Simple Cocktails We Can All Make This Summer 

 

I’m sure we all say we would be keen to make a few summer cocktails at home now and again. There have definitely been a few occasions we can recollect over the last year where we would have loved to have gotten creative; maybe it was a BBQ this Summer, a dinner party with new colleagues or a birthday bash for your other half. 

Some of the more adventurous of you may even have had the urge to kick back in the evening with a relaxing cocktail or two in the garden after work!

So what is putting you off? We could safely say it is probably the same thing that has dissuaded many others before you from making the effort to go beyond a beer or straight spirit, and that's the perceived complexity of cocktail creation. 

There's no way you can quickly knock up a cocktail if it contains eleven ingredients (some of which need to be prepared days in advance!) and you need a PhD in chemistry to make the damn thing! This is the realm of highly skilled bartenders and it's not always practical or affordable for the amateur cocktail enthusiast to achieve on a summer evening.

It was with this in mind that we decided to create a guide to simple yet effective summer cocktail recipes everyone can enjoy in the comfort of their own home.  

The idea is that none of the recipes presented here require more than 3 ingredients. By ingredients I mean alcohol and mixers, not garnish or decorations that can be left out if so desired. The only equipment you will need is some glasses, a spoon, vegetable peeler and a cocktail strainer and shaker. Got all that? Good, let’s get going then!

Our top 5 simple cocktails to make at home

Courting Two Sisters

Time: 5 minutes

Equipment: Mixing glass, spoon, cocktail strainer, vegetable peeler

Ingredients: 45ml of Dolin Chambery Vermouth Blanc,

                        45ml of Dolin Red Vermouth

                        10ml of La Fee NV Absinthe.

What To Do: 

Combine the Dolin Blanc Vermouth and Dolin Red Vermouth in a glass then add 10 ml of La Fee NV Absinthe. Fill the glass with ice and stir for 15-20 seconds until cold. Finally strain into a chilled cocktail glass, and garnish with an orange twist to serve. 

Barbados Cocktail

Time: 5 minutes

Equipment: Cocktail shaker and strainer

Ingredients: 30ml of Taylors Velvet Falernum

                        45ml of Gosling's Black Seal Rum

                        10 ml of Lime Juice

                        Crushed Ice

What To Do: Fill a mixing glass halfway with crushed ice then pour in your Velvet Falernum, Gosling's Black Rum and lime juice. Shake for 15 seconds and strain into a cocktail glass to serve immediately. 

 

Grapefruit & Ginger Sparkler

Time: 5 minutes

Equipment: Champagne glass

Ingredients: 15 ml Domaine De Canton Ginger Liqueur

                        30ml Grapefruit Juice

                        Fontessa Prosecco Brut

                        Grapefruit Wedge

What To Do: Combine your Grapefruit Juice and Domaine De Canton Ginger Liqueur into a champagne glass and top with the Fontessa Prosecco until the glass is nearly full. Garnish with a grapefruit wedge.

 

Orange Cannon

Time: 5 minutes

Equipment: Cocktail Shaker and strainer, glass

Ingredients: 30ml Amaro Montenegro Liqueur

                        15ml Aperol Aperitivo

                        30ml Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice

What To Do: Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add your orange juice, Amaro Montenegro and Aperol. Shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

 

Carpenter's Hand

Time: 5 minutes

Equipment: Old Fashioned glass or tumbler, spoon

Ingredients: 60ml of Janneau VSOP Armagnac

                        15ml Classic Dry Amontillado Sherry Fernando de Castilla

                        15ml Drambuie

                        Orange Twist

What To Do: Place a large ice cube into your glass and add the Janneau Armagnac, Harvey's Amontillado Sherry and Drambuie. Stir for 15 seconds and garnish with an orange twist to serve!

So there you have it, 5 easy to make cocktails that taste delicious and take literally minutes to make. Look out in September for more Simple Cocktail Recipes on this blog. Mix them fast and drink them slow, enjoy!

 

Want to know more about our range of spirits? 


Here at drinkfinders we stock a large range of wines and champagnes and spirits to enjoy. Get in touch and a member of our team would be happy to advise on drinks to suit your taste, or alternatively check out our new arrivals to discover something new.