At long last the weather is beginning to warm up, and now that we can meet in groups of up to thirty outdoors, it’s time to start planning a garden party or BBQ to welcome the start of the summer. Of course, the secret to any garden celebration is some seasonally appropriate drinks. So, if you’re looking for some thirst-quenching inspiration, here’s our top five (and incredibly easy to make!) summer garden party cocktails:
English Garden
Made with ingredients that positively ooze summertime in the UK, the English Garden cocktail tops our list, and making it is an absolute breeze.
Ingredients per person:
- Gin 50ml
- 25ml elderflower cordial/ St Germain elderflower liqueur
- 75ml apple juice
- Squeeze of lemon juice
- Shaved cucumber to garnish
Method:
Take the gin, cordial, juice and lime and mix well. Add plenty of ice to a tall glass, then top up with your premixed solution before garnishing with cucumber.
Mojito
Born in the heat of Havana, this Cuban cocktail is one of the most refreshing drinks you can serve when temperatures really soar.
Ingredients per serving:
- 1 lime
- 1sp granulated sugar
- A healthy bunch of fresh mint leaves
- 60ml good quality white rum
- Soda water
Method:
Juice the lime into a jug or shaker, before adding the sugar and mint leaves. Take a cocktail muddler (the handle of a wooden spoon will suffice) and give these ingredients a good mixing, making sure to bruise the mint leaves to release their flavour.
Pour the above mixture into a tall glass before adding a handful of ice. Add the rum and stir in soda water. Note: mojitos are similar to cups of tea in that some people like theirs sweeter, weaker or stronger — so add more soda water or sugar to taste.
Prosecco Bellini
While the UK might have a reputation of drinking nothing but ‘warm beer’, in recent years we’ve become a nation of prosecco lovers. In fact, we consume an incredible 36% of all of the world’s prosecco. But did you know prosecco can be reinvented with the addition of peach puree to make it the ultimate garden punch? Here’s how…
Ingredients per punch bowl:
- 1 bottle of prosecco
- 500ml tinned peaches with syrup
Method:
Dust off that tin of peaches from the back of the cupboard and whizz with a food processor or stick blender for 1 minute. Add the resulting puree to a punch bowl and slowly pour in the entire contents of one bottle of prosecco, being mindful of it fizzing over. Stir with a ladle before pouring into individual flutes for guests.
Classic Shirley Temple
Delight designated drivers, non-drinkers, and children with the original mocktail. A classic non-alcoholic cocktail whose golden age of Hollywood charm has seen a recent resurgence in popularity.
Ingredients per serving:
- 1tsp 0%abv grenadine
- 300ml ginger ale
- Squeeze of lime
- 1 maraschino cherry
Take a classic highball glass and add plenty of ice, add the splash of grenadine and squeeze of lime, before topping the glass with ginger ale. Garnish with that iconic maraschino cherry and serve.
Pina Colada
Nothing screams ‘tropical holiday’ quite like a Pina Colada. While it’s still a little uncertain when and where we’ll be allowed to go on holiday, why not bring the beach bar to your garden with this cocktail that’s essentially sunshine in a glass?
Ingredients per serving
- 50ml white rum
- 50ml coconut milk or creamed coconut
- 80ml fresh pineapple juice
- 1 pineapple wedge
- Optional: 1 old-school cocktail umbrella
The beauty of Pina Coladas is the fact you can make them in bulk easily by simply doubling up the ingredients depending on how many guests you need to serve. Take the rum, coconut milk/creamed coconut and pineapple juice into a blender (you can use a cocktail shaker if you don’t have a blender, but the results aren’t as good) and blitz for one minute. Add plenty of ice to a cocktail glass and top up with your blended mixture. Garnish with a hefty wedge of pineapple on the side and a cocktail umbrella.
