Five Summer Cocktails You’ll Want to Try

Warm temperatures are luring us outdoors. So, here are five popular summer cocktails from around the world to give your leisure time in the backyard a boost. They are perfectly paired with brunch or a backyard barbecue. Enjoy!

Aperol Spritz
Light and airy, the Aperol Spritz’s strength can be diluted by adding more soda, but I love it without it.

50 ml of Aperol
75 ml of Prosecco
Soda to top up
Orange slices

Place a few ice cubes into a glass and add the Aperol and Prosecco. Add soda if desired. Garnish with slices of oranges.  Serves one.

Pimm’s Iced Tea
Pimm’s is a summer favorite in the UK but this take on it makes it a nice afternoon drink. Perfect for days lollygagging around the pool.

Ingredients:
400 ml of Pimm’s No 1
4 tea bags (Assam tea for a strong brew)
20 g of mint
110 g of caster sugar (superfine works as well)
The juice of 2 large oranges plus slices to serve
The juice of 2 lemons plus slices to serve
Lots of sliced strawberries (or whole raspberries)
Ice.

Instructions:

1. Put the tea bags into a large jug and add 1.2 litres of boiling water and then add the mint.
2. Leave tea to infuse for 10 minutess and then remove the bags (without squeezing them) and stir in the sugar.
3. Once the liquid is cool, remove the mint and add the orange juice, lemon juice and Pimm’s.
4. Chill (this can be made up to a day ahead if you have a cover for your jug).
5. Serve in a glass over plenty of ice and add orange, lemon and strawberry slices (or whole raspberries), along with the remaining mint sprigs.

Rose-Scented Strawberry Cocktail
This is a light cocktail that can easily replace the standard Mimosa at brunch.

100 g of strawberries, hulled and halved
50 g caster sugar (or superfine sugar)
2 tbsps. of rosewater
Chilled Prosecco (you can also use champagne)

Blend the strawberries with the sugar and rosewater in a blender or small food processor to form a purée. Add a spoon or two to each glass, then top up with your choice of chilled bubbly and serve.

Watermelon Gin Spritzer
This cocktail is super easy to make, and the watermelon adds a fun twist. 

Serves 8
Ingredients:
2 large limes
100 g watermelon
2 tbsps. gin
Tonic water

1. Cut the limes into 16 pieces.
2. Squeeze 2 pieces of lime into each of the 8 glasses, then drop in the squeezed flesh.
3. Chop the watermelon and divide among the glasses
4. Throw in some ice cubes.
5. Pour gin over each and top up with chilled tonic water.

Blueberry Mojito
Try this take on the traditional Mojito at your next patio party.

Ingredients:
100 g of blueberries
3 lemons, quartered
2 tbsps. of granulated sugar
2 sprigs of mint, leaves removed
350 ml of white rum
600 ml sparkling water

1. Put the blueberries, lemons and sugar in a jug and mix together.
2. Bruise the mint leaves and add them to the jug with lots of ice.
3. Pour in the rum and sparkling water and stir.

Serve and enjoy!•

All recipes are from BBC Good Food