6 Summery Cocktails Every Guy Should Know How to Make

You’ve put away your heavy pants, coats, and warm boots in favor of tank tops, board shorts, and water shoes. You’ve bought sunscreen in bulk and already lined the small, grassy area behind your house or apartment with plastic Adirondack chairs and an inflatable kiddie pool. Ready for summer leisure, it’s time to figure out what you’ll be drinking.

Beer is a summer staple. You can’t go wrong if you stock your fridge with IPAs, wheat beers, pale ales, pilsners, and other summery beer styles. But there’s nothing special about cracking open a can or bottle of beer on a hot, humid summer day. Sure, it’s refreshing and always there. But you’re probably looking for a little more pizzazz this summer. That’s where cocktails come in.

Just like there are countless drinks like the old fashioned, Manhattan, and white Russian that are well-suited for cold-weather imbibing, there are also many fresh, flavorful, summery cocktails you should know how to make. The gin gimlet, mojito, daiquiri, whiskey highball, and paloma are just a few of the drinks every guy should know how to make.

The daiquiri is not a frozen drink. It’s a simple cocktail of fresh lime juice, white rum, and simple syrup. It’s elegant, delicious, and extremely easy to make. It’s also a very old cocktail. While it has a few different stories about its potential genesis, the most common story surrounds a man named Jennings Cox who was an American engineer living in Cuba in the late 1800s. Named for the town of Daiquiri, it’s believed Cox created the drink when he ran out of gin and decided to use local Cuban-made rum instead.

Preparation: Add rum, fresh lime juice, and simple syrup to an ice-filled shaker. Shake vigorously to combine. Strain it into a chilled cocktail glass. Add a lime wheel for a garnish.

There’s a lot of mystery around the history of the whiskey highball. Many believe it was invented in Japan (if not, it was popularized there). Others believe it was invented in England and many believe it was created in the US. Another popular story says that the drink was created in Scotland and was popularized by railroad workers with the name coming from the use of a ball on a stick to signal that a train was coming. It’s a simple, very refreshing drink that consists of a base of whiskey (bourbon, rye, single malt Scotch whisky, Japanese whisky, whatever you prefer) and a topper of soda water or your favorite sparkling water.

Preparation: Add ice to a highball glass. Pour the bourbon (or your favorite whiskey) into the glass. Top it with soda water (or your favorite sparkling water). Stir to combine. Add a lime wedge for garnish.

While the gin and tonic might be the most popular warm weather gin-based cocktail, you should already know how to make it. It’s time to move on to different gin drinks. A great choice is the classic gin gimlet. Originating in the late 1800s, the gin gimlet got its name from its creator, British Royal Navy Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Desmond Gimlette. He created the drink of gin and sweetened lime juice as a way for his fellow servicemen to avoid scurvy. And while you can make it with sweetened lime juice and gin alone, it’s even better if you use gin, simple syrup, and fresh lime juice instead.

Preparation: In an ice-filled cocktail shaker, add the gin, simple syrup, and fresh lime juice. Shake vigorously to combine. Strain the ingredients into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.

To say that the mojito is a classic cocktail is a bit of an understatement. While many well-known cocktails have multiple origin stories, the mojito doesn’t have one. What we do know is that it’s been around for hundreds of years with many speculating that it was originally a medicinal drink in Cuba. Regardless of when it was created, this traditional Cuban punch is known for its sweet, refreshing flavor thanks to the use of white rum, fresh lime juice, sugar, mint leaves, and soda water.

Preparation: In a Collins or Highball glass, muddle the lime juice, sugar, and mint leaves. Add rum. Add ice. Top with soda water and gently stir to combine. Garnish with a lime wheel.

There’s no clear-cut story about the history of the paloma, with many bartenders taking credit for it over the years. Some believe its creation can be traced back to the 1950s. This is when Don Javier Delgado Corona, the owner and bartender at La Capilla in Tequila, Mexico, claimed to have created the drink (he also created the cola and tequila cocktail called the batanga). This refreshing drink is made with tequila and grapefruit soda (and sometimes more ingredients to give it more depth). It’s simple, elegant, and deserves to be on your summer drinking list.

Preparation: Add blanco tequila and freshly squeezed lime juice to an ice-filled Highball or pint glass. Top with grapefruit soda. Stir gently to combine everything. Garnish with a lime wheel.

If your only reference point for the Tom Collins is when Greg Focker and his soon-to-be father-in-law head to the store to grab more “Collins mix,” you’re missing out on a classic summer drink. If you like lemonade, you’re going to like this drink. Made with London dry gin, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, and soda water, it’s as thirst-quenching and refreshing as summery cocktails get. Drinkers have been enjoying this summer staple since at least the 1800s. That’s because the drink’s recipe first made an appearance in 1876. This is when legendary cocktail writer and bartender Jerry Thomas added the drink to his guide.

Preparation: Add ice to a Highball, Collins, or pint glass. Add London dry gin, simple syrup, and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Top with soda water. Gently stir to combine all the ingredients. Add a cocktail cherry and a lemon wheel for the garnish.