3 Summer Cocktails for the Pool, Beach or Campground

The heat is definitely on, and you deserve a cocktail while you try to keep cool

A punch you can have while you dip your toes in the pool; a woods-inspired gin frizz to enjoy after you set up camp; and a sangria to sip while you read a book at the beach.

Here are three drinks designed specifically for summer fun…

1. Pool-blue Punch

This is a fun one, as you get to match the blue of the cocktail to the blue of the pool! It’s pretty boozy, so maybe make some blue Kool-Aid for the kids. Fun tip: if you don’t have a reservoir for ice in your bowl, freeze some grapes and toss them in if it starts to warm up, this way the punch won’t get watered down.

INGREDIENTS 

• 750 ml Vodka

• 2 litres of lemonade

• Several splashes of Blue Curacao

• 2 to 3 lemons

• Sugar or simple syrup (optional)

• Lemon flavoured sparkling water (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS 

1. Mix vodka and lemonade together in serving bowl or dish. Add small amounts of Blue Curacao and stir until you get the colour you want.

2. Give the punch a try. If you prefer something with a sweeter slant, stir in white or raw sugar, or add a kick via simple syrup.

3. Slice a lemon into rounds and add to the punch just before it’s ready to be served (or else they’ll start to become quite blue).

4. For serving, add a lemon wedge. And, if you’d like some bubbles, top with sparkling water or soda.

Makes three litres of punch

2. ‘Into the Woods’ Rosemary Gin Fizz

When you’re surrounded by nature and fresh woodland air, it just makes sense to have a drink with botanicals in it. Prep the simple syrup before you head to the campground, and bring some fresh rosemary along for garnish. You can use any extra for potatoes at breakfast the next day. Make the drink even prettier by using purple gin from Victoria Distillers.

INGREDIENTS 

• 1.5 oz gin
• 1 oz rosemary simple syrup
• 0.5 oz lemon juice (approx. half a lemon)
• Fresh rosemary sprigs (additional for garnish)
• Club soda
• Ice

INSTRUCTIONS 

1. To make simple syrup, bring ½ cup of water to a boil, turn off heat, add ½ cup of sugar and stir until dissolved. Add a large sprig of rosemary and let steep for an hour, then remove the rosemary and cool the syrup in the fridge. This can be doubled and should keep for about a week in the fridge.

2. To make the cocktail, fill your camping glass with ice, then add the gin, simple syrup and lemon juice.

3. Top with soda (you don’t need tonic as you’re using the simple syrup), and garnish with rosemary… then sit back and admire your camp set-up.

Makes one cocktail

3. Sand and Sunshine Sangria

Sangria is hard to mess up and it’s incredibly versatile. You can pick the fruit that you enjoy, the wine you prefer, and the sweetness level. I went with a dry white wine for this, so be sure to give the mix a taste and then determine if you’d like a smidge more sweetness (add in simple syrup). I also wanted some bubbles, so I added in sparkling wine too, poured directly into glasses at the beach.

If you want to skip the alcohol, use a dry non-alcoholic wine, and add half a cup of orange juice instead of the triple sec, with ginger ale to top it off.

INGREDIENTS

• 750 mL bottle of white wine
• ½ cup Triple Sec
• 1 cup strawberries, sliced
• 1 Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced
• 1.5 cup of grapes
• 1 lemon, sliced into rounds
• Fresh mint, for garnish (optional)
• Sparkling wine, to top (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS 

1. Slice up your fruit and add to the base of your pitcher. Fill with the white wine, add the Triple Sec and stir.

2. Give it a taste and decide if you’d like to add some simple syrup/sugar, and tweak until you have it the way you’d like it. Chill for at least a few hours.

3. Pour into glasses (ice optional), top with sparkling wine, and garnish with fresh mint.

4. Should be consumed within 24 hours.