Picture this – the sun sets across a golden sky and you and your closest friends are partying on into the night, bright laughter and great music filling the air. There’s only one problem though, you didn’t stock up the bar and now you’re stuck drinking warm beer all night long.
One way to kill a great party is to be unprepared. As long as the drinks are flowing you know it’ll be a good night, but if you fail to impress your guests with a killer cocktail and a range of fun, fruity drinks, your summer soiree could turn sour sooner than you hoped.
Luckily, summertime is the best time of year for drink-spiration and there is a plethora of delicious, trendy cocktails that you can get to grips with and put on your cocktail menu that will wow your guests this summer.
Firstly, make sure you’ve nailed a few of the basics. Mojitos, martinis and daiquiris are a great place to start and there are so many variations that you’ll likely never get bored. Versatile, classic and, hopefully, loved by all, these are great building blocks.
Once you’ve learned how to mix up the perfect cocktail, you can begin experimenting with different flavour combinations to spice it up a little. Fruit is always a good place to start and it is also very easy to incorporate into your drinks.
Muddling some berries into your mojito can make a delicious, fruity concoction that works incredibly well with the mint and lime. Strawberry daiquiris are a cult classic and are hard to turn down, and martinis are the perfect base for almost any fruit you can imagine.
Although sometimes you might want to take a road less travelled and give your guests something to talk about! Everyone loves a mojito, but sometimes it can be fun to try something new and exciting.
Florals and botanicals have been on the rise, especially with the increase in popularity of gin over the past few years, and are a great way to bring something unexpected, but still delicious, to the table.
Fresh, fruity and floral flavours have summer written all over them and usually look just as amazing as they taste.
Lavender is a popular choice, it is fragrant and sweet and can add just the right amount of flavour to a drink. It is also incredibly easy to incorporate into a variety of different drinks, from elevated lavender cocktails to simply setting a sprig into a glass of prosecco!
It doesn’t have to be pretty petals though, there are many other exciting flavours you can add to make your drinks a cut above the rest.
Jalapenos offer a spicy yet tolerable kick to a drink and pair well with tequila and vodka. Or why not try something herby and fresh? Coriander or basil can be a fragrant addition to a drink, similar to mint but slightly more savoury.
Peppercorns, mustard seeds and dried juniper are also fun and different additions that can bring interest to a drink, no matter how simple. Popping these in a standard G&T can enhance and elevate the flavour.
