20 Celebratory Cocktails, Spritzes & Seltzers To Kick Off Summer This Memorial Day Weekend
Celebrate summer with your drink of choice! Get inspired by these delicious & refreshing recipes for your long weekend festivities!
The moment we’ve been waiting for since summer concluded is finally here — Memorial Day Weekend! The official kick off to #HotGirlSummer, if you will, is just days away and of course, there’s no better way to celebrate than with some delicious, on-theme cocktails, seltzers, and spritzes! Whether you’re BBQing by the pool, lounging on the beach, kicking it back lakeside or slumming it in the city with your besties, there’s a drink for everyone here!
Spiked Peachy Iced Tea by Daphne Oz
3 oz PLUME & PETAL™ Peach Wave
3 oz Earl Grey Tea
½ oz fresh lemon juice
¼ oz simple syrup
Top with club soda
Garnish: Dehydrated persimmon
Rim: Bergamot Smoked Salt and Sugar Mix
Boil 8 oz. of water, add 1 tea bag and let steep for 5 minutes. Let tea cool for 10 minutes in the refrigerator. Cut a lemon wedge and moisten the rim with it. Next, evenly dip the rim into the bergamot smoked salt and sugar mix. In a highball glass, add ice, PLUME & PETAL Peach Wave,Earl Grey Tea, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Stir to mix ingredients. Top off with club soda and garnish with dehydrated persimmons. With only 20% ABV – half the alcohol of a standard vodka – and 30% less calories than a glass of wine, Plume & Petal uniquely crafted cocktails will make the season memorable. Let Plume & Petal take care of your guests for you while you sit back and enjoy the summer!
On The Rocks Premium Cocktails The Classic Daiquiri
A delicious drink without lifting a finger — except to take a sip, obviously! On The Rocks Premium Cocktails offers their new ‘The Classic Daiquiri,’ which is a modern twist on the classic cocktail using a finely balanced, custom blend of dark and light Cruzan rums, that harmonizes the brightness of lime and the sweetness of cane sugar. The OTR Cocktails collection also includes six timeless cocktails including, The Margarita, The Mai Tai, The Aviation, The Cosmopolitan, The Jalapeño Pineapple Margarita and The Old Fashioned.
CÎROC Coconut French Colada
1.5 oz CÎROC Coconut Vodka
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1 oz Coconut Milk
.5 oz Lime Juice
.25 oz Agave nectar
Pineapple slice
Teremana Spritz
2 oz Teremana Blanco
2 oz Lemonade
.25 tsp Grenadine
2 oz Soda Water
Garnish: Lemon wheel
Glassware: Highball
Combine Teremana Blanco, lemonade and soda water in a highball glass with cube ice. Top with grenadine.
Fresh Vine Wine Rosé
This premium wine brand, co-owned by besties Julianne Hough and Nina Dobrev, is a guilt-free, delicious way to sip back and enjoy your MDW! The rosé offers a delightful blend of Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir, which deliver a lighter shade of watermelon in color. The taste includes bright, floral aromas of rose petal & paper whites, summer-ripe white peach & ruby red grapefruit, fresh flavors of nectarine, stone fruit & melon framed wonderfully with a bit of mouth-watering acidity.
BACARDÍ Life’s A Beach Group Serve
9 oz BACARDÍ Añejo Cuatro Rum
4 ½ oz Real® passionfruit puree-infused syrup
4 ½ oz lime juice
9 oz coconut water
Mix all ingredients together in a punch bowl and serve in highball glasses cubed over ice. Garnish with a pineapple leaf and/or pineapple wedge.
Hendrick’s Cucumber Lemonade
1 part Hendrick’s Gin
1 part lemon juice
1 part simple syrup
3 parts soda water
Cucumber slices, thinly sliced
Combine all ingredients in a highball filled with cubed ice. Lightly stir and serve. Garnish with 3 thinly sliced rounds of cucumber.
Pineapple Punch Bowl, Created by Shel Buhler, Brand Director Aparium Hotels, Available at Percheron (Kansas City, MO)
8 oz Espolon Tequila
4 oz Cocchi Americano
4 oz Campari
8 oz Mango Syrup
6 oz Lime Juice
7.5 oz Water
16 dashes Hellfire Bitters
Garnish: Fresh cut lime wheels
Glassware: Topside (Percheron Signature Pineapple Punch Bowl)
Combine all ingredients in a Vitamix and blend for smooth consistency. Add 4″ x 6″ block of ice to the Pineapple Punch Bowl and cover completely with crushed ice before adding Punch on top.
Paloma Select
1 ½ parts Milagro Select Silver
½ part agave nectar
1 part pink grapefruit juice
½ part fresh lime juice
3 parts sparkling water
1 pink grapefruit wedge
Pour all ingredients, except sparkling water, into a Boston shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a highball glass with fresh ice. Top with sparkling water. Garnish with speared grapefruit wedge.
Red Fin
2 parts SVEDKA Vodka
6 parts chopped seedless watermelon
½ part simple syrup
¼ part fresh lemon juice
Combine ingredients in a blender with ½ cup ice. Blend until smooth. Garnish with a watermelon slice.
King Meets Queen
1.5 oz Bombay Sapphire gin
0.5 oz Real Pineapple Puree
0.5 oz Lemon juice
0.5 oz Honey syrup 1:1
5 oz Fever Tree Indian Tonic
Build ingredients in balloon glass with fresh cold draft ice. Garnish with two pineapple top leaves and a few slices of jalapeno in the drink.
The Antica Pesa Spritz from Antica Pesa in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
2 parts Aperol
1 part of prosecco
Top with soda
Orange slice
Add ice to white wine glass and add all ingredients except orange slice. Stir well, top with more ice if needed. Garnish with orange slice.
Vesper Martini
3 oz St. George Botanivore Gin
1 oz St. George All Purpose Vodka
1/2 oz Lillet Blanc
Stir all ingredients with ice to chill (or shake à la 007), then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a thin peel of lemon.
Crook & Marker Margarita
Crook & Marker’s 15% ABV Ready-to-Serve Margarita line comes in two refreshing flavors – Lime and Strawberry Hibiscus. Whether you’re on the beach or by the pool, this canned cocktail is refreshing, delicious and gets the good vibes flowing!
Chili Mango
1.5 oz Astral Tequila Blanco
1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
1 oz Mango Purée
Sliced Jalapeño
Garnish: Lime Wedge
Glassware: Rocks Glass
Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shake, and slightly muddle. Add ice, shake and strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.
Cointreau Piña Margarita
2 oz Blanco Tequila
1 oz Cointreau
1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
1 oz Fresh Pineapple Juice
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with a pineapple slice.
Mount Gay Rum Passion Daiquiri
2 oz Mount Gay Black Barrel
1 oz Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
0.5 oz Passionfruit Syrup
0.5 oz Cointreau
Add ingredients to tin. Add ice, shake and strain into chilled coupe. Garnish with a lemon wheel or peel.
Espolòn Paloma
60ml Espolòn Blanco
15ml fresh lime juice
120ml pink grapefruit soda
Garnish:
Lime wedge
Grapefruit peel (optional)
Salt rim (optional)
Build in a tall glass with plenty of ice, adding grapefruit soda last, and stir to incorporate the ingredients. Garnish with lime wedge.
ONDA Paradise Collection
Made with real fruit juice and 100% pure blanco tequila from one of the only women-owned and operated distilleries in Jalisco, Mexico, Onda offers a collection of refreshing, sugar-free, low-calorie (just 100 calories per 12oz can), ready-to-drink canned tequila seltzers. Available to order online on Onda’s website as well as in retail stores, the Paradise Collection is the perfect addition to your MDW festivities, coming in delicious flavors of Mango, Passion Fruit, Pineapple and Strawberry.
Chocolate Cake Shot
1 part Frangelico
1 part SKYY Citrus Vodka
Lemon Wedge
Sugar
Run the slice of lemon around the edge of a shot glass. Dip the edge of the glass and lemon in sugar. Combine Frangelico and vodka in shot glass. Take the shot and chase with the sugar coated lemon wedge. Glassware: Shot Glass.
Whispering Angel
Whispering Angel is today’s worldwide reference for Provence rosé, so you better have some in stock to kick off the official start of rosé season, Memorial Day Weekend! Made from Grenache, Cinsault and Rolle (Vermentino), its pale color is pleasing to the eye and draws one in. The rewarding taste profile is full and lush while being bone dry with a smooth finish. Highly approachable and enjoyable with a broad range of cuisine, Whispering Angel is a premium rosé that you can drink from mid-day to midnight.
Betty Buzz Paloma & Company
1 Part Tequila or Mezcal
3 Parts (1/2 Bottle) Betty Buzz Sparkling Grapefruit
Grapefruit Wedge
Tajin Seasoning
Wet the rim of a highball glass with grapefruit wedge. Gently roll the rim of the glass in Tajin to lightly coat. Add ice to glass followed by tequila or mezcal and then top with Betty Buzz Sparkling Grapefruit and stir.
Belvedere Blackberry & Lemongrass Spritz
1 ¼ oz Belvedere Blackberry & Lemongrass
¼ oz Dry Vermouth
1 tsp Honey Water (1:1)
2 oz Dry Sparkling Wine
2 Fresh Blackberries for garnish
Sprig of Mint for garnish
Place all ingredients in Spritz glass over cubed ice and stir gently to combine. Garnish with blackberries and a sprig of mint. Optional: Lightly crush berries and mint to release more flavor.
Sauvi B Ginger Spritzer
1 (2 inch) piece of freshly peeled, sliced ginger
2 mint sprigs, plus more for garnish
2 cups (16 ounces) Kim Crawford Illuminate Sauvignon Blanc
Juice of 2 limes (about 2 ounces or ¼ cup)
2 ounces simple syrup
1 can (12 ounces) club soda
Muddle the ginger and mint in a large cocktail shaker or jar. Add the Kim Crawford Illuminate Sauvignon Blanc, juice of 2 limes, and 2 ounces simple syrup and fill the shaker with ice. Shake vigorously until the cocktail shaker is cold, 20 to 30 seconds. Strain into 4 ice-filled wine glasses. Top each glass off with club soda and garnish with a sprig of mint.
Spiked Ginger Mint Lemonade
2 oz Redmont Vodka
¾ oz Ginger-mint Syrup
¾ oz Lemon Juice
Mint Leaves
Combine vodka, Lemon Juice and ginger-mint syrup. Pour into ice-filled glasses and garnish with lemon wheels and mint leaves.
Golden Hour
1 part Basil Hayden® Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
3/4 part Lillet® Blanc
3/4 part Aperol® Aperitif
Grapefruit peel
Combine ingredients over ice in a mixing glass. Stir thoroughly. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass over a large ice cube. Garnish with a grapefruit peel.
Dewar’s Lemon Wedge
1 ½ oz Dewar’s 12
3 oz Club Soda
2 oz Lemonade
Combine all ingredients over ice, stir. The Dewar’s Lemon Wedge also comes in the form of an at-home cocktail kit from Cocktail Courier, so save an extra trip to the grocery store and let this cocktail come to you.
Lemon Lo-Jito
1 ½ part Plume & Petal Lemon Drive
½ part St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
¼ part lemon juice
2 parts club soda
5 mint leaves
Garnish: mint
Glass: Stemless Wine
Softly muddle mint in a shaking tin. Add ice and all ingredients except soda. Shake softly and dump into a glass. Top with club soda and garnish.
Hornitos Tequila Seltzer
The brand released a premium, bold hard seltzer, made with 100% real Plata Tequila, natural flavors and no artificial sweeteners or additives. The collection includes natural Lime, Mango & Pineapple flavors that allow you to conveniently take your shot, wherever the night takes you.
Sunrise Cliffs
1.5 oz Cutwater Gin
.5 oz Aperol
.75 oz Cantaloupe Syrup
.75 oz Coconut Yogurt
.75 oz Lemon juice
Add all ingredients to a cocktail tin with pebble ice. Shake tin and pour into a rocks glass. Top with more ice and garnish with 3 frozen cantaloupe balls on a cocktail pick and a marigold flower.
Hibiscus Basil Lemonade
2 oz. Crystal Head Aurora
1 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
1 oz. Hibiscus Syrup
3-4 Basil Leaves
Club Soda
Add Crystal Head Aurora, fresh lemon juice, hibiscus syrup and basil leaves to a cocktail shaker and gently muddle. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a Collins glass with ice and top with soda. Garnish with a dehydrated lemon wheel and basil leaves.
Karamo Brown’s Mwah-Tini
1/2 part Chambord
3/4 part Finlandia Vodka
1 part Passionfruit Juice
1/4 part Lime Juice
1/4 part Sugar Syrup
Garnish with a slice of passionfruit
Served with a shot of prosecco
Shake and strain into glass. Top with Prosecco.
White Cranberry Vodka Cocktail
5 ounces Ocean Spray® White Cranberry Juice Drink
2 ounces vodka
2 ounces ginger ale
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Lemon twist, garnish
Combine all ingredients except garnish in a tall glass with ice. Garnish with lemon twist.
Piscina dei Fiori
1.5oz Gin Mari Capri
.5oz Crème di Violette
.75oz Lemon Juice
.5oz Simple Syrup
Top Prosecco
Flower Garnish, in a Coupe
Spritz Society
Spritz Society, the award-winning premium sparkling cocktail brand founded by Ben Soffer (@BoyWithNoJob), is answering consumer demands by launching its first-ever Variety 8-Pack, just in time for MDW! Available for purchase now, all four of the brand’s flavors- Grapefruit, Blood Orange, Pineapple, and Lemon- have come together in one convenient pack that features 2 cans of each flavor, so there is something for everyone!
Mijenta Tejito by Elisa Lopez
2 oz. Mijenta Blanco
.75 oz. mango purée
.5 oz. simple syrup
6 Mint leaves
Shake all ingredients and double strain into a big wine glass with mint spheres ices. Garnish with a slice of dry mango.
Equiano Fruit Punch
3 oz Equiano Light
2oz Fresh Pineapple Juice
Mix the Equiano Light and pineapple juice together in a tall glass. Serve over ice. Garnish with a slice of grapefruit.
Great Jones Island Rye High
2 oz Great jones rye
1 oz Pineapple juice
½ oz lime juice
7 Fresh mint leaves
1/2 oz Orgeat syrup
Muddle & Swizzle ingredients together. Serve in a Pilsner with crushed ice. Garnish with a mint sprig.
Rye Cobbler
1 part Redemption Bourbon
1 part Manzanilla Sherry
1 part pink grapefruit juice
½ part raspberry liqueur
½ part lemon juice
Swizzle in a julep cup. Top with crushed ice. Garnish with fresh berries.
Miami Cocktail Company Organic Spritz Line
Miami Cocktail Co., is a canned craft cocktail brand based in Miami, Florida. Their cocktails are not only completely organic and clean without any artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, or sweeteners, but they are entirely distinct from what exists in the canned cocktail market. Using fresh, high-quality ingredients, Miami Cocktail Co. produces canned cocktails with superior taste. These ready-to-drink, Organic Spritzes are non-GMO, vegan-friendly, gluten-free and come in five vibrant pastel BPA-free cans, including Organic Bellini, Margarita, Mimosa, Paloma, and Sangria SPRITZ. At 110 calories per can, and $12.99 per 4-pack of 8.4 oz cans, these simply enjoyable beverages are perfect for any occasion.
Cool as a Cucumber Margarita from Curamia Tequila
1.5 oz. Curamia Tequila Blanco
0.75 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
0.5 oz. Agave Nectar
Sliced Cucumber
Pinch of Salt
Seltzer
Muddle cucumber slices with salt in a shaking tin. Add tequila, lime and agave. Shake and double strain into a highball glass . Add ice and top with soda water. Garnish with a mandolin slice of cucumber
The People’s Margarita from Teremana Tequila
2 oz. Teremana Blanco
.75 oz. Lime Juice
.5 oz. Agave Nectar
1 oz. Pineapple Juice (to taste)
Shake with ice in a cocktail shaker. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a lime wheel, pineapple leaves & sea salt (as desired).
Kastra Spritz
1.5 oz Kástra Elión Vodka
1 oz Aperol
4 oz Fever-Tree Elderflower Tonic or Mediterranean Tonic
4 oz Sparkling wine
Glassware: Gin balloon glassGarnish: Lemon and orange wheels. Oregano sprig as a stir (optional)
Build in balloon glass, stir, garnish with lemon and orange twist.
POM Peach Passion and Basil Sangria
Basil Simple Syrup:
1/2 cup light agave syrup
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
Sangria:
1 bottle dry white wine (such as Pinot Grigio, Chenin Blanc)
1/2 cup orange liqueur (such as Grand Marnier)
1 cup POM Pomegranate Peach Passion White Tea
2 ounces basil simple syrup*
3 ripe peaches, pitted and sliced
2 Wonderful Halos Mandarins, sliced into wheels
1 cup fresh raspberries
½ cup POM Pomegranate Fresh Arils
1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
Ice cubes
Soda water (optional)
For the basil simple syrup: In a small saucepan, combine the agave, water and basil leaves. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from the heat and allow mixture to steep for 15 to 20 minutes as it cools. Strain the simple syrup into a bowl set over a bowl of ice and water. Stir until cooled.
For the sangria: In a large pitcher, combine the white wine, orange liqueur, POM Pomegranate Peach Passion White Tea, basil simple syrup, peaches, mandarins, raspberries and POM Pomegranate Fresh Arils. Add fresh basil leaves and serve in glasses filled with ice. Top with soda water, if desired. Sangria with fruit can be chilled in the refrigerator up to 24 hours. Also, make sure the wine and POM.