This drink is exactly what you want on a hot day

This Limoncello Gin Collins is fizzy and refreshing, with a prominent lemon flavor. Minty simple syrup helps to balance out the tartness of the lemon juice and limoncello.

This cocktail is a delicious twist on a Tom Collins

A Tom Collins is a cocktail made from gin, lemon juice, sugar, and carbonated water. This Limoncello Gin Collins adds … you guessed it … limoncello to the mix.

You can use store bought limoncello in this recipe, but I’m a big fan of using homemade. I shared a recipe for Sous Vide Limoncello with you all not that long ago. Super easy, super delicious.

Of course, if you don’t have a sous vide (get one, you won’t regret it), you can make limoncello the old fashioned way.

How does this drink come together?

Start out by filling a Collins glass with ice. Yes, I know that the glasses in the pictures are stemless wine glasses. Our tall cocktail glasses recently broke in the dishwasher.

So I’m working with what I’ve got.

Add the limoncello, gin, lemon juice, and mint simple syrup to the glass. Top all of this with a bit of club soda. 

Next, stir gently with a bar spoon. Garnishes are optional, but I think that this drink looks awfully pretty with a bit of fresh mint and a lemon wheel or two. Feel free to tuck those lemon wheels right down into the drink.

I haven’t tried it just yet, but I do believe that this drink could be made in a large batch. Very convenient for parties and whatnot.

Looking for other tasty cocktails?

In keeping with a gin theme, how about a Festive Cranberry Gin and Tonic? I’ve also got a Holiday Gin Moscow Mule.

I also shared a Strawberry Basil Vodka Collins not long ago!

This cocktail makes good use of a couple of other recipes I’ve shared with you before

First, you’re gonna want to make some mint simple syrup. I showed you a plain simple syrup before. It’s endlessly versatile. I’ve also talked about how to make a mint simple syrup here in this Derby Cup Cocktail.

And, of course, limoncello is the star of the show here. Check out my Sous Vide Limoncello recipe. It’s so delicious and easy to make that you’d be a fool to use store bought.

Limoncello Gin Collins

Yield: 1

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

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Ingredients

• 2 oz limoncello
• 1.5 oz gin
• 1.5 oz lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 1 oz mint simple syrup (see notes)
• 2 oz club soda
• sprig of fresh mint and lemon wheels, for garnish

Instructions

1. Add the limoncello, gin, lemon juice, and mint simple syrup to a tall glass with ice.
2. Top with club soda. Stir gently with a bar spoon.
3. Garnish with lemon wheels and fresh mint.

Notes

• To make the mint simple syrup, follow the instructions for making plain Simple Syrup. The only change you'll make is to add a big bunch of mint leaves once you remove the simple syrup from the heat. Allow it to cool and strain the mint leaves out.

What equipment should you have on hand to make this drink?

• Collins Glasses
• Bar spoons for gently mixing
• Jigger for measuring booze
• Paper straws (not mandatory, but super cute)
• A citrus juicer (I seriously get so much use out of this thing)

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Cheerwine Sangria is everything you never knew you wanted in a sangria!

This Cheerwine Sangria is just what you want on a hot Summer day. Sweet, cherry-flavored Cheerwine is the perfect addition to a pitcher of fruity sangria.

Best yet? This recipe makes a big batch of the good stuff!

What inspired this sangria?

I first had Cheerwine Sangria while eating dinner at Mateo, a tapas restaurant in Durham, NC. It’s one of my and Sean’s favorite restaurants. If you’re ever in the area, please do yourself a favor and grab dinner there. Make a reservation.

Alton Brown took a crack at recreating Mateo’s sangria after his tour passed through the area in 2016. While his rendition is certainly delicious, I wanted to put my own spin on it. I think that this recipe comes pretty dang close to what’s served in the restaurant.

What is Cheerwine, anyway?

Cheerwine is a cherry-flavored soft drink made in North Carolina. It’s available throughout the Southeast United States, but is best known in the Carolinas and Virginia. If you can’t find it in your local grocery store, please consider ordering some online.

In short: it’s delicious and is just begging to be used in sangria.

What ingredients does this sangria require?

You’ll want to start with a bottle of red wine. For this recipe, I recommend a Spanish wine, like Rioja. It doesn’t have to be super fancy or expensive. Just make sure that it’s something that you would enjoy drinking on its own.

You’ll want to add some triple sec and dark rum, too. Pretty standard stuff.

Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur really amps up the cherry flavor and aroma of this sangria. If you’ve seen my Homemade Luxardo Cherries, you’re familiar with this liqueur.

You’ll also use some fresh fruit, like cherries, orange slices, and chopped Granny Smith apples, along with several large sprigs of fresh basil.

And then there’s the Cheerwine (duh).

How do you make this sangria?

It’s very easy!

Put the fresh fruit and basil in the bottom of a pitcher. Top them with the wine, liquor, and liqueurs. Allow it to chill in the fridge overnight. This will allow the flavors to really meld together.

When you’re ready to drink, remove the old basil, and top everything with Cheerwine (duh)! Garnish your glass with some more fresh basil (the aroma when you go to take a sip is really great) and go to town!

Cheerwine Sangria

Yield: 8 drinks

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Additional Time: 12 hours

Total Time: 12 hours 10 minutes

This Cheerwine Sangria is just what you want on a hot Summer day. Sweet, cherry-flavored Cheerwine  is the perfect addition to a pitcher of fruity sangria.

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Ingredients

• 750 mL bottle Rioja wine
• 4 oz triple sec
• 3 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
• 3 oz dark rum
• 1 Granny Smith apple, chopped
• 1 navel orange, sliced into thin rounds
• 2 cups fresh cherries, pitted and halved
• 3 large sprigs of basil, plus more for garnish
• 2 - 12 oz cans Cheerwine

Instructions

1. Combine the wine, triple sec, Maraschino liqueur, dark rum, fresh fruit, and sprigs of basil in a pitcher. Refrigerate overnight.
2. Remove the basil and discard.
3. Add the Cheerwine and stir gently.
4. Pour into glasses over ice and garnish with more fresh basil.

Need any special equipment?

• A drink pitcher
• Cherry pitter
• Cutting board
• Cheerwine!

Looking for other recipes?

Cheerwine Ice Cream Floats are sweet and delicious, too! The Spiced Cherry Spritz uses Cheerwine, too. 

These Kalimotxo Cocktails also use Rioja wine.

If you want more cherry-forward recipes, give these a try:

• Cherry Crisp
• Homemade Luxardo Cherries

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This boozy lemonade is the perfect way to stay cool (and tipsy) on a hot Summer day

Kentucky Bourbon Lemonade takes old fashioned homemade lemonade and adds sweet boozy bourbon and fizzy ginger ale to make one refreshing warm weather drink.

It’s Friday again, and that means it’s time for a cocktail.

And considering just how dang hot it is outside (seriously, it’s gross), we need a refreshing cocktail.

This drink is sweet, tart, and a little fizzy. A sprig of fresh gives a sweet fresh aroma when you take a sip, too. Plus it looks pretty.

It’s very safe to say that I’ll be drinking these allll Summer long.

Looking for other bourbon-based recipes? Of course you are.

And you know I’ve got you here. Check these other bourbon-y recipes out. You won’t be disappointed.

• Old Kentucky Mule
• Bourbon Moscow Mules
• Maple Bourbon Moscow Mules
• Bourbon Pumpkin Shrub Cocktail
• Blood Orange Bourbon Sours
• The Belmont Jewel
• Derby Cup Cocktail
• Classic Old Fashioned
• Mint Juleps

Need any special equipment to make this cocktail?

• A jigger to measure the bourbon
• Collins glasses

Kentucky Bourbon Lemonade

Yield: 1 drink

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1.5 oz bourbon
• 3 oz lemonade
• ginger ale
• lemon wheel and fresh mint, for garnish

Instructions

1. Add the bourbon and lemonade to a tall glass with ice.
2. Top with ginger ale.
3. Garnish with a lemon wheel and fresh mint.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 287 Total Fat: 0g Saturated Fat: 0g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 0g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 35mg Carbohydrates: 51g Fiber: 3g Sugar: 44g Protein: 1g

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Celebrate the Belmont Stakes in a delicious way!

The Belmont Jewel Cocktail is the official drink of the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of the famous Triple Crown. 

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What is a Belmont Jewel like?

This drink only requires 3 ingredients: bourbon, lemonade, and pomegranate juice. Make it 4 ingredients if you want to count the lemon wedge garnish. Couldn’t be easier!

This drink is both sweet and a bit tart. You can thank lemonade and pomegranate juice for that flavor combination. The bourbon is sweet, too, and the whole thing is very refreshing.

Though it’s very easy to shake up a few individual drinks, you could also easily scale the recipe up to make a batch cocktail. This would be perfect for entertaining.

Oh, and did I mention that it gets its name from its beautiful jewel-like appearance? I mean, take a look at the photo below and how the the light shines through this cocktail.

So, if the Belmont Stakes has the Belmont Jewel… what drinks do the other races have?

Glad you asked. You’re probably familiar with the Mint Julep: It’s the bourbon-forward cocktail associated with the Kentucky Derby. You can switch things up a bit and have a Derby Cup (bourbon + Pimm’s), too!

And then, of course, there’s the Preakness Stakes, which has the Black Eyed Susan. It’s sweet, fruity, and deceptively boozy.

Is this drink *just* for the Belmont Stakes?

In short: heck no! This would be great for sipping all year ’round. But I think that the ingredients (oh hay, lemonade) make this drink feel particularly summery.

Interested in other pomegranate juice-based cocktails?

• Try my Pomegranate Margaritas!
• How about these Pomegranate Champagne Moscow Mules?

The Belmont Jewel

Yield: 1 cocktail

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Total Time: 2 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1.5 oz bourbon
• 2 oz lemonade
• 1 oz pomegranate juice
• lemon wedge, for garnish

Instructions

1. Combine the bourbon, lemonade, and pomegranate juice in a cocktail shaker with ice.
2. Shake until very cold and strain into a rocks glass filled with ice.
3. Garnish with a lemon wedge.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 162 Total Fat: 0g Saturated Fat: 0g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 0g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 7mg Carbohydrates: 18g Fiber: 2g Sugar: 12g Protein: 1g

Will I need any special gear to make this cocktail?

• A well-made cocktail shaker
• Rocks glasses

It doesn’t get much more summery than this cocktail!

This Strawberry Basil Vodka Collins is equal parts easy to make, delicious, and incredibly refreshing. Basically, it’s everything that you could want in a summery cocktail.

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Strawberry and basil are two warm weather flavors that really belong together.

When both ingredients are in season, I really love to pair them together. This Strawberry Balsamic Salad (with lots of fresh basil mixed in with the greens) is a great example. I’ve also been known to throw some sliced strawberries into a traditional Caprese salad. It’s basically perfect.

This flavor combo is great in sweet dishes, too. Check out this Strawberry Basil Lemonade and Strawberry Basil Ice Cream, just as a couple of examples. 

This drink is basically Summer in a glass.

And that brings us to this cocktail. Sweet, juicy, muddled strawberries lend both flavor and beautiful color. The sweetness of the berries is complemented by the fragrant and herbaceous basil vodka and fresh garnish. 

Simple syrup (homemade, please!) adds a bit more sweetness, while bubbly club soda keeps things fizzy and refreshing. I highly recommend sipping one (or more) of these cocktails on a hot summer day.

Looking for more strawberry-based recipes?

To be honest, I didn’t quite realize how many strawberry-heavy recipes I had on this blog! Let’s start with dessert (because why not?): 

• These Strawberry Crumb Bars are great for sharing
• Strawberry Margarita Pie is cold and sweet
• Strawberry Crisp is apple crisp’s underrated cousin. Seriously. Try it!

Want something a little healthier? I can do that, too.

• Strawberry Pecan Salad with Beets and Poppyseed Dressing
• Strawberry Balsamic Salad (probably my favorite salad ever!)

This cocktail uses two simple, yet delicious recipes from this blog.

First, we’re using simple syrup. Incredibly easy to make. Incredibly useful and versatile.

And don’t forget about the Basil Infused Vodka! Again, so easy to make. But it’s so, so delicious. And summery AF. It’s great in this Basil Vodka Gimlet, too.

Strawberry Basil Vodka Collins

Yield: 1 cocktail

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Total Time: 2 minutes

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Ingredients

• 4 ripe strawberries, quartered
• 0.5 oz simple syrup
• 2 oz basil infused vodka
• club soda
• strawberry and fresh basil, for garnish

Instructions

1. Add the strawberries and simple syrup to the bottom of a cocktail shaker and muddle well.
2. Add some ice to the cocktail shaker, along with the basil infused vodka. Shake until very cold.
3. Strain into a Collins glass filled with ice.
4. Top with club soda.
5. Garnish with a ripe strawberry and sprig of fresh basil.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 187 Total Fat: 1g Saturated Fat: 0g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 7mg Carbohydrates: 20g Fiber: 4g Sugar: 15g Protein: 3g

What supplies will you need in order to make this cocktail?

• A no-frills, but good quality cocktail shaker
• A cocktail muddler
• Collins glasses

The Derby Cup is a delicious cocktail to sip while celebrating Derby Day!

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So, what is a Derby Cup Cocktail?

Good question! Basically, Derby Cup is what you’d get if a Mint Julep and a Pimm’s Cup got together and had a baby.

For the uninitiated among us: Mint Juleps are the bourbon-heavy official drink of the Kentucky Derby. They’re basically all bourbon, with some simple syrup and fresh mint.

A Pimm’s Cup is made with Pimm’s No. 1 (a liqueur made from gin, spices, and fruit juice), fresh fruit (think strawberries), and lemon-lime soda or ginger ale.

The Derby Cup combines all of the elements of a Mint Julep with the Pimm’s and lemon of a Pimm’s Cup. Et voila. Boozy and refreshing.

How should you serve this drink?

While it’s not absolutely required, but I’d like to highly recommend serving this cocktail in some Julep cups. They’re a classic choice for a Julep-type cocktail. They’ll keep your drink frosty cold, too. Plus, they’re pretty!

If you don’t have Julep cups, or don’t want to use them, use a Collins glass. Regardless, lots of crushed ice and fresh, fragrant, mint are pretty much mandatory.

Where did the idea for this delicious concoction come from?

This cocktail recipe comes from the cookbook Batch Cocktails: Make-Ahead Pitcher Drinks for Every Occasion. Though the original recipe is, as the title of the cookbook might imply, for an entire pitcher of these drinks, I scaled it down to make a single cocktail.

Derby Cup Cocktail

Yield: 1 cocktail

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Additional Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 12 minutes

A Derby Cup Cocktail is what you'd get if a Mint Julep and a Pimm's Cup got together and had a delicious baby!

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Ingredients

Derby Cup Cocktail

• 1 1/4 oz bourbon
• 1 1/4 oz Pimm's No. 1
• 3/4 oz mint simple syrup
• 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
• 3 oz club soda
• fresh mint, for garnish

Instructions

To make the Mint Simple Syrup

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar and water. 
2. Stirring occasionally, heat the mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved.  
3. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the mint leaves.
4. Allow the simple syrup to cool for an hour before removing the mint leaves and allowing it to cool completely.

To make the Derby Cup Cocktail

1. Add the bourbon, Pimm's, mint simple syrup, and lemon juice to a cocktail shaker with ice. Stir gently.
2. Add the club soda and stir again.
3. Strain into a Julep cup that is filled with crushed ice.
4. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

Notes

• You've seen simple syrup here before!

Looking for more cocktails to sip while watching the Derby?

• Try my Classic Mint Juleps!
• Maybe a refreshing Pimm’s Cup is more your thing?

This Grapefruit Rosemary Gimlet is so delicious. Bright, fresh grapefruit juice and herbaceous rosemary simple syrup and gin make for one seriously refreshing cocktail.

Gin is such a versatile spirit

Gin is so good during nearly every season! I like it during the Winter because I think that some varieties of gin taste like Christmas in a glass. However, some gins are also really herbaceous, making them perfect for Spring and Summery drinks! 

The gin that I used for this cocktail has lots of coriander, caraway, and rosemary flavors, in addition to juniper (which is probably the flavor that most people associate with gin). Given this flavor profile, adding some rosemary simple syrup seemed like a no brainer. Fresh grapefruit juice is the perfect complement. And thus, the Grapefruit Rosemary Gimlet was born.

Want to try another gimlet? Or maybe another gin drink?

These Basil Vodka Gimlets are also super refreshing. If it’s more gin that you’re after, try a Holiday Gin Moscow Mule (it’s not just for the holidays, trust me!) or Cranberry Gin and Tonic.

5 from 5 votes

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Grapefruit Rosemary Gimlet

Prep Time

5 mins

 

Course: Beverage, Cocktail

Cuisine: American

Servings: 1 cocktail

Author: Lauren Pacek

Ingredients

For the rosemary simple syrup (makes more than needed)

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 4-5 sprigs fresh rosemary

For the gimlet

• 2 oz grapefruit juice, freshly squeezed
• 1.75 oz gin
• 3/4 oz rosemary simple syrup
• fresh grapefruit and rosemary, for garnish

Instructions

To make the rosemary simple syrup

1. In a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat, combine the water and granulated sugar. Stir to combine.

2. Stirring occasionally, heat the mixture until the sugar has dissolved entirely. Once it has dissolved, remove it from the heat.

3. Add the rosemary to the simple syrup. Allow it to cool completely. Remove the rosemary and stash the simple syrup in the fridge.

To make the gimlet

1. In a cocktail shaker over ice, add the fresh grapefruit juice, gin, and rosemary simple syrup. Shake until very cold and strain into a rocks glass over ice.

2. Garnish with a quarter moon of fresh grapefruit and a sprig of fresh rosemary.

Really into grapefruit? Want to see more grapefruit-heavy recipes?

There’s the always refreshing Grapefruit Crush and Salty Dog cocktails. And don’t forget about the v healthy and tasty Broiled Grapefruit as a breakfast/brunch option!

These Grilled Mezcal Margaritas are equal parts sweet, tart, and smoky. Honey syrup lends a pleasant sweetness, the grilled lemon juice is tart and complex, and the mezcal adds a boozy smokiness.

These margaritas are easy to make & require a handful of ingredients!

Our good friends gave us the book The One Bottle Cocktail: More than 80 Recipes with Fresh Ingredients and a Single Spirit as a Christmas gift. Let it be known that I am by no means averse to mixing up a somewhat complicated drink. However, it can be a little annoying when all you want is a quick cocktail and don’t want to have to drag out every bottle in your bar. This cookbook is great for that reason: you only need a single bottle of booze for every recipe.

Have you ever grilled fruit for a margarita?

One recipe that caught my eye when first flipping through the book was Grilled Margaritas. I love margaritas. You know that if you’ve spent some time on this blog. First, there were Apple Cider Margaritas (great for Fall!), then Pomegranate Margaritas, and most recently, I showed you Cara Cara Orange Margaritas. Anyway, I thought that a grilled marg could be a fun twist on this already tasty drink.

Mezcal can be an interesting substitute for tequila.

On top of that, I recently picked up a bottle of mezcal that I was eager to play with. If you aren’t familiar with it, mezcal is sort of similar to tequila in that they are both distilled from agave. However, mezcal is much smokier than tequila. I’ve seen the following comparison used to help highlight the difference: mezcal is to tequila as scotch it is to whiskey. Does that make sense?

Given its similarities to tequila, along with the already smoky grilled fruit, mezcal was a logical choice for this margarita. These mezcal margaritas are modified from a recipe found in the cookbook The One Bottle Cocktail.

5 from 4 votes

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Grilled Mezcal Margaritas

Prep Time

15 mins

Total Time

15 mins

 

Course: Cocktail

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Servings: 2 cocktails

Ingredients

For the honey syrup (makes more than needed)

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup hot water

For the grilled lemon juice and lemon wheels

• 2 lemons, halved
• 2 lemon wheels

For the margaritas

• sugar or kosher salt, for rimming the glasses
• 2.5 oz grilled lemon juice
• 4 oz mezcal
• 1 oz lime juice
• 1.5 oz honey syrup
• 2 sprigs rosemary, for garnish

Instructions

To make the honey syrup

1. Combine the honey and hot water. Whisk to combine.

To make the grilled lemon juice and lemon wheels

1. Place the lemon halves, cut side down, on either a grill or a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the lemon wheels. Cook until the flesh of the lemons is browned. Set aside to cool.

2. Once cooled, juice the grilled lemon halves.

To make the margaritas

1. Rim two glasses with sugar or kosher salt, depending upon your preference. Add ice to the glasses. Set aside.

2. Add the grilled lemon juice, mezcal, lime juice, and honey syrup to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until very cold. Strain into the prepared glasses. 

3. Add a grilled lemon wheel to each glass. Garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary.

Recipe Notes

Notes: Meyer lemons would be great in this cocktail, too. 

Looking for more margarita recipes?

Of course you are. They’re delicious. Check out my Cara Cara Orange Margaritas, Pomegranate Margaritas, and Apple Cider Margaritas for more ideas!

And while they’re not margaritas… these Mexican Moscow Mules are made with tequila. And they’re pretty dang good, if I do say so myself.