18 Skinny Summer Cocktails You Need to Make Right Now

'Mai Tai' means "the best of the best!" Enjoy this classic Trader Vic's original with a spiced rum twist.

Ingredients:

1.5 oz Mount Gay Eclipse rum

0.5 oz Cointreau

1 oz lime juice

0.5 oz simple syrup**

0.5 oz orgeat (almond) syrup (can buy this at most grocery & liquor stores)

Dash of bitters

Float of Kraken spiced rum

Directions: Combine all the ingredients (except the spiced rum) in a cocktail shaker. Top with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a tall glass filled with ice. Float with Kraken spiced rum. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Homemade simple syrup: 1 part water: 1 part white sugar. Combine the sugar and water. Stir until completely dissolved. You can also heat on stovetop to dissolve faster.

**Homemade simple syrup is 52 calories per ounce. Most simple syrup purchased at a store will use a 2:1 sugar to water ratio, which is double the calorie count, or about 104 calories per ounce.

For a refreshing drink that's basically summer incarnate, this sparkling bev is the perfect spritz.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 parts Grey Goose Vodka

1 part St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur

1/2 part freshly squeezed lime (approx. half a lime)

3 lime wedges

2 parts sparkling water

Directions: Build in an oversized cabernet wine glass with lots of ice. Add Grey Goose Vodka and St-Germain. Then squeeze fresh lime and discard. Top with Perrier. Stir and garnish with fresh lime wedges and a Grey Goose stirrer.

*Developed for Island Oyster

Perfect for brunch, or a pre-dinner drink, this one goes down easy.

Ingredients:

.5oz Orgeat

.25oz Fasshionola

1oz Lime

1.5oz

Grey Goose

Directions: Combine all ingredients in shaker tin. Add ice and give a quick swizzle. Strain into a Collins glass and top with seltzer.

*Developed for Island Oyster

A light and refreshing spin on the margarita with flavors of cucumber and mandarin orange. The perfect cocktail for keeping cool and refreshed.

Ingredients:

0.75 oz silver tequila (i.e. 1800 Silver)

0.75 oz Hangar One Mandarin Blossom vodka

5 cucumber slices

1 oz lime juice

1 oz simple syrup

Splash of tangerine or mandarin juice

Cucumber slice + orange wheel, for garnish

Directions: In a cocktail shaker, muddle the cucumber with the lime juice and simple syrup until pulped. Add the silver tequila, Hangar One Mandarin Blossom and splash of tangerine juice. Top with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with an orange wheel and cucumber slice.

Simple syrup: 1 part water: 1 part white sugar. Combine the sugar and water. Stir until completely dissolved. You can also heat on stove-top to dissolve faster.

This classic cocktail was created in the 1980's in London.

Ingredients:

1.5 oz Plymouth gin

0.75 oz blackberry liqueur, also known as crème de mure (also, a "Late Harvest Zinfandel" would work nicely in this drink too.)

4 blackberries, one for garnish

0.75 oz lemon juice

1 oz simple syrup

Simple syrup: 1 part water: 1 part white sugar. Combine the sugar and water. Stir until completely dissolved. You can also heat on stovetop to dissolve faster.

Directions: In a cocktail shaker, combine ALL the ingredients (including the blackberries.) Top with ice and shake vigorously. Pour contents into a cocktail glass. Top with additional ice, if needed. Garnish with blackberry.

A classic margarita made with blue curacao and a touch of mezcal. Mezcal is an agave spirit, much like the single malt scotch of the agave world—smoky, rich and complex.

Ingredients:

1.5 oz silver (blanco) tequila

0.5 oz high-quality mezcal (i.e. Del Maguey VIDA)

0.5 oz blue curacao

1 oz lime juice, fresh squeezed

1 oz simple syrup

Lime wheel, for garnish

Simple syrup: 1 part water: 1 part white sugar. Combine the sugar and water. Stir until completely dissolved. You can also heat on stovetop to dissolve faster.

Directions: Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Top with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Top with a floating lime wheel.

A freshly delightful cocktail. A cross between a gin & tonic, greyhound, and a Negroni.

Ingredients:

1.5 oz gin (Plymouth, Hendricks and Boodles are great choices)

0.5 oz Aperol (an Italian aperitif)

1.5 oz ruby red grapefruit juice, fresh squeezed

0.75 oz lime juice

0.75 oz simple syrup

1 oz tonic water

Pink grapefruit thinly sliced, for garnish

Simple syrup: 1 part water: 1 part white sugar. Combine the sugar and water. Stir until completely dissolved. You can also heat on stovetop to dissolve faster.

Directions: Combine all the ingredients (except the tonic water) in a cocktail shaker. Top with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a tall glass filled with ice. Top with tonic water and stir. Garnish with grapefruit slice.

If you like a fresh gimlet, you'll love this "fresh from the garden" version made with muddled cucumber and fresh celery juice. Best if you have a juice extractor, but you can also just muddle some celery slices as well.

Ingredients:

2 oz Hendricks gin

1 oz lime juice

1 oz simple syrup

4-5 slices of fresh cucumber

0.5 oz celery juice, freshly extracted (or muddle 5-6 chunks fresh celery)

Dash of celery bitters, optional (Fee Bros. or The Bitter Truth – can get them online.)

Optional: Kosher salt / Celery salt rim

Simple syrup: 1 part water: 1 part white sugar. Combine the sugar and water. Stir until completely dissolved. You can also heat on stovetop to dissolve faster.

Directions: If desired, wet the outside rim of a cocktail glass with lime wedge, then dip the glass in a Kosher salt / Celery salt mixture. Set glass aside. In a mixing glass, muddle the fresh cucumber with the lime juice, simple syrup and celery juice. (If not using celery juice, also muddle in the fresh celery slices.) Add the gin. Top with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into the cocktail glass.

A spicy, delicious Bloody Mary made with an Old Bay Seasoning rim and garnished with a colossal shrimp.

Ingredients:

1.5 oz vodka (i.e. Belvedere Bloody Mary vodka or Effen Cucumber vodka are good choices.)

5 oz your favorite Bloody Mary mix

½ teaspoon horseradish (freshly grated or sauce)

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 dashes Tobasco

¼ teaspoon course ground black pepper

Old Bay seasoning

Colossal shrimp

Dill sprig, for garnish

Lemon wedge, for garnish

Directions: Wet the outside rim of a tall cocktail glass with a lemon wedge. Dip into a bowl of Old Bay Seasoning until rim is completely covered. Set aside. In a cocktail shaker, add all the ingredients and stir well. Fill the rimmed cocktail glass with ice and pour ingredients from the shaker into the glass. Garnish with dill sprig, lemon wedge and shrimp.

If you love grapefruit, nothing makes the flavor come out more than Belvedere Pink Grapefruit vodka and gin. The floral bouquet of Bombay Sapphire and Aperol (an Italian aperitif similar to Campari, but not nearly as bitter) really adds a nice layer of sophistication to this drink.

Ingredients:

1 oz Belvedere Pink Grapefruit vodka

1 oz Bombay Sapphire gin

0.25 oz Aperol (an Italian Aperitif), optional

½ cup grapefruit chunks

0.75 oz lime juice

0.75 oz simple syrup

1 basil leaf

Simple syrup: 1 part water: 1 part white sugar. Combine the sugar and water. Stir until completely dissolved. You can also heat on stovetop to dissolve faster.

Directions: In a mixing glass, muddle the grapefruit chunks and basil leaf with the lime juice and simple syrup. Add the vodka and gin. Top with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with additional basil leaf and small grapefruit wedge.

This is a great Sangria to take advantage of all that fresh melon so readily available over the summer. Feel free to use any type of melon you find at your local grocer store or produce market.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 bottle inexpensive Moscato (i.e. Barefoot)

¾ cup Midori

¼ cup lemon juice, fresh squeezed

¼ cup lime juice, fresh squeezed

½ cup simple syrup

1 cup balled honeydew melon

1 lime, cut into wheels

1 lemon, cut into wheels

Simple syrup: 1 part water: 1 part white sugar. Combine the sugar and water. Stir until completely dissolved. You can also heat on stovetop to dissolve faster.

Directions: Combine all the ingredients in a large pitcher. Let chill for at least one hour. Stir well prior to serving. Serve in wine glasses.

When the blackberries are ripe and in season, nothing beats a blackberry mojito. Perrier adds a nice sparkle to this drink.

Ingredients:

2 oz silver rum (i.e. Cruzan)

1 oz lime juice, fresh squeezed

1 oz simple syrup

4 blackberries (plus one extra, for garnish)

10-15 mint leaves

Mint sprig, for garnish

Blackberry, for garnish

1 oz Perrier

Simple syrup: 1 part water: 1 part white sugar. Combine the sugar and water. Stir until completely dissolved. You can also heat on stovetop to dissolve faster.

Directions: In a mixing glass, muddle the blackberries and mint with the lime juice and simple syrup. Add the rum. Top with crushed ice. Add the splash of Perrier and stir well. Garnish with a blackberry and mint sprig.

A classic margarita that incorporates all primary citrus flavors: lemon, lime, grapefruit, and orange.

Ingredients:

2 oz silver tequila (i.e. Herradura, 1800 Silver, Hornitos Silver are good choices)

1 oz Cointreau

1 oz lime juice, fresh squezed

0.5 oz lemon juice, fresh squeezed

0.5 oz grapefruit juice, fresh squeezed

0.5 oz orange juice, fresh squeezed

1 oz simple syrup

Thin slices of lemon, lime, orange & grapefruit, for garnish

Simple syrup: 1 part water: 1 part white sugar. Combine the sugar and water. Stir until completely dissolved. You can also heat on stovetop to dissolve faster.

Directions: Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Top with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a tall Collins glass with ice. Garnish and serve.

The "Smash" is a classic pre-Prohibition era cocktail created in the mid-1800's and originally made with brandy, muddled lemons, mint, and sugar. This updated version uses Belvedere Lemon Tea vodka and a splash of unsweetened tea.

Ingredients:

2 oz Belvedere Lemon Tea vodka

4 lemon quarters

1 oz simple syrup

4-5 mint leaves

Splash of unsweetened tea

Lemon wheel + mint sprig, for garnish

Simple syrup: 1 part water: 1 part white sugar. Combine the sugar and water. Stir until completely dissolved. You can also heat on stovetop to dissolve faster.

Directions: In a cocktail shaker, muddle the lemon quarters and mint leaves with the simple syrup. Add the Belvedere Lemon Tea vodka. Top with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Top with a splash of unsweetened tea. Garnish and drink.

Serve this one up with a plate of tacos or chips and salsa! This margarita goes really well with Mexican food and spicy southwest flavors.

Ingredients:

2 oz silver tequila

0.75 oz Cointreau

5 green grapes

1 sprig of cilantro

1 oz lime juice, fresh squeezed

1 oz simple syrup

Cilantro leaf, for garnish

Simple syrup: 1 part water: 1 part white sugar. Combine the sugar and water. Stir until completely dissolved. You can also heat on stovetop to dissolve faster.

Directions: In a cocktail shaker, muddle the green grapes and cilantro with the lime juice and simple syrup. Add the tequila and Cointreau. Top with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with cilantro leaf.

An über-fresh adult lemonade that is only 130 calories! This low-cal, refreshing cocktail is made with muddled lemons, sugar free syrup, mint, and any white spirit you wish.

Ingredients:

2 oz white spirit (silver tequila, citrus vodka or gin)

2 lemon chunks + 3 lime chunks

1 oz sugar–free syrup (i.e. Monin Sugar-Free Syrup) – you can find this online or at some grocery stores in the baking section

5 mint leaves

Splash of Diet Sprite (if desired)

Directions: In a mixing glass, muddle the lemon & lime quarters and mint with the sugar free syrup with a muddler (or you can use a pestle). Add the white spirit. Top with ice and shake vigorously for a good count to ten. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Garnish with a lemon & lime wheel and mint sprig. Add a splash of Diet Sprite, if desired.

A riff off a classic tiki cocktail called the "Zombie." I served a variation of this cocktail at Aspen Food & Wine this year. Traditionally, this drink is a very strong one, but I've stretched it out with watermelon juice.

Ingredients:

1.5 oz Mount Gay Eclipse silver rum

0.75 oz lime juice, fresh squeezed

0.75 oz simple syrup

1.5 oz watermelon juice, freshly extracted

0.25 oz pink grapefruit juice

Float of overproof rum (optional)

Sliver of watermelon, for garnish

Simple syrup: 1 part water: 1 part white sugar. Combine the sugar and water. Stir until completely dissolved. You can also heat on stovetop to dissolve faster.

Directions: Combine all the ingredients (except the overproof rum) in a cocktail shaker. Top with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a tall, iced Collins glass. Garnish with watermelon sliver and float with overproof rum, if desired.

A white sangria made with orange juice, sliced strawberries, Moscato and either Grand Marnier or a mandarin / orange vodka such as Hangar One Mandarin Blossom.

Ingredients:

1 oz Grand Marnier

2 strawberries, sliced

1 orange wheel

4 mint leaves

1 oz orange juice

4 oz Moscato

Lemon squeeze

Directions: Combine ALL the ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Top with ice and shake vigorously. Pour contents into a wine goblet and serve.

All recipes by: Kim Haasarud

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