Skip to main content

5 Easy Camping Cocktails to Shake Your Post-Hike Thirst

So you’re camped out in your best tent for too long? Or wearily panting atop the summit of a fourteener? Perfect! Time for some easy cocktails to make everything better. Yes, that’s right, when you’ve got the 4-1-1 behind these easy-to-make, tasty adult libations, you can enjoy a fine drink on a mountain, at the campsite, or when you’re home and don’t feel like cutting lemon twists or adding sugar to the rim of your cocktail glass.

The secret to making great camp cocktails is the same trick to achieving military victory: Keep it simple. There is no camp-friendly version of the Long Island Iced Tea, but that doesn’t mean you have to stick with cheap whiskey when roughing it.

Fill your camping flask with enough liquor for two stiff drinks so you and a partner can share in that post-trek toast. I recommend a classic six-ounce flask for these camping cocktail recipes, which you’ll notice are not that concerned with the specifics of the ratios.

Also, make sure you are properly hydrated before you start boozing out there in the wilderness. If you’re like most hikers and climbers, you are probably not properly hydrated most of the time. And keep things in the fairway, because your twisted ankle or broken wrist doesn’t give a care in the world that you were drunk when you fell over — it’s still going to give you grief.

And one more thing: Bring a lemon or two. That’s the only sort of heavy addition to your pack that these camp cocktails require. (And if you don’t count bringing along fruit as adding weight to your gear, you, sir, don’t do much backpacking or mountaineering.) Also, bring about a half cup of sugar. Powdered sugar dissolves right quick and is a fine hack, FYI.

The Mountain Daquiri

THE MOUNTAIN DAIQUIRI

A classic daiquiri consists of three ingredients: Rum, simple syrup, and lime juice. You, on the other hand, have sugar and lemons in your pack and rum in your flask. Good enough for the mountains, man.

  • Prepare about an ounce and a half of simple syrup (a shot’s worth, e.g.), which is simply equal parts water and sugar stirred (and boiled if needed) until fully dissolved.
  • Squeeze the juice from one half of a lemon into a cup (and the other half into your hiking buddy’s cup, you selfish heel).
  • Mix about half of the simple syrup into the lemon juice, empty about half the rum from your flask into the blend and, if possible, stick in a few spoonfuls of snow.

Here are the best rums for daiquiris to make it even better.

The Outdoorsmen Hot Toddy

THE OUTDOORSMAN'S HOT TODDY

Here’s a man’s drink that will bring the warmth back to your chest and might just leave a little more hair there, too. It’s hard to beat a hot, stiff drink after a long day in the wilderness. Good thing it’s quite easy to make a fine toddy even when you’re far afield. Have whiskey in the flask for this one.

  • Bring two ounces of water to a full, rolling boil.
  • Toss in about a teaspoon of sugar (sure, use honey if you have it or you’re so skilled an apiarist that you can collect it in the wild).
  • Remove the water from the heat and mix in two ounces of bourbon.
  • Drop in a thick slice of lemon and sip to your health. (If you brought some cinnamon, yes, sprinkle it over the top.)

Take a look at our guide to making the best hot toddy recipe at home.

Camp Cape Codder

CAMP CAPE CODDER

Now here, dear friends, we have one of the easiest-to-make camp cocktails that will be, for all intents and purposes, nearly identical when prepared on a mountain or back down on land, as I like to say. Pack it along with your best top-shelf vodka.

  • Make sure you have a packet of dried cranberry juice powder. Great. Now use it to make cranberry juice. You’ll need about four ounces.
  • Mix those four ounces of juice with about three ounces of vodka.
  • Squeeze in a dash of fresh citrus juice and, if possible, add some snow.

Irish Cocoa

IRISH COCOA

Hey, you didn’t forget to bring along powder to make hot chocolate, did you? Great, because nothing makes hot chocolate better than adding rum, bourbon, or brandy! Now, if you want to make a truly tasty, memorable mountain drink, just add one unique twist: A toasted marshmallow!

  • Make a cup of hot chocolate, keeping it sweet and thick by using less water than normal.
  • Roast a marshmallow until it gets quite a fine char on it. Don’t be afraid to let that sucker catch fire. Now float the marshmallow on the cocoa.
  • Pour in a decent dram of liquor, and mix it all by bobbing the marshmallow up and down.

You can also try making Irish coffee if you happened to bring your camping coffee maker.

The Straight Whiskey

The Straight Whiskey

This one requires whiskey in the flask. Scotch, bourbon, rye whiskey — your choice.

  • Pour the whiskey (or whisky, if it’s Scotch) into a cup and drink it.
  • Or sip it straight from the flask.

Editors' Recommendations

This is how to mix cocktails with honey for a flavorful drink
Honey is a great way to add a little sweetness and texture to a cocktail. Here's how to mix with the stuff.
Buckwheat Honey Old Fashioned on table.

Like tasty maple syrup or demerara, honey is a great cocktail ingredient that can impart flavor and sweetness. With much more character than, say, simple syrup, honey can improve drinks across the board, from a steaming Hot Toddy to a Bee's Knees cocktail.

We like a nice dose of honey in everything from a great hot cocktail to a classic bourbon creation like an Old Fashioned. But not just any honey will do and, often, you don't just want to throw it in last minute. Instead, honey can be prepped a bit so it can enter a drink seamlessly. Moreover, you can source some delicious higher-end honey that will offer lovely floral components and easy-to-mix-with flavors. Here's how to mix cocktails with honey.

Read more
The ultimate guide to world-class seafood paella, according to an executive chef
Chef Miguel Molina of La Pulperia NYC shares his culinary insight on the perfect seafood paella
Paella from La Pulperia.

Perfectly al-dente rice flush with fresh shellfish, a properly made seafood paella is one of the greatest foods in the world. This delicacy from Valencia, Spain, is the perfect dish for a festive gathering, a fun family meal, or a romantic dinner for two. While it can be made with poultry and game meat in Spain, some of the most popular versions of paella often lean heavily into seafood.

At La Pulperia, a pan-Latin American restaurant in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, they've mastered the seafood paella. Executive Chef Miguel Molina is a native of Guerrero, Mexico, and is lending his creativity and culinary background to the restaurant menu, which includes a stellar paella made with black squid ink. The food here is a blend of cultures, combining influences from Latin and South American countries like Peru, Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico, creating totally distinctive flavor combinations. So what better guide is there to help us on the journey of making a world-class paella?
The foundation: The rice
Octopus paella from La Pulperia in NYC.

Read more
How to make Ranch Water the right way for a day-drinking gem
Looking for a refreshing beverage suitable for functional day-drinking? Search no more, ranch water is here.
Refreshing Cold Tequila Ranch Water Cocktail with Lime.

If there was ever a beverage built for day drinking, it's Ranch Water. The simple cocktail, born in Texas, can take the sting out of the hottest days and refresh you to the core, without knocking you out with an abundance of alcohol.

We're still hibernating our way through winter but the days are getting longer and, soon enough, the warmth will return. When that happens, you'd be wise to have some Ranch Water on hand for you and yours. Lighter than a Margarita and far more interesting than plain water, the drink resides in a happy middle ground. Better, it'll tackle your thirst and keep you functional.

Read more