Easy Summer Cocktails for a Bank Holiday Weekend

With their vibrant colours, fruity tastes, novelty accessories and truly scrumptious names, cocktails are the flavour of the month during August. They sum up what the holiday season is all about – fun, frivolous and colourful.

You can make your own cocktails quickly and easily at home, adding the obligatory paper parasol, a cherry on a stick or slices of fresh lime to add a touch of glamour. Use your imagination to create your own great-tasting drinks or follow some simple recipes.

Watermelon and Tequila

Cut a seedless watermelon into chunks, strain the juice and mix it with tequila, sugar syrup, blueberries, mint and fresh lime juice.

Honey Cherry Daiquiri

Mulch eight pitted cherries in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add 2oz of rum, 3/4 o of fresh lime juice, 1 tablespoon of honey, a dash of bitters (such as Peychaud’s), 1/4 oz of maraschino liqueur and fill with ice. Shake for 30 second before straining. Serve in a tall-stemmed glass garnished with slices of fresh lime.

Sour Cherry and Plymouth Gin Mash

Mulch six pitted sour cherries and one sugar cube in the bottom of a shaker. Add 1oz of fresh lime juice and 2oz of Plymouth Gin. Fill shaker with ice and shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Strain into a glass with ice and pour over ginger ale. Decorate with a wedge of fresh lime.

Pink Grapefruit Surprise (non-alcoholic)

Add 80ml of pink grapefruit juice to the juice of half a lemon and 40ml of sugar syrup. Shake for 20 seconds and serve in a teacup or glass with crushed ice and cold sparkling water. Garnish with mint leaves.

The above are our suggestions for some delicious summer cocktails, including a non alcoholic one or check out more recipes on the Home & Garden magazine blog.