Tomato girl summer. Italian coastal summer. Hot girl summer. How about a brat summer, inspired by Charli XCX’s new album? BRAT, has been dominating the charts this summer, and fans have completely embraced the new “brat girl” trend, leaning into individuality and confidence. From bold yet laid-back fits to vibrant accessories, the “slime green” edit is everywhere this season.
In honor of this summer’s latest trend, #BratGirlSummer just got a whole lot boozier. Forget the basic beach cocktails – it’s time to shake things up with a collection of drinks as showstopping and unapologetic as the season itself. From sweet and sassy to strong and spirited, these concoctions capture the essence of carefree fun and endless possibilities. Whether it’s green RTDs or track-inspired cocktails, these vibrant and refreshing bratty bevs are Insta-worthy and perfect for poolside parties, pre-games, and summer soirées.
#SpoonTip: No matter what you’re drinking, make sure to always drink responsibly. Spoon does not promote binge or underage drinking.
1. Basil Gimlet
This cocktail is something to “Talk talk” about. Both refreshing and super simple, you’ll only need 5 minutes to craft this drink. Grab 2 ounces of Empress 1908 Cucumber Lemon Gin, 0.75 ounces of fresh lime juice, 0.75 ounces of simple syrup, 5-6 basil leaves, and a cucumber ribbon to garnish. Muddle your basil leaves and pour your liquid ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain your cocktail into a cute glass and garnish with cucumber.
2. Lipton Hard Iced Tea Citrus Green Tea
Made with real Lipton Green Tea, Lipton Hard Iced Tea Citrus Green Tea is a lighter, brighter, and smoother Hard Iced Tea. This non-carbonated RTD clocks in at 5% ABV, striking the perfect balance between refreshment and indulgence. Buy it here.
3. APPLE-Tini
If you’re obsessed wth the viral “Apple” dance, you are going to *love* this sweet and sour APPLE-Tini. All you need is three ingredients: 1.5 ounces of your preferred vodka, .5 ounces of apple schnapps, and .5 ounces of sweet and sour mix. Then, shake up your liquor and mix in a cocktail shaker with ice, pour out into a martini glass. Don’t forget to garnish with a green apple, of course.
#SpoonTip: For a sweeter drink, add a splash of cranberry juice. For a tart twist, add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
4. Dulce Vida’s La Ultima Palabra
Tequila girlies, time for a fancy, bratty, boozy bev. This one requires a few extra ingredients. Start by gathering the following: 1 ounce of Dulce Vida Reposado Tequila, 1 ounce of fresh lime juice, 1 ounce of Chareau Aloe Liqueur, 1 ounce of Green Chartreuse, .25 ounces of pineapple juice, and one pineapple slice to garnish. Add your liquids to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake hard to combine. Use a fine strainer or double strain to get the best version of the cocktail. Pour into a coupe glass, garnish with your fruit, and sip it up.
5. 365 Spritz
You’ve had Aperol Spritz, but every party girl needs to up their game with a 365 Spritz. For this recipe, you don’t need a cocktail shaker. Start with a wine glass full of ice. Pour in 2.5 ounces of St. Germain and add a few mint leaves to your glass. Top off your drink with 3 ounces of sparkling wine and 1.5 ounces of soda water. Stir to combine all of the ingredients, and make sure to garnish with mint leaves and a lime wedge. I’m a brat when I’m sippin’ that!
6. Spicy Horton Lime
Add a little spice to your ready-to-drink Horton rum cocktail—literally! All you need is one can of Horton Lime Soda, lime juice, 4 jalapeño slices, and Tajin. Rim a glass with lime juice and Tajin, muddle your jalapeño in the bottom, and pour in your lime soda. You’ll be sipping something with a kick in no time at all.
7. Sprinter Lime
Founded by Kylie Jenner, Sprinter Lime is a bold and juicy RTD vodka soda made with real fruit juice, premium vodka, and sparkling water. Using only the highest-quality ingredients, Sprinter delivers vibrant and fruit-forward flavor profiles in a gluten-free, 4.5% ABV, RTD can with no added sugars. Sprinter is available nationwide in an 8-can variety pack for $19.99.
8. Von dutch Vodka Spritzer
Your number one fave cocktail should be this Von dutch Vodka Spritzer. To make this, you’ll need 10 cucumber slices, 8 fresh mint leaves, 2 ounces of vodka, 5-10 ice cubes, 4 ounces of lemonade, and 4 ounces of sparkling water. Add vodka, cucumber, and mint to a highball glass and muddle. Then, fill your glass with ice and top it off with lemonade and sparkling water. Garnish with cucumber and mint.
9. Talkhouse Encore Vodka Soda Lime
A zesty mix of lime and vodka, this refreshing blend will transport you to the dance floor. Talkhouse Encore is a line of refreshing, authentic and fruit-forward spirits-based canned seltzers inspired by the iconic Hamptons venue, Stephen Talkhouse. Each flavor has no added sugar or artificial flavoring, offering a lighter alternative with authentic taste at 5% ABV.
10. Mean Girls Margarita
Bring on the heat with this brat-coded cocktail. Take 1.5 ounces of Tequila Reposado (we used 818), 4 slices of Serrano pepper, 2 ounces of cucumber juice, .5 ounces of lime juice, .75 ounces of orange juice, and Tajin. To make cucumber juice, simply slice your cucumber, blend them, and then strain. Rim your glass with Tajin. Next, add tequila and peppers to a cocktail shaker and muddle. Then, pour in your lime, orange, and cucumber juices with ice and shake well. Strain into your glass and ger spicy, girlie.
11. Green (Apple) Tea Shots
Pour a round of shots for all your brat BFFs. For these Green (Apple) Tea Shots, you’ll need 3 ounces of Proper No Twelve Irish Apple, 3 ounces of peach schnapps, 3 ounces of sour mix, and lemon-lime soda. Pour all of your ingredients into a shaker with ice to chill, then pour into four shot glasses. Cheers to being a brat!