Specializing in Brunch, Desserts and Cocktails
These 15 Refreshing Summer Cocktails will keep you cool all summer long. There is nothing better than sipping a Frozen Orange Creamsicle Margarita or Red White and Blue Pina Colada while sitting poolside or on the beach. Check out my go-to list of drinks for when things are really getting hot!
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A Spicy Pineapple Margarita is a refreshing cocktail with hints of sweetness and spice created by Chile Liqueur. Serve it over ice with a salt and chili powder rim followed by a garnishment of fresh pineapple and lime.
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A Fuzzy Navel Peach Sangria is a celestial medley of everything that is right in this world. Plenty of fresh peaches get combined with a bottle of white Moscato, orange juice, peach schnapps, and vodka.
If you make a big pitcher of this, it will be quickly eliminated Terminator style. It might have something to do with just how great a fuzzy navel cocktail tastes thrown together with wine and peaches. I’m seriously, drinking a glass (or 3) of this while typing this post. Please forgive me if there are a few more typos (than usual). Luckily, I’ve hired my husband to be my editor. He gets paid via food and cocktails, so we are all winners.
A lot of brainstorming went into this creation (all 5 minutes or so). My original plan was to just make it a peach sangria with a bit of pie flavor. However, something made me think of the magnificence that is a Fuzzy Navel Cocktail. I mean, we’re talking peach schnapps, orange juice and vodka. These are a few of my favorite things, but not when the bee stings. Getting stung in the ankle bone by a bee just sucks. True story…it really happened to me last weekend.
My digressions have led me down a very bumpy road that will be regrettable later. Simply said, this drink is too good. You must mix up a pitcher of it immediately and share with your friends if you’re feeling altruistic.
That being said, I would love to take you through the pain-staking process of making this delightful sangria. Dump a bunch of sliced up peaches into a big old pitcher. Pour a whole bottle of White Moscato into said pitcher. Add orange juice, peach schnapps and vodka. Stir it up and try not to drink it all at once!
Yes, I have a slightly unhealthy obsession for Sangria. It is my number 1 go-to drink for entertaining (myself). If you love this Fuzzy Navel Peach Sangria, check out my Cocktail Page for even more inspiration.
NOT REGRETTABLE
Add sliced peaches to the bottom of a large pitcher.
Pour the Moscato over the top of the peaches.
Add remaining ingredients and lightly stir.
Serve over ice with a fresh mint sprig.
A Painkiller Cocktail is a refreshing tropical drink with coconut, pineapple, orange juices and a nutmeg garnishment for an extra boost of flavor. A bit of dark rum finishes this cocktail that is similar to the flavors of a Pina Colada without the mess of a blender for the win.
Have you seen the show “Southern Charm”? It is such a guilty pleasure for me and its how I first heard of this delightful cocktail. The name alone was enticing enough for me to do further “research”. This led me on a journey of plenty of rum and total ethereal bliss.
My love affair with rum began with a trip to Jamaica a couple of years back with plenty of Rum Punch. According to my lively Jamaican tour guide, it can even cure the common cold or skin irritation. Medicinal properties aside, rum is the basis of so many great summer cocktails. Nothing quenches my thirst during a beach vacation like a good Pina Colada or Daiquiri.
If you search various Painkiller Cocktail recipes, you may notice that not all of them call for orange juice. I’ve had the drink both ways and really prefer a splash of orange juice to add that extra bit of citrus flavor. The combination of pineapple, coconut and orange is truly sublime with that unexpected bit of spice from the nutmeg.
I don’t usually have whole nutmeg seeds laying around, but would recommend grating it fresh if possible. It may even be worth an extra trip to the grocery store [especially if you can send someone else]. I highly encourage bribing said delivery person with the promise of a great cocktail.
I’m SO ready for my upcoming trip to Costa Rica and can’t wait to share some of my new cocktail finds with you. It is really out of necessity that I sample many great drinks while relaxing on the beach to bring you all the best.
If you like this Painkiller Cocktail, be sure to visit my Cocktails Page for more great inspiration. A Frozen Mango Margarita or Jamaican Rum Punch are a couple of my other refreshing favorites.
MORE TO LOVE
Add all liquid ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice.
Top with freshly grated nutmeg.
This Strawberry Lemon White Wine Sangria would be perfect for when having company this spring! The infusion of fresh strawberry and lemon flavors with white wine is so refreshing and delicious. There is such an abundance of fresh strawberries and lemons at the supermarket right now and this is the perfect way to use them.
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This frozen, Orange Creamsicle Margarita is a refreshing blend of tequila, ice cream, Triple Sec, orange and lime juices. A sugared rim and garnishment of fresh fruit completes this decadent margarita that will have you ready for spring.
I’m so ready for warmer weather and am hoping that drinking a few frozen cocktails will have things feeling a bit more spring around here. Temperatures in the 40’s and rain just aren’t what I had in mind for this week. This margarita definitely cured my cold-weather blues!
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A Watermelon Margarita Slush Bucket makes summer entertaining SO easy! Fresh watermelon puree is added to gold tequila, frozen limeade, and orange juice with a splash of cranberry for added coloring. Freeze it overnight in a one gallon bucket and enjoy!
I’m envisioning an umbrella on the beach and a bucket of Watermelon Margarita Slushes on ice next to me. Maybe, I could just put a couple of large straws right in the bucket (at least I plan on sharing with another person). This is how I wish my whole summer could be. No painting, cleaning the house, or trying to reason with a miniature version of myself. Just pure relaxation at its best with a great drink in hand.
The inspiration for this cocktail was due to an error at the grocery store once again. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten to the store and thought that there was no need to break out the old list. I mean, I got it all figured out in life! On one of these fine days, I convinced myself that I put limeade concentrate in Whiskey Sour Slushes. The limeade just sat in my fridge for quite some time. It even moved houses with me.
After getting tired of looking at said limeade in my freezer, I decided to throw it away or make something glorious. I’m SO glad that I didn’t throw it away! It turns out that limeade makes the perfect margarita slush bucket. The possibilities are endless folks! Just use throw in plenty of tequila and a bit of orange juice and your favorite fruits for a winner, winner, tequila dinner situation.
Hey 100 degree weather, don’t mess with me! I will just keep making buckets of slush and beat you at your own game! Now, I just need to get a bigger kiddie pool to soak my feet it…major life goals are in play.
Hope you are staying cool this hot summer. Check out my Cocktail Page for other great summer cocktail ideas. Whiskey Sour Slushes and Strawberry Lemon Sangrias are also great for summer entertaining. Why not make them all it once? After all, variety is the spice of life.
MORE TO LOVE
This Jamaican Rum Punch is the perfect party drink that gets prepared in a pitcher and poured over ice. It is super refreshing with orange juice, pineapple juice, lime juice and cherry grenadine. Garnish it with a slice of fresh lime or pineapple for a tropical feel.
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Its peach season and time for a Georgia Peach Martini with vodka, peaches, raspberries, peach liqueur and a fresh sprig of mint. No messy crusts or hot ovens…just fresh, peachy perfection in a glass! This martini was also inspired by the Georgia Peach cocktail at the Cheesecake Factory. It has to be good, right?
Oh my…you don’t even have to be a die-hard peach lover to appreciate this cocktail! The sweetness of fresh, juicy peaches, combined with swirls of raspberry make this martini perfection! Yes, I am SO excited that I have a good use for all these beautiful peaches in season. I also did some cake experimentation and whipped up an Amaretto Upside Down Peach Cake….holy Yum (coming soon)!
I’ve been on a cocktail making rampage lately…for blog purposes only of course. I’m only slightly stressed about my oldest daughter starting pre-school next week. Its been total madness around here due to our disorganized chaos.
I finally found out her uniform colors yesterday, had to return unacceptable polo color selection and search Target high and low for a “nap mat”. What the heck…my daughter has refused to take naps since she was 2. My husband was in charge of scheduling her school physical, which meant there were no available appointments by the time he called. This landed me at Walgreens for a walk-in appointment, which was denied due to her not being at least 6 years old.
HA…did I also mention that I booked a trip to Jamaica several months ago which happens to also coincide with her first day of school…whoops! So, as you can imagine this cocktail was much needed!
If you love this Georgia Peach Martini, be sure to check out my Cocktail Page for more boozy inspiration. A Jamaican Rum Punch or Watermelon Margarita Slush Bucket are a couple of my other favorite, refreshing cocktails.
A bucket of Whiskey Sour Slushes is perfect for serving at your next BBQ or party. Its a simple mixture of orange and lemon concentrate, brewed tea, sugar, and whiskey that gets tossed into the freezer overnight. These were a huge hit at my house for Father’s Day…the bucket was gone in minutes!
I’m not exaggerating when I say the bucket was gone in minutes! I literally had to hide one in the refrigerator for safe-keeping. I was seriously, worried that they were all going to be gone before my Dad even arrived. That will teach him to be on time…LOL! I won’t finger point as to who drank most of the bucket, but I will say that you would think it was another Mother’s Day celebration! There were initial mentions of disappointment that my Pineapple Orange Creamsicle Mimosas weren’t available.
Followed by:
“Oh, these are reaaaally good”
“Its not my fault, someone keeps stealing my drink every time I get up.”
“Let me just have one more, there’s plenty here.”
The takeaway from this, DOUBLE the batch and hide the other bucket for yourself! These will really quench your thirst on a hot summer day, but beware of the sneaky effects of sweet cocktails with plenty of whiskey. This drink is perfect for even the non-whiskey drinker. The sweetness of the lemon and orange concentrate practically cancels out any hint of an aftertaste. However, the leveling effects of the brewed tea and minimal amount of added sugar make this recipe pure Whiskey Sour perfection!
Be sure to check out my Saturated Saturday Page for these other great cocktail ideas to stay COOL in the summer!
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