Food and Recipes Drinks Big Batch Summer Cocktails to Help You Keep Your Cool By Southern Living Editors Southern Living Editors Since 1966, the editors of Southern Living have been carrying out the mission of the brand: to bring enjoyment, fulfillment, and inspiration to our readers by celebrating life in the South. We inspire creativity in their homes, their kitchens, their gardens, and their personal style. We are a friend they can trust, a guide to the seasons, a helping hand during the holidays, and a relentless champion of the Southern way of life. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on July 27, 2021 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Jennifer Davick Scorching summer temperatures call for a batch of refreshing drinks. Whether enjoyed poolside, lakeside, or on the front porch, fresh and flavorful cocktails can help you cool off and beat the heat. Incorporate the season's freshest produce into your beverages, like Peach Mojitos and Honeysuckle-Watermelon Cocktails. Hosting a backyard barbecue? These recipes can easily be doubled or tripled for hosting a crowd. Make a batch or two of these crowd-pleasing drink recipes along with these party-perfect appetizers, which will carry you from Memorial Day to Labor Day. 01 of 18 Big-Batch Bloody Marys Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Big-Batch Bloody Marys Now this is what we call a bottomless brunch! Never run out of Bloody Marys at your next morning event with this big-batch recipe. 02 of 18 Big-Batch Spiked Arnold Palmers Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Big-Batch Spiked Arnold Palmers You could say we "Southernized" an Arnold Palmer even more by adding bourbon to it. Serve this fun drink for adults at your next happy hour. 03 of 18 Big-Batch Bourbon Ginger Ale Punch Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Big-Batch Bourbon Ginger Ale Punch We're all about muddling and getting fancy with our cocktails but sometimes it's nice to just throw everything in a pitcher and let the ingredients get friendly with each other. Well that's exactly what you can do with this Bourbon Ginger Ale Punch. Make your hostess experience a little less stressful by throwing these six ingredients in a pitcher and get back to the other important parts of party planning. 04 of 18 Watermelon Margaritas Jennifer Davick Recipe: Watermelon Margaritas Make a batch of festive, bright pink margaritas for your next taco party. 05 of 18 Strawberry Margarita Spritzers Becky Luigart-Stayner Recipe: Strawberry Margarita Spritzers Beat the heat with this colorful cocktail. Daiquiri mix takes its fruity flavor to the next level. 06 of 18 Mojitarita Recipe: Mojitarita Guests will love this riff on two classic summer cocktails. Make the simple syrup the night before, and quickly whip up this crowd-pleasing cocktail before company arrives. 07 of 18 Elderflower-Champagne Cocktail Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Katie Jacobs Recipe: Elderflower-Champagne Cocktail With only three ingredients, this cocktail is as refreshing as it is easy to make. Be sure to get a good-quality rosé or Prosecco so all of the ingredients have their moment to shine. For added pizazz at your next garden party, serve over floral-infused ice cubes. 08 of 18 Tarragon-Hibiscus Gin Spritzer Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Tarragon-Hibiscus Gin Spritzer This cocktail isn't too tart, or too sweet. It strikes the perfect balance making it an ideal summer sipper. The recipe can even be scaled up for a large crowd. 09 of 18 Big-Batch Cajun Lemonade Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Big-Batch Cajun Lemonade Liven up traditional lemonade with rum and a teaspoon of Tabasco. 10 of 18 Honeysuckle-Watermelon Cocktails Chris M. Rogers Recipe: Honeysuckle-Watermelon Cocktails What says summer more than fresh watermelon juice? Top it off with honeysuckle vodka, lemon-lime soda, and mint for a thirst-quenching cocktail. 11 of 18 Lemon-Basil Spritzer Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Lemon-Basil Spritzer It doesn't get much easier than this cocktail recipe. Our Lemon-Basil Spritzer requires just three ingredients and you probably already have them in your pantry. We love the spontaneity that can come from quickly whipping up a cocktail on a dime. 12 of 18 Lavender-Plum Shrub Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Lavender-Plum Shrub A shrub is a tangy, fruit and vinegar-based old-fashioned cocktail. The key is letting it sit so that all the ingredients can meld together. You'll love fresh herbs in this drink, plus it's a great make-ahead drink for parties. 13 of 18 Bourbon-Peach Iced Tea Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Kay E. Clarke; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin Recipe: Bourbon-Peach Iced Tea You may be skeptical of this drink's qualification as a cocktail, but we politely disagree with you. Really anything can be a cocktail with your favorite spirit and a good mixer! That's why we love this hard twist on our favorite peach iced tea recipe. 14 of 18 Sweet Tea Mule Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Sweet Tea Mule Here's another boozy spin on sweet tea. A Sweet Tea Mule is the party-ready drink that we'll be sipping on all summer. 15 of 18 Old Fashioned Southern Living Recipe: Old Fashioned Did you know the Old Fashioned is thought to be the first drink to be called a cocktail? We love this sweet twist on the classic drink. The addition of lemon-lime soda water adds just the right amount of sweetness to adjust your palate to the original time-honored sipper. 16 of 18 Bourbon Cola Grenadine Slush Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Bourbon Cola Grenadine Slush You'll want to make this slush for the start of tailgate season. What could be better than America's favorite beverage (besides sweet tea, of course) paired with bourbon? 17 of 18 Bourbon Slush Oxmoor House Recipe: Bourbon Slush No one likes a watered-down cocktail, so use this Bourbon Slush recipe to whip up a frozen cocktail that's tasty and oh-so-refreshing for hot summer days. 18 of 18 Pitcher Mojitos Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Pitcher Mojitos This recipe will spice up your next girls' night. In order to get the most out of your limes, make sure you buy tender ones from the store. Hard citrus often leads to less juice (and more work, which no one wants!). Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit