15 Summer-Inspired Mocktails and Cocktails

With summer comes afternoons sitting on the porch sipping something delicious, cool, and refreshing. That something can be an adult beverage with your favorite tipple or a more family-friendly ‘mocktail’ with all the fixings of a fancy cocktail without the alcohol.

Here is a list of some great beverages that are packed with all the flavors of summer from watermelon and strawberry to mango and coconut. The great thing about these recipes is that if you want one to become a mocktail, just leave out the booze. Maybe splash in a little soda water for some fizzy fun, instead.

Alternatively, if one is listed as a mocktail, and you want to kick it up a notch, just add a shot of your go-to licor.

Remember to stay hydrated, drink responsibly, and have fun.

We also highly recommend downloading the Food Monster App  — with over 15,000 delicious recipes it is the largest meatless, vegan, plant-based, and allergy-friendly recipe resource to help you get healthy!

1. Ginger-Beet Moscow Mules

Source: Ginger-Beet Moscow Mules

Have you ever seen a cocktail this vibrant and beautiful? With this recipe for Ginger-Beet Moscow Mules by Molly Krebs, you get your vitamins and minerals while you’re having a cocktail. What could be better?

2. Mango Daquiri

Source: Mango Daquiri

Here is a recipe for a delicious Mango Daquiri by OGP Admin with not only mango but fresh pineapple as well. You can drink this on any occasion whether summer or winter, spring or fall. This cocktail is timeless.

Get the Summer Cookbook!

3. Green Juice Punch

Source: Green Juice Punch

If you want to shock (and then delight!) all your friends at your next party, this recipe is for you. Alcohol can deplete your body of magnesium, which is no good! If you have a healthy relationship with alcohol and want to try to replenish your body with essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, then try combining your cocktail with green juice. You can make juice yourself or you can pick up a green juice from your favorite juice bar. Simply combine it with your favorite vodka, add some ice and cold water, and voila! Make this Green Juice Punch by Gretchen Lidicker in a punch bowl or the biggest pitcher you have.

4. Mango Lassi

Source: Mango Lassi

If you’re craving a sweet drink, this Mango Lassi by Peffe Stahl is perfect to make! Not only is it super easy to make, but it only takes 1 dish: a blender!

5. Blood Orange Berry Cocktail

Source: Blood Orange Berry Cocktail

You have to try this Blood Orange Berry Cocktail by Viktoria Radichkova. Blood orange Berry – blood orange-colored, berry-flavored, fresh-tasting, and simply bloody good!

6. Aperol Spritz Cocktail

Source: Aperol Spritz Cocktail

This classic Italian Aperol Spritz Cocktail by Rebecca Blackwell is the color of a sunset and is capable of brightening any ordinary afternoon with its light and refreshing mix of sweet, crisp, and bitter.

7. Grapefruit Peach Sangria

Source: Grapefruit Peach Sangria

Can you think of anything better than citrus with wine on a hot summer day with friends and family? Don’t even try to answer that, just throw all of these ingredients in a pitcher, invite some people over, and taste it for yourself The star of your summer will be this super refreshing Grapefruit Peach Sangria by Liz Martone. White wine, fresh grapefruit juice, sliced grapefruit, peaches, mint, lemons, limes, and finally topped off with a cup of bubbly seltzer, this beverage will be a huge hit.

8. Sparkling Dragon Fruit Margarita

Source: Sparkling Dragon Fruit Margarita

Summer will be pretty in pink with this refreshing drink. These Sparkling Dragon Fruit Margaritas by Adam Merrin and Ryan Alvarez aren’t just beautiful, they are delicious, too. Made with pink dragon fruit purée, freshly squeezed lime juice, silver tequila, triple sec, and simple syrup, a splash of club soda is added to sparkle things up. Making this cocktail without the dragon fruit won’t change the flavor, it just won’t have the alluring neon pink glow.

9. Bubbly Raw Satsuma and Mint Mocktail

Source: Bubbly Raw Satsuma and Mint Mocktail

This Bubbly Raw Satsuma and Mint Mocktail by Courtney West is a perfect balance of sweet, from the satsuma juice, and sour from the grapefruit juice. The fresh mint crushed into it will remind you of a mojito but the citrus flavors will be a bit more nuanced and subtle.

10. Blackberry Vanilla Tequila Mojito

Source: Blackberry Vanilla Tequila Mojito

This Blackberry Vanilla Tequila Mojito by Adam Merrin and Ryan Alvarez is perfect for summer parties. All the components can be made in advance. The lime mint sugar can be prepped a week ahead, and making the vanilla simple syrup is as easy as combining water, sugar, and a vanilla bean in a small pan. Once the party has begun and you’re ready to mix up some mojitos, you just muddle some fresh berries and mint, stir it all together, take your first sip, and set sail for paradise. Maybe just… make sure you’re sitting down first.

11. Watermelon Cherry Cooler

Source: Watermelon Cherry Cooler

Summer is upon us, and staying hydrated is at the top of the list. Apart from drinking cold water, we look for healthy beverages with no added sugar. This Watermelon Cherry Cooler by Gunjan Dudani is exactly that!

12. The Best Mimosa 

Source: The Best Mimosa

Mimosas are a great celebratory drink. They are light, fizzy, and easy to sip as you chat with your besties. And, it’s pretty much the only drink that’s acceptable to have before 11 a.m.! So, let’s start popping some bottles. No doubt, this recipe for  The Best Mimosa by Hannah Sunderani is one that everyone will love. But, there are a few tips/tricks to ensuring that you have the perfect sip every time. It all comes down to ratio and preparation. Get the details below for making a flawless mimosa cocktail.

13. Papaya Coladas!

Source: Papaya Coladas!

Extra thick, ice-cold, and creamy, this papaya twist on pina colada is a refreshing, vitamin-packed drink. Enjoy this Papaya Colada! by Lucie Javorska as a morning smoothie or pour in some rum for a tropical party cocktail.

14. Strawberry Lime Kombucha Smash

Source: Strawberry Lime Kombucha Smash

A simple mocktail made with kombucha, strawberries, and lime. This Strawberry Lime Kombucha Smash by Caroline Doucet can easily be customized to your liking and makes for a low-sugar, refreshing spring or summer drink.

15. Easy Tequila Sunrise

Source: Easy Tequila Sunrise

This is the easiest tequila sunrise cocktail recipe and a great way to celebrate summer, a birthday, or any occasion.  It is a super tasty cocktail that looks like a real sunrise in your glass. Beautifully red and yellow, bright, and sweet –– how could this Easy Tequila Sunrise by  Mireille Aikman not make you happy?

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