Four Essential Summer Cocktails

• Summer is coming! Get ready with some of my favourite cocktail recipes. Summertime .... and the drinking is easy. Hmm... there's a song in there somewhere, but you can trust me when I say that you really don't want to hear me sing it! I thought I'd share a few of my favourite cocktail recipes with you. Riedel's cocktail glasses are perfect for the summer to come!

Red Rum Punch

We can’t talk about summer cocktails without talking about rum punch and with three different kinds of rum, this decadent drink is a rum punch worth talking about.

Ingredients

• 1 part Bacardí Limon
• 1 part Bacardí Raspberry
• 1 part Bacardí Superior
• ½ part grenadine
• 2 parts sweet and sour mix
• 1 part cranberry juice
• Lemon, for garnish
• Fresh mint, for garnish
• Fresh raspberries, for garnish

Instructions

Pour all ingredients into a jug or punch bowl that is filled with ice cubes and stir. Garnish the bowl with lemon, fresh mint and raspberries. Simple.

Piña Colada

Best drunk on a Caribbean beach, piña coladas really are about as good as it gets. Transport yourself to the sunshine and white sandy beaches with your first sip

Ingredients

• 100g caster sugar
• 60ml white rum
• 75ml pineapple juice
• 50ml coconut cream
• Pineapple wedge to garnish

Instructions

Put the sugar and 100ml water in a pan and heat gently, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Cool. This will make more than you need but will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

Put the rest of the ingredients, 2 tsp of the sugar syrup and a small handful of ice in a blender and blitz until smooth. Pour into a cocktail glass, with more ice if you like, and garnish with a pineapple wedge before serving.

Apricot Bellini

Apricot and chilled champagne make this refreshing summer bellini recipe a quick and easy take on the traditional Venetian cocktail.

Ingredients

• 3 apricots, halved (fresh if you can get them, but tinned works just as well)
• Small squeeze lemon juice
• ½ tbsp caster sugar
• 1 bottle champagne, prosecco or other sparkling wine, well chilled

Instructions

Put the apricots, lemon juice and sugar in a blender and whizz until very smooth. Press the purée through a fine sieve into a small bowl.

Divide the purée between 6 flutes and top up slowly with your chosen bubbly, stirring together, if needed.

Lagerita

This lagerita takes the tequila from a classic margarita and adds beer. Quick and easy to make and tastes fantastic.

Ingredients

• 2 limes, zested
• 2 tsp flaky sea salt
• 1 tsp mild chilli powder
• 50ml tequila
• 50ml lime juice
• 25ml sugar syrup
• 500ml lager or light IPA

Instructions

Zest 2 limes onto a plate and mix with 2 tsp of flaky sea salt and 1 tsp mild chilli powder. Rub a wedge of lime around the rim of 2 glasses then press them into the lime mix.

Tip crushed ice and a lime wedge into each glass. Mix 50ml of tequila, 50ml of lime juice and 25ml of sugar syrup. Divide between the 2 glasses and top up with lager or a light IPA.