What’s your favourite summer drink? Some sips seem perfectly suited to warm weather – from a crisp G&T to exotic tropical cocktails.
But even if you have a fave summer tipple, it’s always fun to try something new and this summer there’s more choice than ever, with plenty of new launches and seasonal editions that are bang on trend.
Refreshing spritzes
Credit: Justine Trickett
Who doesn’t love a summer spritz? Refreshing, versatile and lower in alcohol than classic cocktails, it’s no wonder the spritz has become a popular summer drinks fixture. In fact, last year spritz serves accounted for one in seven cocktails sold in the UK, versus one in 11 the previous year, according to the CGA Mixed Drinks Q3 2023/2024 Report.
Many bars offer a dedicated spritz menu in summer. But it’s fun to play around with ingredients to create your own serves at home. Just remember to use a big wine glass and plenty of ice.
This summer I’ve been mixing up elegant Italicus Spritzes made with exotic bergamot liqueur (see below). But I’ve also got a few bottles of the new Ready-to-Serve Aperol Spritz in my fridge, along with the new Della Vite spritz collection – two of my favourite recent launches (see below).
Spice it up
Credit: Liudmila Chernetska / iStock / Getty Images Plus
If the summer heatwaves aren’t hot enough for you, then you aren’t alone. More of us are looking to turn up the heat with spicy food and drinks…
According to the Innova Market Insights report Global Flavour Innovation Trends in Hot & Spicy Foods, published last summer, we’re all showing a growing preference for spicy flavours – especially chilli. Over the past five years, there’s been a 4% increase in global launches of chilli-flavoured foods and beverages.
Diageo’s Flavour Forecast 2024 also highlighted the trend ahead of the launch of Smirnoff Spicy Tamarind Vodka. So it’s no surprise you can spot a growing number of spicy drinks on supermarket shelves now. My favourite recent launch is Picoso (see below).
Spiced rums are a great way to tap into this trend – and there are plenty to choose from with rum sales on the rise in the UK. Data from CGA by Nielsen IQ showed that rum sales in the UK surpassed the £1bn mark for the first time in 2022. Try using spiced rum instead of your regular rum in one of these easy-to-make rum cocktails.
Tequila takeover
As well as rum, tequila and mezcal are also on the rise. According to drinks industry analyst Statista, off-trade sales of tequila are now worth just over £350m in the UK. It’s proof that more of us than ever are now mixing up tequila cocktails at home.
I can never resist a salt-rimmed Margarita, but pretty pink Palomas are a refreshing choice too – and they’re just so easy to make. Simply add tequila, grapefruit soda and lime juice to an ice-filled glass and stir; no shaking required! For more tequila cocktail inspiration, check out Clinton Cawood’s suggestions in Beyond the Margarita.
If you’re looking for tequila cocktails on the go, the MOTH Paloma is a reliable choice. After no-alcohol? Then try the ISH Paloma.
Avoiding alcohol
More and more of us are now choosing zero alcohol alternatives. Research last year by Kantar showed that 22 million adults (45% of us) are attempting to moderate their alcohol intake (Alcovision, data to 30.06.2024). Of those people, 11% regularly choose NoLo drinks options. That’s double the number from five years ago (Alcovision, data to 31.09.2023).
According to the LOW & NO 2024: Drinking Differently report by KAM, 25% of UK adults now practice ‘zebra striping’ when they’re out in pubs and bars. This refers to alternating between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. That figure rises to 78% of 18- to 24-year-olds.
The good news is it’s easy to do this at home without compromising on taste. But whatever your preference – and whatever the occasion – the selection below will give you plenty of bright ideas for seasonal sipping…
Summer drinks: 15 to try
Aluna Coconut Rum
For a totally tropical taste try Aluna: a blend of five rums from Guatemala and the Caribbean, made with toasted coconut and sustainably sourced coconut water. Slightly lower in sugar and alcohol, there are lots of fresh creamy coconut aromas with nice spiciness on the palate, plus toasted coconut notes and vanilla – like sipping rum out of a coconut shell. Rum fans can enjoy it neat over ice; pair it with cola and lime for a coconutty Cuba Libra or pimp their Piña Colada. Alc 37.5%
Aperol Spritz Ready-to-Serve
The drink that kick-started the UK’s love affair with spritzes was finally released as a pre-mixed bottled serve in spring this year. About time! Combining the iconic orange Italian aperitif with Prosecco and soda water, it’s a sparkling bittersweet summer refresher. Serve it chilled in a large wine glass filled with ice and garnish with a fresh orange slice. For the full Italian aperitivo experience, pair it with savoury snacks or light bites. Alc 9%
Babylonstoren Bitterlekker
If you love the bittersweet taste of Aperol Spritz (see above) but don’t want to drink alcohol, try Bitterlekker. Made by South African wine producer Babylonstoren, this vibrant aperitif combines honeybush and rooibos teas with blood orange and grapefruit citrus. Notes of rosemary and orange peel add a bitter herbal character. Serve it chilled in a highball glass packed with ice, garnished with a slice of orange and a sprig of rosemary. Alc 0%
£10/6x100ml bottles, The Newt in Somerset
Bax Botanics Verbena
Created by Rose and Chris Bax, a wife-and-husband herbalist team in Yorkshire, this is a really distinctive gin alternative. Verbena, mint and fennel are craft distilled – and their flavours are faithfully reflected in a drink with precision, lift and the joyous lazy hum of a British country garden. Pair it with tonic water and lots of ice; ready-to-drink cans are also available. Alc 0%
£18.99/50cl Bax Botanics, Master of Malt
Black Lines Dirty Shirley
A Shirley Temple – made with ginger ale and a splash of grenadine, garnished with a maraschino cherry – is the classic virgin cocktail. But if you’d like something a bit harder for your summer parties, try a Dirty Shirley from the clever cocktail folk at Black Lines. Combining Sapling Vodka with grenadine, ginger ale, raspberry soda, blood orange and bitters, it’s dangerously moreish… Serve it chilled: 150ml in a slingor highball glass filled with ice and garnished with an orange slice and maraschino cherry (of course). I also love the crisp and fresh Black Lines Hugo Spritz. Alc 7%
Della Vite Spritzes
Della Vite, the Prosecco brand co-founded by Cara Delevingne, has launched a collection of canned spritzes, inspired by Italian aperitivo serves. In pretty pastel cans, the range includes an Apertivo Spritz (Alc 10%) and Bellini Spritz (Alc 7.5% abv), alongside my favourites: a zesty Sicilian Lemon Spritz (Alc 10%) and the fresh, floral Hugo Spritz (Alc 10%). For anyone avoiding alcohol, there’s also a 0% Aperiti-No Spritz. Delevingne says: ‘Our new range of Spritzes are inspired by the aperitivo culture we love when we’re in Italy, but made to be cracked open wherever and wherever. They’re fun, they’re bold and, just like our core range of Proseccos, don’t need any fuss or formality.’ Alc various
El Bandarra Al Fresco
Made in Barcelona, El Bandarra Al Fresco is a bitter-sweet vermouth that you can pair with tonic for a vibrant summer serve. With lower alcohol than a G&T, vermouth and tonic is a lighter, more refreshing take on a sparkling summer cocktail. Mix 50ml El Bandarra Al Fresco with 100ml tonic in a highball glass filled with ice and garnish with an orange slice. The eye-catching graphic bottle – inspired by tapas menus – looks great too. Alc 14.5%
Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto
Perfumed and sophisticated, this bergamot liqueur from Turin is a modern take on the classic aromatic Italian rosolio (a type of aperitivo). With light hints of floral spice, it makes a refreshing summer tipple paired simply with soda water or tonic over ice. If you’re feeling fancier, try it in a spritz with any Prosecco or sparkling wine, garnished with three green olives to give a balancing touch of savoury saltiness to counter the sweet florality. What’s more, the eye-catching aquamarine bottle – inspired by ancient Roman columns and Northern Italian Gothic architecture – looks effortlessly stylish on your drinks shelf… Alc 20%
Jukes Cordialities
Wine writer Matthew Jukes is the palate behind this range of alcohol-free drinks designed to appeal to wine lovers. Each numbered blend combines natural fruit, vegetables, herbs, spices and flowers with organic apple cider vinegar. Each 30ml bottle can be mixed with still or sparkling water to create two 125ml glasses. My pick for summer, Jukes 8 is inspired by Provence rosé, with notes of rhubarb, melon, pomegranate and apple. Alc 0%
£43 / 9 x 30ml bottles, Jukes Cordialities
Manly Spirits Marine Botanical Vodka
A vodka for gin lovers, this Australian spirit is distilled in Sydney using foraged marine botanicals including sea parsley and kelp. Salty, savoury aromas with underlying spiciness make your mouth water. The slightly sweet palate is creamy and savoury with some seaweed umami depth, balanced by lovely breezy ozone freshness and a clean mineral edge. Just like a day out at the seaside… A great alternative to gin with tonic or try it neat with oysters. Alc 41.6%
Picoso
Without doubt my soft drink of the summer! Picoso is a spicy soda brand with two flavours: Zesty Lime and Tropical Mango. Founders Tom Bowerman-Wake and Tish Carless use fresh chilli – Scotch bonnet in Zesty Lime and Mexican habanero in Tropical Mango – to give a well-judged kick of mouth-tingling spice that’s balanced by sweetness from natural agave. These sodas are super-versatile: enjoy them as a satisfying zero alcohol drink or add 50ml of tequila or mezcal in a higball glass with plenty of ice to create an easy cocktail. ‘Picoso promotes a new way of mixing – pushing inclusivity for drinkers and non-drinkers, ensuring that no one feels left out,’ explains Bowerman-Wake. It’s definitely time to spice up your life… Alc 0%
£15/ 6x250ml, Picoso Drinks or £10/4x250ml, Delli
Porters Tropical Old Tom Gin
Created by bartenders in a micro-distillery in Aberdeen, this gin is made in an Old Tom style: a traditional 18th century recipe that’s slightly sweeter than London Dry. I love the fresh and faintly tropical aromas, with sappy leafiness, pineapple and floral touches. On the palate the Old Tom sweetness is balanced by fresh tropical fruit – pineapple, mango – edged in florals but also with earthy base notes, like walking through a humid rainforest. Try it in an Old Tom Collins: build in a tall glass using 50ml Porters, 25ml lemon juice, 25ml sugar syrup and 125ml chilled soda water. Alc 40%
Sake Sling
Served in a slimline can that takes up minimal space in your fridge, sparkling Sake Sling is also light on alcohol and calories. These ready-to-drink Japanese serves are based on sake from the 200-year-old Daimon Brewery and were created by the late great British mixologist Wayne Collins. Mandarin & Cherry is a play on the flavours in a Singapore Sling cocktail. But my pick for summer is Yuzu & Melon, a fresh and elegantly fruity fizz, with delicate citrus notes that perfectly complement the floral character of the sake. Alc 5.5%
£44.45/12 x 250ml cans, Drinks One
Sarti Rosa
Made from a base of premium French vodka, Sarti Rosa apertivo is infused with Sicilian blood oranges and tropical passion fruit and mango. Its fruity taste profile will appeal to those who find Aperol and Campari too bitter. To create a vibrant pink Sarti Rosa Spritz, combine two parts Sarti Rosa with three parts sparkling wine and one part soda water in a balloon glass filled with ice. Alc 14%
