Feel-good summer drinks recipes

First of all, start with what you'd like to drink. Aperitifs are often dry, bubbly or bittersweet – fortified wines like fino sherry and vermouth are delicious with salty foods (and last for weeks in the fridge); keep it simple with a G&T or a chilled glass of fizz (try our favourite champagne and English sparkling wines here); and use Italian bittersweet herbal liqueurs like Aperol and Campari for spritzes.

Do make sure you invest in some beautiful glassware – check out our best cocktail glasses here.
Next, choose what you'd like to nibble on while you sip. This can be as simple as salted crisps, chunky green olives or smoked almonds (especially good with sherry), or explore our easy snack ideas, including paprika crisps and fennel crudités, cheese straws and grilled padron pepper and chorizo skewers.

Finally, don't go overboard! One or two aperitifs before moving on to your meal is just right – especially if you're enjoying boozy cocktails like negronis or martinis.

Make your mocktails next-level

More and more of us are either going sober or drinking less, and even if you're not abstaining, in hot weather it pays to pace yourself when it comes to booze.

We find that putting extra effort and care into alcohol-free drinks really helps make you feel as if you're not 'missing out'. We've got lots of delicious mocktail inspiration, from a virgin margarita and alcohol-free mojito to a non-alcoholic passionfruit martini.

For ready-made drinks, explore our favourite alcohol-free beers and wines and for fizz we suggest exploring the world of sparkling teas, which offer all the complexity of traditional sparkling wine minus the alcohol. We've rounded up the best sparkling teas to buy here.

Perfect iced coffee

In summer, our iced coffee habit goes into overdrive but it can be an expensive one to maintain – unless you master the art of making it at home.

Start with a generous amount of ice in the glass, then pour over 30-50ml of espresso, topping with milk or your favourite dairy-free alternative. Filter and pour-over coffee lovers should make a strong 250-300ml batch, then let it cool to room temperature before putting in the fridge to chill. Once cold, add lots of ice to the glass and drink black or with a little milk. Read our guide to how to make iced coffee for more tips and tricks – including how to make cold brew coffee.

Once you're confident in your coffee game, branch out to more creative serves – try our extra-caffeinated iced matcha latte, floral lavender expresso tonic and chocolatey iced mocha.

Want to save even more time? Explore our pick of the best iced coffee and cold brew makers.

Channel holiday vibes at home

From chilled rosé with seafood lunches to Aperol spritzes by the pool, we often truly feel on holiday not when we've stepped off the plane but when we've taken that first sip of something delicious. If a staycation is on the cards then cocktails are an easy way to bring those sunshine vibes into your home.

Italian cocktails include plenty of holiday-worthy creations and a crisp, bubbly spritz is a no-brainer. We've got lots of spritz ideas here – try a Campari spritz for a more grown up, bitter flavour or limoncello if you have a sweet tooth. We're also partial to a Venetian-style spritz with Select Aperitivo, garnished with a green olive. Whichever you use, spritzes are very easy to make at home – typically featuring a sparkling wine, an Italian bitter liqueur and a splash of soda water, all you need to do is follow a simple ratio of 3:2:1 (wine, bitter, soda water).

Elsewhere, our collection of Mexican-inspired cocktails make the most of agave spirits, from classic margs to zesty palomas and a smoky mezcal sunset. And anything garnished with pineapple, a cocktail umbrella or in a hurricane glass instantly ups the holiday vibe so do explore our tropical and tiki cocktails.

A super speedy way to upgrade your drinks is by adding next-level garnishes – woody herbs like rosemary and thyme add herbaceous mediterranean flavour; while fat wedges of lemon, grapefruit and orange add sunny citrus notes.

Sharing cocktails

Whipping up a jug of cocktails is an easy, fuss-free way to entertain in summer. Sangrias are low-ABV and a great way to use up leftover wine and seasonal fruit – try our classic version here, or branch out into white wine sangria and rosé sangria.

Elsewhere, we've got some super-quick ideas for making cocktails for a crowd. Craving rum punch? Fill a large jug three-quarters full with ice, then add 300ml of golden rum, 100ml of lime juice, a dash of Angostura bitters, 200ml of smooth orange juice, 200ml of pineapple juice and stir well. Pour in 200ml grenadine syrup just before serving.

For a boozy spin on iced tea, try this peach and bourbon slushy: steep 2 English breakfast tea bags in 400ml 0f just-boiled water for 5 minutes, then mix in 2-3 tsp of sugar and cool. Chop 3-4 peaches into bite-sized pieces and mix with the tea and 300ml of bourbon. Pour into a blender and blitz until smooth. Pour into a plastic container and freeze for 2 hours or until a pourable, slushie-like consistency. Stir then pour into a large jug and serve.

Frozen drinks

When the temperatures really soar then frozen cocktails are your new best friend. Our frozen margarita and frozen strawberry daiquiri are heatwave classics. Winningly simple to make with minimal ingredients, they both pair really well with spicy snacks.

We also love this frozen sherry cobbler for a less-boozy cocktail, and this classic piña colada is a tropical must-make.

Our top tips for frozen cocktails? Don't use lots of ice as this can make the drink too watery, and invest in a good blender that can handle blitzing ice – we've got some great suggestions here.

Upgrade your drinks kit

Summer cocktail season is the perfect time to treat yourself to some new glassware – check out our best cocktail glasses here. If you're starting a glass collection from scratch don't over complicate it: a good-quality wine glass also doubles as a vehicle for spritzes and G&Ts, while coupe glasses work well for martinis and margaritas. Grab chunky tumblers for short, boozy drinks like an old fashioned, and tall tumblers for long, refreshing drinks like a whisky highball.

Everything looks extra chic on a drinks trolley – read our best bar carts for recommendations and styling suggestions. We love tailoring our trolley set up around our favourite drinks – for example negroni lovers might want to keep their bar carts stocked with short tumblers, gin, sweet vermouth and Campari.

Home bar hacks

We love a smart shortcut when it comes to summer cocktails – here are a few of our favourites...

– No one wants to make multiple trips back and forth from the freezer – invest in a decent ice bucket so you can stay outside doing the important work of relaxing. For barbecues and parties, grab your biggest container and fill with a mix of ice and water for chilling bottles of wine, cider and beer so that guests can help themselves.

– Flavoured ice cubes are easy to make and add an extra dimension to a drink. Try chopping up your favourite herbs (rosemary, basil, mint and thyme all work well), put them in ice cube tray compartments then fill with water, freeze and serve with drinks – they work particularly well in G&Ts. We also love doing the same with olive brine for dirty martinis, or try filling up an ice cube tray with left-over coffee to add to iced coffees in warm weather – this will ensure your brew doesn’t get too watered down.

– When entertaining, it saves lots of time if you can batch cocktails ahead of time. Just increase the proportions of whatever you're making and store in the fridge or freezer ready to serve. Just remember that boozy spirit-forward cocktails can be made a few days in advance, while anything with fresh fruit juice or dairy is best made up on the day.

– No cocktail shaker? No problem – use a jam jar instead. Build your cocktail, screw on the lid and shake with ice, then use a small sieve or even a fork to strain out any ice or solids when serving the drink. If you don’t have a jigger, use tablespoons instead – three is equivalent to 50ml. Instead of the long bar spoons typically used to stir drinks in cocktail shakers, try using a single chopstick instead.

Check out our home bar hacks for more tips.