Summer Time Sippin’

Summer has arrived, the sun is (sometimes) shining, and the barbeques are sizzling. The time has come to raid the drinks cabinet or venture down to your local in quest of a refreshing alcoholic beverage to quench your thirst and forget about the horrific sunburn you got from five minutes outside. Have a peek at my ultimate summery cocktails, and it would be plain rude to not work your way through them all…

PIMMS

Ahh, Pimms. The drink of choice for Wimbledon, picnics and summer barbeques, nothing will tip this tipple from the top spot of summer beverage of choice. Plenty of strawberries, cucumber, orange slices and mint are a must. For me this can only be served two ways: a long glass with a stirrer to scoop up the boozy fruit or just hand me a pitcher of the stuff with a straw in. Why not mix it up by freezing fruit to use as ice cubes?

GIN AND TONIC

Always with a slice of lime, always Hendricks and always with slimline Indian tonic water. And absolutely always with ice. Refreshing and delicious, this sophisticated beverage is the perfect option for lounging in an outdoor bar.

PEACH BELLINI

Dangerously quaffable, fruity and extremely sophisticated darling, this is my summer dinner party drink of choice. The summer sun requires light tipples, and this is certainly that. A peach puree adds that fruity twist which instantly conjures summer memories. Be warned however, champagne gets me horrendously drunk horrendously quickly, so watch how many bellinis you work your way through.

CLASSIC MARGARITA

The taste of Mexico. A margarita is not everyone’s drink of choice – many people have a strong aversion to tequila and there really is no escaping the tequila in a margarita. But I love it. How something as simple as lime juice and tequila can be quite so zingy and scrumptious is beyond me, but I could drink this all day. Make sure to serve in a funky glass, salt around the rim and a fat wedge of lime.

PINA COLADA

Coconutty, creamy and extremely delicious, the smell of a pina colada is enough to conjure memories of holidays gone buy. An absolute must order from a cocktail bar when having drinks with the girls, or if you’re sunbathing, it is almost as essential as a pair of sunglasses.

If you’re stuck for choice for what to drink this summer, I think we can all agree that these cocktails will see you in good stead be it a casual event or something a bit more swanky. Better start stocking up the alcohol cupboard now in preparation!

By Jessica Moffatt-Owen