summer without at least one frozen concoction! Introducing the Frozen Gin & Tonic! In a blender, combine 1 750ml Bombay Sapphire Gin, 80 oz. Fever Tree Tonic Water, 34 oz. Filtered Water, 6 oz. Grapefruit Juice, 6 oz. Lemon Juice and 17 oz. of Lime Cordial. Add ice and blend until smooth. Serve with a lime and grapefruit slice.
Soulful Summer
Say so long to summer with this vibrant andn flavorful, yet light cocktail from Grey Goose. Fill a chilled glass with cubed ice, add 1/2 oz of GREY GOOSE Essences Watermelon and Basil and ¼ oz Basil Syrup. Top with Fever Tree Elderflower Tonic. Then simply garnish with some rose buds. Gorgeous!
The Botanist Basil Gimlet
There are many flavors of summer and fresh basil is certainly one of them. It’s highlighted in the Botanist Basil Gimlet, which beautifully complements the floral notes of Botanist Gin. Add 2 oz The Botanist Islay Dry Gin , 0.75 oz fresh lime juice, .5 oz rich simple syrup (2:1 sugar to water) and 3-4 basil leaves, torn into a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously to chill liquid and break-up basil leaves. Fine-strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a whole basil leaf.
