We had plain ol' gin and tonics last evening, and they were wonderful. I always go for the classics.

My summer cocktail of choice is vodka & tonic.

But I'm going to try these the next time we have guests:

HUGO Cocktail

• 2 sprigs fresh mint, divided
• 1/2 ounce elderflower cordial or syrup (1 tablespoon)
• 4 ounces chilled prosecco or other dry sparkling wine (8 tablespoons)
• 2 ounces chilled club soda, seltzer, or sparkling water (4 tablespoons)
• Ice
• 1 lime wheel

1. Pick the leaves from 1 fresh mint sprig and place in a wine glass. Add 1/2 ounce elderflower cordial or syrup and muddle gently with a muddler or wooden spoon to lightly bruise the mint leaves and release their oils.
2. Add 4 ounces prosecco and 2 ounces club soda. Top with ice. Gently stir to combine. Garnish with 1 lime wheel and the remaining mint sprig.

I like clean simple cocktails.. for me Deep Eddy Grapefruit vodka with Club Soda -- then I float raspberries and blackberries in the glass. I often try other cocktails at home or out-- and always return to this.

I also very much like Ramona spritzers in a can-- again, the grapefruit.

I like a Pimm's Cup in the summer. Put ice in a high ball glass, add some quartered strawberries, cucumber slices, pour Pimm's add sparkling lemoade, garnish with mint. Mint is not optional. The scent really pulls the drink together for me.

Also chilled white Lillet with a slice of orange is nice and refreshing too.

I want to like tonic and order G&Ts like a big girl, but its too bitter, so I order a Tom Collins instead.

Gin and tonic, but it doesn't have to be a lime...kumquats are good.

We like our gin and tonics too but these are a must for camping: https://theblondcook.com/pineapple-margarita/

Just returned from lunch with friends …

grapefruit martini 😋

Your Ranch Water sounds good! That pineapple margarita and grapefruit martini sound delish, too! I also like gin & tonic with lots of lime in the summer, and lately, we've been adding a splash of club soda to limoncello.

Mojitos for me! Plain or with blackberries

Deep Eddy Lemon, Goslings ginger beer, and fresh basil

Vodka and Fresca

• Moscow Mule (ginger beer + vodka + fresh lime juice)
• Gin & Tonic (tonic water + gin + fresh lime juice)
• Vodka + Fresca + Club Soda
• Mojito (sprite + club soda + muddled mint + lime juice + white rum + optional black berries)

We are beer drinkers and very rarely have cocktails. In the summer, I like fruit flavored beers. Our local brewery makes a watermelon wheat and a tangerine wheat both of which are very refreshing served ice cold on a warm summer day. There is also another brewery that brews a seasonal chili pepper spicy ale that I also enjoy immensely.

Gimlets with fresh lime juice. Traditional is Rose's Lime Juice but that has fallen out of favor because of HFCS and additives. I make lime simple syrup with the zest. Recipe is here:

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/gimlet_cocktail/

@DawnInCal have you ever tried Lindemans lambic beers? I really loved them (up until I was diagnosed as gluten intolerant), especially the framboise and peche. Wonderful summer drinking.

Raspberry vodka + raspberry-lime Spindrift + lime garnish + ice

Love mojitos but never make them myself

We just got back from the Azores and had so much good wine, I might be on a Portuguese wine kick for a while!

I have these saved to try this summer.

Blackberry Margaritas

Blackberry simple syrup, fresh squeezed lime juice, Tequila, generous splash of sparkling water.

I love sidecars! Too much alcohol for me for summer refreshing, but boy are they delicious! I had one not long ago which was served with Luxardo cherries. I'd never had them before; well, yum. So I had to buy a jar and the ingredients to make sidecars at home. More yum.

The maraschino makes it more like a Brandy Crusta, which is apparently the precursor to the Sidecar.

@pricklypearcactus I am not familiar with Lindeman's Beer as we mostly stick with beers from the local breweries in our area. There are a lot of them, so a lot of choices. I googled Lindeman's and it looked like something I would enjoy trying. I think I will see if I can find it locally. There are several liquor stores where I live that carry many different types of imported beer.

I just came from a backyard party and had a Bellini, but made with rosé champagne instead of prosecco. So pretty, and so summery. Is there a name for this pink Bellini?

I forgot to mention I also really like an Aperol spritz but it’s a bit tricky to make just one, since you need prosecco. Even the mini bottles of prosecco are too big. So I only make them when we have people over who will drink some with me. DH doesn’t really drink cocktails except for his beloved g&t (which I do not like at all).

I love the sound of the limoncello and elderflower spritzes .. will have to give them a try.

In the meantime, I am stocked up on the ramona spritzers. (PA state liquor stores stopped carrying them so I order directly from Ramona) They are perfect for me because I often want just one... and the can makes me happy lol.

DawnInCal, have you tried Shiner's Ruby Redbird?

https://shiner.com/beer-detail/#ruby-redbird

I too love Hugos. And French Martinis … pineapple juice, Chambord , vodka , shaken with ice.

Any kind of sangria, but especially peach sangria and honey sangria. There was a place in Sundance Square that served the best honey sangria — wish I knew their recipe!

Our regular patio place serves them filled with fruit, so it’s like eating a boozy fruit salad and I can pretend it’s healthy. 😁 But I prefer my own mix, as I can let it sit longer and everything stew.

We became near addicted to Dirty Bananas in Jamaica, but they’re very rich and sweet.

The Mr likes to experiment with speciality martinis, and my fave is raspberry lemondrop. I also love one in Fall that has pear and cinnamon. Gonna try Mtn’s French Martini, too.

I like testing recipes I see in Southern Living, too. I love a good whiskey, and this recipe for Old Fashioned cocktails is yum:

https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/old-fashioned

This is good, too — White Peach Sangria, from Victoria magazine:

https://www.victoriamag.com/white-peach-sangria-recipe/

ETA: Trying to remember a watermelon cocktail I had at a party, it was great. Will post back if I can find it.

Why is my post so much longer than everyone else’s? Dang. 😧

Because you have more to say? I saved that old-fashion recipe @Jilly. Thank you.

Maddie, it’s so good! Come over and I’ll make us a pitcher. :D

Pal, when I was a little kid we'd spend our entire summers at the beach. With no tv, my parents went out every night, either to a movie or for dinner/drinks with friends. They were light drinkers and rarely got tipsy, but I remember my mom talking about how a few sidecars got her every time. That and stingers.

Peach wine Sangria! Add peaches, strawberries, blueberries etc. Delish and refreshing

Currently having a cocktail while DH makes dinner: pineapple seltzer, splash of pineapple juice, vodka. Trying to pretend I’m still on vacation.

Mtn, I love french martinis too but I’ve never tried to make my own.

y'all are making me want a cocktail! It's been that kind of week already! LOL

Me too!

I was sipping lo-cal wine (cheap, from Aldi’s) while DH cooked up some pasta with veggies. :)

We have a wine bar chain near us (Postino) that does a wine-based bloody mary. It sounds terrible but the wine to mix ratio dilutes the usual thickness of a bloody mary mix and it's really light and tasty. I've never tried to make it at home but do have the ingredients in my phone. It's almost like a boozy gazpacho.

Oloroso Sherry, Rainwater Madeira, bloody mary mix

LOL i am having a hard time getting my head around a wine-based bloody mary. Is it acidic with both wine and tomato juice?

that said, I can totally get on board with a vodka gazpacho! ;)

Funky, It reminded me of Andalusian gazpacho which has sherry vinegar in it. There was a tiny bit of sweetness from the wine. It ticked all the boxes - salt, acid, sweet.

Blackberry mojito.