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The Best Summer Cocktails To Beat The Heat

It is finally May! After the dark nights and the cold wind, we have come out the other side pale, but happy. Now that the school year is wrapping it up, it is time to start planning for summer. Personally, I’m picturing myself at the beach all day, tanning and swimming in the ocean or maybe attending a picnic in Central Park with my best friends laughing and catching up as we play Spikeball and eat sandwiches. Yet, everytime I imagine myself in the summer, I can’t help feeling like there is something missing from the picture: a cocktail. There is nothing quite as relaxing as sipping on a light and fresh cocktail in the warm sun. Although it is never needed, a summer cocktail is the most delicious and perfect addition to your summer activities. 

But what exactly constitutes a summer cocktail? Of course, anything you enjoy can be great to enjoy during the summer months, but many people prefer something light, sweet, fresh, fruity, and maybe even a little colorful. If you are looking for a new beverage to sip on this summer, here are the best summer cocktails to try.

3 Ingredient Blue Sipper

@cocktails

Easy like a summer breeze☀️🌴Mix up this refreshing 3-ingredient cocktail for instant chill vibes🤩The perfect blend of simplicity and taste😋 #3ingredients #cocktails #summercocktails #pineapple #rum #summercocktails #boozy #easyrecipes

♬ original sound – Viral cocktails

Thanks to user @cocktails, with just blue curaçao, Malibu rum, and pineapple juice, you can make the easiest most delicious cocktail. And the best part…it’s green. 

The Perfect Summer Cocktail 

TikTok user @maggiexawbrey shared another quick and easy three ingredient cocktail. The recipe includes gin, sauvignon blanc, and St Germain. It is light and refreshing and very summer coded. 

Agua Fresca de Piña Colada 

@lov.kari

Agua Fresca de Piña Colada 😋 Let me show you how easy it is to make this refreshing Agua Fresca de Piña Colada! If you’re craving something sweet and refreshing, this is it! AGUA DE PIÑA COLADA INGREDIENTS: ► 1 Pineapple ► 1 can coconut milk ► 1 can condensed milk ► 3 cups water ► Some coconut flakes for garnish (optional) #fyp #fy #foryou #foryoupagе #recetas #recetasfaciles #easyrecipe #easyrecipes #recipes #aguafresca #refreshing #refreshingdrink #aguasfrescas

♬ original sound – Karina Valladares

Karina Valladares (@lov.kari) has a great summer recipe for an agua fresca. It is made with  one pineapple, one can of coconut milk, one can of condensed milk, three cups of water, and some coconut flakes as an optional garnish. 

Malibu Bay Breeze 

@everydaycocktail

Easy, simple, and delicious, this is the Malibu Bay Breeze—one of the best summer cocktails! 🍹☀️ Recipe: – 3 oz pineapple juice 🍍 – 2 oz Malibu rum 🥥 – 2 oz cranberry juice 🍒 #cocktail #bar #bartender #bartenderlife #cocktailsrecipe #cheers #coconutrum #coconut #rum #cranberry #pineapple #malibu #bluecocktail #malibubaybreeze

♬ Could You Be Loved – Bob Marley & The Wailers

This Malibu Bay Breeze recipe comes from @everydaycocktail. It is fun and colorful and made with pineapple juice, malibu rum, and cranberry juice. 

Beach Bucket Cocktail

@samanthabauchmann

BEACH BUCKET COCKTAILS 🍹☀️🏖️ not just for the beach, but for all spring and summer long! #cocktailrecipe #summertime #poolday #beachlife #summervibes #cocktails #poolside #poolparty #easyrecipe #boatlife #boatday #fyp The good news is you can really do any combo of tropical fruit juices, liquor, seltzer and frozen fruit that you like or have on hand! INGREDIENTS: 6 oz pineapple juice 4 oz orange juice 4 oz coconut rum Splash maraschino cherry juice + cherries for garnish frozen pineapples + mangos Ice truly (tropical flavors) INSTRUCTIONS: Add juices, liquor, fruit & ice to a beach bucket, fill 2/3 full. Open up a seltzer and quickly flip it over into bucket. Garnish with umbrella and a straw!

♬ Bluest Flame – Selena Gomez & benny blanco

For all of our beach lovers, Samantha Bauchmann (@samanthabauchmann) has an amazing Beach Bucket Cocktail recipe for you. While viewers can make this recipe with really any combination of tropical fruit juices, liquors, seltzers, and frozen fruit, @samanthabauchmann recommends pineapple juice, orange juice, coconut rum,  a splash maraschino cherry juice, frozen pineapples and mangos and the Truly tropical pack. 

White Sangria 

@alexawhatsfordinner

Soooo crisp ✨🍎🍊🍋🍹 summertime white sangria! Ingredients: -1 orange, thinly sliced -1 lemon, thinly sliced -1 apple, thinly sliced -1 (750ml) bottle dry white wine -1/2 cup pineapple juice -2 cups Prosecco or soda water #sangria #summercocktail #cocktailrecipe #easyrecipe #refreshingcocktail #cocktails

♬ Pop Muzik – M & Robin Scott

Thanks to Alexa Santos (@alexawhatsfordinner) we have the greatest white sangria recipe for this summer. It is sweet and light and has a perfect flavor combination made with apples, oranges, lemon, a bottle of dry white wine, pineapple juice, and Prosecco or soda water. 

Frozen Limoncello Cocktail 

This frozen limoncello cocktail from @liv.yah is a must-try recipe. Made with lemon sorbet, limoncello, prosecco, lemon juice, and vanilla syrup, this drink is cold and refreshing and is sure to make you feel like you are on the beach in Italy.

White Negroni 

@join_jules

For all the girlies looking for a stiff summer drink, this is for you #summerrecipe #drink #cocktail #drinktok #fyp

♬ Sensual Seduction – Snoop Dogg

Ever heard of a white negroni? If not, this summer is the perfect time to give it a go. According to @join_jules, simply mix gin, Italicus or Suze, Lillet Blanc, and limoncello for a summer style stiff drink. 

Cucumber Mojito 

Just mix rum, mint, simple syrup, cucumbers, and soda water and you will have made Geoffre Zakarian’s (@geoffreyzakarian) delicious summer cocktail recipe. I’m a sucker for any drink with cucumber and this feels like the best summer pick me up. 

Sunset Cocktail

Creator Amy Wilichowski (@amywilichowski) shared an easy sunset summer cocktail. The recipe is made with fresh grapefruit slices, lemon juice, grapefruit juice, tonic water, and Empress 1908 gin. The purplish hugh from the gin mixed with the juices give this drink a gorg ombre look. 

Kelly Troop is currently a National Writer for Spoon University and has written for them since January of 2023. Her article topics and interests range from restaurant guides and product reviews to interviews with food content creators and trending food news.

She is also in the process of taking over her university’s Spoon chapter at Bucknell. Outside of writing for Spoon University, Kelly is currently working toward her BA in Creative Writing from Bucknell, as well as a minor in Italian. She has worked in a number of different roles including a tour guide on her college campus, a content writer for MoneyLion, a financial technology company, and is currently working in the alumni and development department at the Horace Mann School in Riverdale, N.Y.

In her free time, Kelly loves to read, cook, and play tennis with her friends and family. Her favorite genre is murder mystery, and she just finished reading The Da Vinci Code. Additionally, her favorite dish to make is homemade pasta with fresh pesto sauce. She is hardworking and diligent and is interested in a career of publishing, advertising, editorial, and/or marketing after she graduates college.