Top 10 drinks for summer

As the summer season brings warm weather, db looks at the most enjoyable drinks to have in the heat.

There is something wonderful about enjoying a refreshing drink during a long, hot summer evening, or with friends in the sunlight over a warm weekend.

But what drink should you have? Mixing fruit and juices with wine or spirits can make some really refreshing drinks and don’t forget the ice and a slice – in fact some of the drinks listed here call for multiple slices.

So as you think about where to go for your summer holiday and which factor of suncream to put on, don’t forget to put some thought into which drinks you can enjoy.

Click through the following pages to see our top 10 summer drinks.

Pimm’s and lemonade

Pimm’s has been a feature of British summers for many years and has been a regular sight at many British celebrations – a Union flag bottle was produced for last year’s diamond jubilee.

With an aroma of spices and citrus Pimm’s is often served as a long drink with lemonade, ice and lots of fruit and mint. Pimm’s is based on gin and variations for serving can see ginger ale replace lemonade and some will even mix it with Champagne to make a Pimm’s Royal Cup.

Rosé wine

There is something about warm weather and long days that gets a lot of people thinking pink. A good rosé is versatile at a summer dinner, offering the refreshment of a white wine as well as the fruitiness of a red. Provence is well known for its rosé wines, although db reported recently that Maison Sichel’s export director, Charles Sichel believes Bordeaux rosé is improving.

Served well chilled rosé is a refreshing drink and, as demonstrated by the recent popular demand for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s Château Miraval, pink wine is a hugely popular drink.

Frozen Daiquiri

The Daiquiri is an extremely popular cocktail, and could even be considered as a delicious summer drink, but making a frozen version gives it that extra heat-busting edge. This version of the Daiquiri has grown in popularity as new fruit versions of a traditional Daiquiri have been developed, in particular the strawberry Daiquiri.

Made with lots of pulverised ice a frozen Daiquiri can have a texture similar to a smoothie, but it should be kept traditional and made with rum, lime juice and a simple sugar syrup to make sure it is a frozen Daiquiri and not just another frozen cocktail.

Grown-up limeade

There is something about a combination of sweet and sour that can make a drink very refreshing and this drink has a “pleasantly bitter bite”. But you would expect that from something that contains 12 limes.

A BBC Good food recipe for this drink suggests mixing frozen lime slices with 10 blended limes, sugar, soda water and either vodka or rum. Making “grown-up” versions of old school soft drinks is a great thing to do during summer.

Sangria

As previously mentioned mixing fruit and its juice with either wine or spirits can make some refreshing summer drinks and sangria should be considered as a perfect cocktail for hot summer days.

Many people have their own versions of sangria recipes, as they have honed and developed the drink to their taste over many summers. A classic sangria recipe calls for a bottle of dry red wine, sugar, brandy, Triple sec (or other orange liqueur) and a wide variety of fruit – sparkling water can also be added if wanted.

Caipirinha

Brazil’s national cocktail, made with cachaça, sugar and lime is usually served in a glass full of ice, which is what can help to make this a perfect drink for summer. It also has that mix of sweet and bitterness that can make a drink very refreshing.

Many variations of the Caipirinha have appeared over time including the Caipiroska, which is made using vodka instead of cachaça, the Caipifruta, which is made using fruit other than lime and the Caipirissima, which uses rum rather than cachaça.

Bellini

Once again the mixing of fruit and wine comes together to make a great summer drink and why not mix up the way you serve Prosecco? The Bellini was invented by Giuseppe Cipriani, the founder of Harry’s Bar in Venice, Italy and it is now a globally popular cocktail.

The Bellini consists of puréed white peaches and Prosecco and the original recipe was made with a bit of raspberry or cherry juice to give the drink a pink glow.

Beer/lager

A cold beer with condensation dripping down the glass has to be one of the great sights of summer and a wonderful way to get the taste buds tickling. But beyond simply being cold the mix of bitter hops and sugars is what actually makes beer a refreshing drink.

While some international readers may question how cold we Brits actually serve our real ale, there is no doubt that a well chilled beer is a delightful summer drink.

White wine spritzer

Technically you can make a wine spritzer with red wine as well as with white, but because we’ve already given red wine a mention with sangria, this is going to be a white wine spritzer. This is another wine-based drink that makes a refreshing combination for warm summer days.

To make a spritzer simply pour wine into a glass, any wine will do although it’s probably worth leaving the Montrachet to one side for this drink. Add about half as much soda water as you have wine and throw in some ice to make a refreshing drink. Some recipes call for fruit to be added with lemon, lime or orange slices, melon or cantaloupe balls, a sprig of fresh mint or sage or raspberries, blueberries and strawberries can all make appealing additions to a spritzer.

Gin and tonic

Some drink trends will come and go, high-end cocktails can roam in and out of fashion, but the gin and tonic is a classic with staying power. Gin, tonic, ice and a slice simply taste great when they are all combined in a tall glass. There is something special about enjoying a cool G&T on a warm summer afternoon.

Maybe it is that tonic was born out of the tropical heat of India, the binding property of some lime juice in the drink or the crisp, refreshing nature of the drink that makes this the perfect summer drink. Maybe it shouldn’t be thought about too much, it should just be poured and enjoyed.

And finally…

It is still widely regarded as the ultimate celebratory drink and there is little doubt it is a firm summer favourite. A well chilled glass of Champagne will be seen at many summer events, from Wimbledon to Lord’s and from 4 July celebrations to New Year’s eve (in the southern hemisphere). It is perhaps no coincidence that the drink is often served with strawberries, a fruit also associated with sumer.

Although Champagne is specifically from that region in France other areas are making very good sparkling wine, with English sparkling wine in particular enjoying a boom.