Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink
  3. Evergreens

You’ll love these 3 refreshing summer gin cocktails

gin cocktail
Toni Cuenca / Pexels

When you think of gin, chances are that a Gin and Tonic is the first drink that comes to mind. As great as a classic Gin and Tonic cocktail is, there are so many other exciting (and lesser-known) uses for gin in cocktails. Gin is the perfect liquor to use in refreshing cocktails throughout the summer, offering a slightly bitter and refreshing taste. Gin cocktails for summer are perfect for sipping on the beach, by the pool, or even as cocktails at summer parties. Try something new this year with these 3 summer gin cocktails that are easy to make and require minimal ingredients.

Cherry gin cocktail

cherry-gin-cocktail
bogubogu / Shutterstock

Ingredients

  • 1 and 1/2 oz. gin 

  • 2 oz. cherry liqueur 

  • 2/3 – 1 oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice

  • Handful of ice

  • Mint and cherries, for garnish

Method

  1. Combine the gin, cherry liqueur, lemon juice, and ice in a shaker. Shake vigorously for about 30 seconds.
  2. Adjust the flavor of your drink by adding more lemon juice or spirits, if desired.
  3. Serve on the rocks and garnish with mint and cherries. Enjoy!

Gin grapefruit spritz

Aperol Spritz cocktail in a wine glass on a grey background on a bright sunny day, summer drinks, copy space Sasha_P / Shutterstock

If you’re looking for something bubbly in your summer gin cocktails, a Gin Grapefruit Spritz is worth a shot. Combining bubbly and smooth prosecco with gin and grapefruit juice results in a unique combination of summer flavors in one, fun cocktail. This cocktail will quickly become a fan favorite for its taste — not to mention it looks Instagram-worthy.

Recommended Videos

Ingredients

  • 2 oz gin
  • 4 oz grapefruit juice
  • 4 oz prosecco
  • Sparkling water (optional)
  • Grapefruit and rosemary to garnish

Method

  1. Combine ice, gin, and grapefruit juice in a cocktail shaker.
  2. Strain into an ice-filled wine or cocktail glass.
  3. Add prosecco.
  4. Top with sparkling water, if desired.
  5. Garnish with a grapefruit wedge and rosemary. Enjoy!

Strawberry gin cocktail

strawberry-cocktail
Jane Vershinin / Shutterstock

Strawberries are another summer fruit that works wonderfully in summer gin cocktails. This delicious drink is creamy, icy, and refreshing, adding creaminess by using plain Greek yogurt blended into the cocktail.

Ingredients

  • 2 large or 4 small ripe strawberries, halved
  • 1 1/2 ounces lemon juice
  • 1 ounce honey
  • 3 ounces gin
  • 2 heaping tsp. plain Greek yogurt
  • Strawberries for garnish

Method

  1. Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and honey in a cocktail shaker and muddle until mashed and broken up.
  2. Add gin and Greek yogurt and fill the shaker with ice. Shake until well chilled and yogurt is dissolved, about 15 seconds.
  3. Fill a rock glass with ice and strain the cocktail into it.
  4. Garnish each glass with a strawberry slice, and enjoy!
Emily is a Features Writer at The Manual, where she specializes in food, beverage, and travel content. She focuses on weaving… Read Full Bio
Maker’s Mark takes its oak obsession global with a new whiskey
Alcohol, Beverage, Liquor

Any whiskey guy will tell you that wood has a huge influence on the flavor of a whiskey, which is exactly why they get excited when bigger brands take risks with different, less commercially-tested wood types.

Enter Maker’s Mark’s World Wood Collection, a new series starting off with a release finished with Japanese Mizunara oak staves.

Read more
This new rum from Appleton Estate was matured for almost three decades
Appleton Estate Hearts Collection 1999

When many rum drinkers think of Jamaica, the first brand they often think of is Appleton Estate, and for good reason. It’s an award-winning distillery with a rich history. With more than 275 years in production, Appleton Estate is the island’s oldest continuously operating distillery. And while you’ll be happy with any of its rum portfolio, the brand recently announced an exciting new release: Appleton Estate Hearts Collection 1999.

Appleton Estate Hearts Collection 1999

Read more
A new bourbon is being launched to pay tribute to a presidential pardon for a family of prohibition-era bootleggers
Jacob’s Pardon Bourbon

Back in 1929, Jacob and Abner Taub were known whiskey bootleggers who were eventually caught. Six years later, President Franklin D. Roosevelt pardoned the duo. The family continued making whiskey over the years and decades, culminating in Jacob’s Pardon, a brand of American whiskey launched by the brothers’ ancestors in 2020. Recently, the brand announced the release of its first-ever bourbon.

Jacob’s Pardon Bourbon

Read more