Cool and refreshing summer drinks ideas

Keep cool as the days heat up with our refreshing summer soft and alcoholic drinks suggestions…

Is there anything better than sitting in the sun with a gleaming glass of something ice cold and gloriously refreshing? When the sun beams down there’s nothing quite like a fruity drink to get you in the summery mood. Both soft and alcoholic drinks can go down a treat. We like to make our alcohol selection strong in flavour. If you’re growing a little tired of the same old spritzer or fizzy drink, then don’t worry — we’ve come up with a few innovative soft and alcoholic drinks ideas for you to enjoy this summer. 

Summer alcoholic drinks

What are your go-to summer alcoholic drinks? Is it a simple spirit and mixer, or do you reach for a fancier cocktail? If the option is the latter then you may want to brush up on your mixologist knowledge. Impress friends by mixing in a little history behind the cocktail as you serve up some of the most popular alcoholic beverages.

Summer Daisy Cocktail

Sit in a meadow (or just your back garden) as you sip and relax into the summer breeze. Our Summer Daisy Cocktail combines the fresh zing of raspberries and lime with our fruity Cherry and Raspberry Gin Liqueur. Add in a drizzle of sugar syrup and crushed ice to finish.

This cocktail is extremely easy to make, and fresher than most cocktails you’d buy. The reason for this? Our Summer Daisy Cocktail is packed with notes of fresh raspberry. Even our liqueur uses real raspberries to capture that authentic berry burst. Serve with a slice of lime and a few fresh raspberries scattered on top.

Tropical Daisy Cocktail

Tastes of a Caribbean paradise, bottled. If we could capture all the sights, scents and flavours of a tropical island then we think it would be pretty similar to our Tropical Daisy Cocktail.

Zingy passionfruit and lime combine with crushed ice. Add in a measure of our Mango and Passion fruit Gin Liqueur for some sunshine warmth. Fresh passionfruit adds a tropical burst, lifted further with the natural sweetness of mango.

Raspberry Bellini

We serve our Raspberry Bellini in our cacao-centric restaurant, Rabot 1745, so we know this recipe is a real winner. Although we’d love you to pop in and try this cocktail, we understand that you might not want to leave the comfort of your garden on a hot summer’s day. 

Recreate your own bellini with 100ml of our Hotel Chocolat Prosecco and 25ml raspberry puree. To save time you could buy the puree in stores, although for the freshest flavour we suggest making your own. Simply blend 200g fresh raspberries with a tbsp caster sugar and spoon into your prosecco glass, ready to be topped with ice cold prosecco.

Tip: To keep your bellini cooler for longer, pop in a few frozen raspberries. Make sure you freeze them the night before you make your bellini.

Pretty in Pink Cocktail

Elegant and remarkably dainty. Our Pretty in Pink Cocktail is perfect for those balmy sunsets. Delicately flavoured with rose and raspberry, this cocktail combines our Hotel Chocolat Prosecco with Cacao Gin. a sophisticated, classic flavour pairing.

Crush raspberries in a cocktail shaker. Add the gin, sugar syrup, rose water, lemon juice and a generous proportion of ice. Shake, strain and pour. Top up with Prosecco. To garnish, place one raspberry or edible flower on top.

Mango Bellini Cocktail

Fresh fruity notes combine with the delicate fizz of our Prosecco for a simple Mango Bellini Cocktail that’ll leave you feeling truly refreshed. Blend a ripened mango until it is smooth and spoon into a champagne flute. Top with chilled Hotel Chocolat Prosecco.

Perfect for a summer picnic or a brunch on the patio. Cocktails don’t have to be complicated, and this one’s for those who like to take things easy on a hot summer’s day.

Cacao Gin and Tonic Cocktail 

An indisputable classic — with a Hotel Chocolat twist. Who can say no to a G&T, especially in the sun? We infuse our gin with the shells and nibs of our cacao beans, giving our Cacao Gin a wonderfully creamy, moreish edge. Botanical notes of juniper, grapefruit and orange come together for a light, uplifting finish.

Add a generous amount of ice to a glass and pour in a measure (or two) of cacao gin. Add raspberries to bring out the natural fruity tones of our gin further. Top up with tonic water— we recommend an unflavoured tonic so you can taste all the nuanced flavours of gin. Garnish with a twist of orange peel.

Summer soft drinks

Of course, alcoholic drinks aren’t the only option when it comes to choosing the perfect summer beverage. A homemade raspberry lemonade, made with blended lemons, raspberries, sugar and water can be just as refreshing as a G&T.

Or why not try making your own peach iced tea? Boil water and sugar together and then add chopped peaches until they are very soft. Remove from the heat, mash the peaches with a fork and let it infuse for up to an hour. Once properly infused, sieve the mixture into a jug, making sure you mash the fruit to release the remaining liquid. Add to tea which has been steeped for four minutes and transfer to the fridge to chill.

And if you fancy a cocktail without the alcohol, try making your own mocktail. A mojito mocktail combines sugar syrup with lime juice, mint, apple juice, ice and soda water for a fresh and zesty zing.

More beverage inspo

If you need some more inspiration for your summer alcoholic drinks then take a look at our recipes page. Indulge in your favourite flavours with a tipsy edge. Summer cries out for a chilled drink in the sun — just remember to drink responsibly.