6 Easy Memorial Day Cocktails for the Ultimate Summer Kickoff
Happy Memorial Day Weekend!
Memorial Day weekend is finally here — which (unofficially, but let's be honest, officially) means summer is ON. This is my favorite kind of weekend: the grill going, a great cocktail in hand, the cooler stocked, and the people I love crowded around the table.
So whether you're hosting a backyard cookout or just soaking up the long weekend, here are the six cocktails I'll be making to kick off summer right.
SPICY PICKLE LEMONADE
Serves 4–6
You'll need:
2 cups lemonade or limeade (I use Florida's Natural)
½ cup spicy pickle vodka
¼ cup soda water
Lemon slices, fresh dill, and a dill pickle spear, for garnish
Directions:
1. Add the lemonade, pickle vodka, and soda water to a pitcher with ice.
2. Give it a gentle stir.
3. Pour into ice-filled glasses and garnish with lemon slices, fresh dill, and a pickle spear. Cheers!
Spiked Sweet Tea Lemonade
Serves a crowd
You'll need:
4 cups tea (I used Red Diamond unsweetened — but you do you!)
2 cups lemonade
1 cup bourbon of choice
½ cup simple syrup or honey syrup
Lemon slices and fresh mint, for garnish
Directions:
1. Combine the tea, lemonade, bourbon, and syrup in a pitcher.
2. Give it a gentle stir.
3. Pour over crushed ice and garnish with a lemon wheel and fresh mint. Cheers!
Frozen Cutie Cosmo
You'll need:
1 Cutie or clementine, peeled
2 oz vodka
1 oz orange liqueur
¾ oz Aperol
½ oz agave
¾ oz fresh-squeezed lime juice
1 cup ice
Directions:
1. Add all ingredients to a blender.
2. Blend until nice and smooth.
3. Pour into a chilled martini glass and garnish with mint, a dehydrated lime wheel, and a few Cutie segments. Cheers!
Limoncello Margarita
You'll need:
2 oz tequila
1 oz limoncello
¼ oz agave or simple syrup
¾ oz fresh-squeezed lemon juice
¾ oz fresh-squeezed lime juice
Lemon zest + salt, for the rim
Lemon wheel, for garnish
Directions:
1. Rim a glass with a lemon zest–salt mixture and pop it in the freezer to set.
2. Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake 20 times
3. Pour over fresh ice in your chilled, rimmed glass.
4. Garnish with a lemon wheel. Cheers!
Spicy Dill Pickle Margarita
You'll need:
2 oz spicy tequila
½ oz orange liqueur
¼ oz agave (optional)
½ oz fresh-squeezed lime juice
1 oz pickle juice (add more if you want it extra pickle-y)
Spicy salt, for the rim
Pickles and a dehydrated lime wheel, for garnish
Directions:
1. Rim a glass with spicy salt (or any salt of your choice).
2. Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake 20 times
3. Strain into your rimmed glass over fresh ice.
4. Garnish with a few pickles and a dehydrated lime wheel. Cheers!
Pink Watermelon Summer Spritz
You'll need:
2 oz watermelon purée
3 oz white wine of your choice
1 oz soda water
Fresh watermelon slice, for garnish
Directions:
1. Add the watermelon purée, white wine, and soda water to an ice-filled glass.
2. Give it a gentle stir.
3. Garnish with a fresh watermelon slice and enjoy. Cheers!
However you spend the long weekend, here's to sunshine, good company, and the official kickoff to summer! 🍉
Cheers! Jordan