8 Summer Cocktail Recipes We're Loving Right Now
- Kate Carr
- 3 hours ago
- 5 min read
Summer has a way of expanding the cocktail rotation. The evenings get longer, the kitchen stays warm, and suddenly we're reaching for something different every week. Sometimes something cold and fruity, and sometimes something stirred and a little more polished. This list is exactly what we've been making lately. No particular theme. Just the drinks that have been showing up in our glasses all summer and earning a permanent spot in the rotation.
We linked every full recipe so you can go straight to the one that calls to you.
The 8 Summer Cocktail Recipes We Keep Coming Back To
Watermelon Jalapeño Margarita
Our Favorite of the Summer
This is the one. Fresh muddled watermelon, blanco tequila, lime, and jalapeño shaken hard and double strained into a chili salt-rimmed glass. The color is a deep, stunning pink and the flavor is sweet and spicy in the best possible way — the heat builds slowly and keeps you coming back for another sip. Double strain it every time. The texture stays clean and the color stays beautiful.
Blanco tequila · Fresh watermelon · Jalapeño · Lime · Agave · Chili salt rim
Watermelon Aperol Spritz
The Easy, Beautiful One
Fresh watermelon juice, Aperol, prosecco, and a splash of soda over ice. It comes together in minutes and looks stunning in the glass. The basil garnish was the right call here — it adds a subtle herbal note that balances the bittersweet Aperol in a way mint just wouldn't. No juicer needed: muddle a cup of watermelon cubes and strain. Done.
Fresh watermelon juice · Aperol · Prosecco · Soda water · Basil leaf
Lillet Rosé Spritz
The One That Feels Like a Small Luxury
Lillet Rosé, prosecco, and club soda with an orange slice and fresh thyme. Pale pink, barely-there sweet, and effortless to make. If you're more of a wine person than a cocktail person, this one is for you — it drinks like a really beautiful glass of rosé with just a little more going on. The thyme is not optional — it adds a herbal note that keeps this from tasting like plain wine with bubbles. We used rosé prosecco, which deepens the blush color and makes it look even more beautiful in the glass.
Lillet Rosé · Prosecco · Club soda · Orange slice · Fresh thyme
First Kiss
Our Wedding Cocktail
This is the cocktail we served at our wedding, and it has been a crowd favorite ever since. A clean botanical gin gimlet — gin, fresh lemon, and simple syrup shaken cold and strained into a coupe — finished with an optional drizzle of butterfly pea flower tea for a soft blush and a quiet floral note. It's simple, elegant, and quietly celebratory. The butterfly pea flower drizzle is optional but it makes the drink feel special and it photographs beautifully. Start with a half ounce of simple syrup and adjust from there.
Botanical gin · Fresh lemon juice · Simple syrup · Butterfly pea flower tea (optional)
Spiced Peach Margarita
The One That Bridges Summer and Fall
Fresh muddled peach, blanco tequila, lime, and cinnamon simple syrup with a pumpkin pie spice sugar rim. It tastes like peach pie in a glass and it works all the way from the height of summer through the first weeks of fall when peaches are still at the market. The rim is what makes it — two parts sugar to one part pumpkin pie spice adds a layer of warm spice to every sip. Don't skip it.
Blanco tequila · Fresh peach · Lime · Cinnamon simple syrup · Pumpkin pie spice sugar rim
The Americano
The Summer Negroni
Campari, sweet vermouth, and club soda over ice with an orange twist and fresh rosemary. All the bittersweet complexity of a Negroni, lighter on the alcohol and a lot more refreshing. It's the drink for people who think they don't like Campari — the soda softens everything just enough. Express the orange peel over the glass before you drop it in. That one small step makes a real difference.
Campari · Sweet vermouth · Club soda · Orange twist · Fresh rosemary
Spanish Coastal Martini
The Unexpected One
Gin, fino sherry, Castelvetrano olive brine, a barspoon of good olive oil, and orange bitters — stirred until very cold and strained into a chilled coupe. It's savory, smooth, and slightly surprising in the best way. The olive oil gives it a silky texture that you don't expect but immediately appreciate. Use Beefeater for the gin, Castelvetrano olives for the garnish, and double strain to catch the oil. This one rewards the extra care.
London dry gin · Fino sherry · Castelvetrano olive brine · Olive oil · Orange bitters
La Louisiane
The Atmospheric One
Rye whiskey, Bénédictine, sweet vermouth, absinthe, and Peychaud's bitters — stirred and strained into a chilled coupe with three Amarena cherries. A classic New Orleans cocktail, deeply spirit-forward, and not for the faint of heart. The absinthe adds a herbal backbone, not a licorice punch, and the Amarena cherries balance the intensity beautifully as you drink. If you love an Old Fashioned, this one needs to be next on your list.
Rye whiskey · Bénédictine · Sweet vermouth · Absinthe · Peychaud's bitters · Amarena cherries
A Note on Building Your Own Summer Rotation
The range here is intentional. Some nights call for something cold and fruity with crushed ice and a chili salt rim. Other nights you want to stir something slowly and sip it at the table. Both are summer cocktails. The best rotation has a little of each.
All eight of these are part of how Date Nite begins at our house — something beautiful in hand while dinner comes together. That's always been our favorite part of the evening.
About Kevin & Kate
We're Kevin and Kate — a husband and wife duo who turned a weekly cooking ritual into something we wanted to share. Date Nite is our subscription experience for couples: one complete evening every week with a curated dinner menu, a cocktail pairing, grocery list, playlist, and all the small details that make a night at home feel like something you actually looked forward to.
If any of these summer cocktails are calling to you, they'd be right at home on a Date Nite table.