Summer cocktails to make at home

Add a special touch to your gathering by starting with a seasonal cocktail. These creations (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) are deliciously simple to prepare

Join Laura Foster in creating some seasonal serves, alcoholic and not

After what has felt like the longest winter and spring, summer is finally here. Add to this the fact that we’re able to socialise with friends and family once more, and you can practically feel the carnival atmosphere in the air. Hold onto your sun hats, because this year’s summer season might be one of the most exuberant yet.

Seasonal drinking is most exciting in the summer. From afternoon ice-cold thirst quenchers to sundowners during golden sunsets and boozy refreshers on heady summer nights, the world is your bibulous oyster.

So what should the perfect host in summer 2021 serve their guests? It’s safe to assume that the majority of our socialising will take place outdoors this summer. And while the key to hosting any drinks party is to prep as much as you can beforehand, this is especially important if you’re having to serve everything out in the garden.

All the cocktails here are either simple to make on the spot, or can be made in a batch before the event. Then you merely need to pour them out, perhaps adding a mixer and/or garnish, and stir. No faffing about with cocktail shakers and strainers here – just an incredibly organised host, cool as a cucumber, pouring, stirring and handing over drinks like a pro.

As well as pre-batching most of your offering, a few other tricks will ensure your drinks are the talk of your tribe.

Ensure all you’re serving is suitably chilled – keep bottles either in a fridge or an ice bucket filled with a mixture of water and ice. And speaking of ice, when filling glasses use the best-quality ice that you can. The bigger the cubes, the less they will melt and dilute your drink.

And keep it somewhere it will stay properly frozen, not in bags dumped on the side that end up filled with puddles and watery, depressing half-cubes.

Finally, when a drink requires ice, make sure you fill the glass up to the brim with said cubes. It will help keep your drink crisp and fresh, and once again prevent it from becoming a diluted, drab concoction.

So now it’s time to get mixing. From sparkling Champagne cocktails to spritzy non-alcoholic numbers, there’s something for everyone on the following pages. Enjoy!

‘The key to hosting any drinks party is to prep as much as you can beforehand’