Labor Day might be summer’s unofficial “last call,” but that’s no reason to pack away the sunglasses just yet. It’s the long weekend made for lingering on patios, toasting to summer memories with friends, and pretending Monday isn’t really the start of fall. To help you send summer off in style, we’ve rounded up a few cocktail recipes that are as refreshing as they are festive—perfect for raising a glass to three-day weekends, backyard laughter, and the sweet taste of denial that the season is ending.
Midnight Sun
Ingredients:
2 parts Reyka Vodka
3 parts Fresh Orange Juice
3 parts Bitter Lemon
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Method:
Build over ice in a highball glass.
Garnish with an orange wedge & sprig of dill.
New Earth
Ingredients:
2 parts Reyka Vodka
3/4 part Small Hand Foods Pineapple Gum Syrup
1 part Lime Juice
5 Cilantro Sprigs
Method:
Shake and strain into a Montelobos Mezcal-rinsed coupe.
Garnish with an orange peel and cilantro sprig.
Pineapple Rickey
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Drumshanbo Gunpowder Gin Brazilian Pineapple
- .5 oz Lime Juice
- .75 oz pineapple juice
- Top with Soda Water
Instructions:
- Combine all ingredients in Highball glass building over ice
- Top with soda water, stir with straw or spoon to balance and fully dilute
- Garnish with pineapple piece or leaf
CASA REFRESHER PITCHER —Makes 10 Cocktails
Ingredients
15 oz. Casamigos Blanco Tequila
10 oz. Watermelon Juice or 40-50 Watermelon Chunks (1”)
5 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
5 oz. Simple Syrup
Heaping Handful Mint Leaves
1.25 oz. Peychauds Bitters
Garnish Mint Sprig + Watermelon Cube through Skewer
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients into a medium to large pitcher and muddle fruit/herbs. Then fill to the top with ice and stir well with a bar spoon for 10-12 seconds.
Ciara Miller’s House Margarita
Ingredients:
- 1.5oz Astral Tequila Blanco
- 0.75oz Lime Juice
- 0.75oz Agave Syrup
- 2 Orange Slices, Muddled
- 2 Jalapeño Slices, Muddled
Garnish: Orange Slice + Jalapeño Slice
Glassware: Rocks Glass
Preparation: Add orange and jalapeño slices to a cocktail shaker and muddle. Add Astral Tequila Blanco, lime juice, agave syrup and ice, and shake for 8-10 seconds. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass and garnish with orange and jalapeño slices.
Guavalicious
- 1½ oz Don Q Reserva 7 Rum
- 2oz Guava juice
- ⅓oz Fresh lime juice
- 1tsp Coco Lopez® Cream of Coconut
Method: Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain over ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with an edible flower and a piece of coconut shell.
Hennessy Berry Mojito:
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Hennessy V.S
- 0.5 oz Fresh lime juice
- 5 Berries and mint
- 0.5 oz Simple syrup
- 1 Garnish with Mint Spring
- & Fresh Berries
Method:
- Muddle fruit, mint and simple syrup in a mixing tin. Add remaining ingredients and ice to tin and shake. Double strain into Collins glass filled with ice. Garnish with mint sprig and fresh berries.
Frozen Irish Coffee
Ingredients (6 gallon serve)
● 2 qts. Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey
● 2 qts. Melted Soft Serve
● 1 ¼ qts. Coffee Liquor
● ½ qt. Whole Milk
● ½ qt. Water
BUILD
Combine all ingredients in machine and turn onto slush/freeze mode, allowing up to 60 minutes for the Frozen Irish Coffee mixture to reach desired consistency. To Reduce time for freezing within the frozen beverage dispenser, mixture should be pre-batched and stored in a freezer. Store a secondary batch in the freezer to quickly refill the frozen beverage dispenser and return to serving temperature as quickly as possible. To serve, pour via spout directly into glass. Garnish with coffee grounds.
Irish Maid
Ingredients
● 2 oz Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey
● ¾ oz Fresh Lemon Juice
● ¾ oz Simple Syrup
● ½ oz St. Germain
● 2 Cucumber Slices
BUILD
Muddle cucumbers in tin, add all other ingredients. Shake and fine strain into a Rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a cucumber slice.
Black-Eyed Rye
Ingredients:
-
.5 oz Lime Juice
-
1 oz Blackberry Simple Syrup*
-
3 oz of Ginger Beer
-
Mint Leaves or dehydrated lime for garnish
Directions:
-
Shake Sagamore Small Batch Rye Whiskey, lime juice, blackberry simple syrup*, with ice and strain into a highball glass.
-
Top with Ginger Beer.
-
Garnish with mint sprigs or a dehydrated lime.
-
Blackberry Simple Syrup: Mix equal parts water, sugar, and blackberries in a pot. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Chill overnight and strain. Need a quick fix? Muddle blackberries with pre-made simple syrup.
Good Trouble Fig & Rosemary Smash
INGREDIENTS
2 oz Good Trouble Bourbon
2 fresh figs, muddled
1/2 oz honey syrup (1:1 ratio of honey and water)
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
Fresh rosemary sprig (for garnish)
METHOD OF PREPARATION
In a shaker, muddle fresh figs.
Add Good Trouble Bourbon, honey syrup, and fresh lime juice.
Shake well and strain into a rocks glass filled with ice.
Garnish with a fresh rosemary sprig.
Burnt Orange Britches
Ingredients
1.5 oz Pantalones Organic Añejo Tequila,
¾ oz Blood Orange Juice,
1/2 oz Lemon Juice,
1/4 oz Agave Syrup,
1 egg white,
Garnish: bitters + burnt blood orange slice
Instructions
Add ingredients into a shaker – Pantalones Organic Añejo Tequila, blood orange juice, lemon juice, agave syrup, and egg white and dry shake (no ice). Add ice to shaker and shake again. Strain into a glass. Garnish with 3 drops of bitters and burnt blood orange slice.
For the burnt blood orange slice, place orange slices on a sheet pan; sprinkle with sugar. Heat your oven (or toaster oven) to 225 degrees, and place sheet pan in oven and bake until the sugar is caramelized.
