Top Summer Drinks

I

t's finally summertime. Our winter coats have been gleefully stuffed into the backs of our closets, the snow shovel has been stored in the shed, and we've traded our heavy whiskey drinks and red wines for lighter, more heat-friendly cocktails, beers, and non-alcoholic drinks. Here are our favorites of each.

Cocktails
When it comes to summer cocktails, we really like the class gin & tonic. Aside from being a delicious drink, it's also cold, citrusy and herbacious. It's a great refresher on a hot day.  The gin and tonic, as its name suggests, is made with gin...and tonic...but take our advice: add a nice squeeze of lime juice.
We also enjoy the Dark N' Stormy, which is  a variation of the booze + bubbles + citrus of the gin and tonic, but is a totally different drink. In this case, the booze is dark rum and the bubbles are ginger beer (not ginger ale; there's a difference), but the citrus is still a lime wedge.
Another great summer drink to try is the Negroni, which is one part gin, one part of vermouth rosso (the red, semi- sweet kind), and one part bitters (usually Campari). It was created as a variation of the Americano, which is traditionally soda water, vermouth, and bitters, but was changed when Count Camillo of Italy asked the bartender to make him a stronger drink.
Blended drinks are always popular in the summer, too, like margaritas, daquiris, and pina coladas.

No matter what your drink of choice is during the summertime, don't forget to keep drinking water; liquor, beer and sugar aren't going to keep you hydrated.

Beers
In the beer world, there are plenty of breweries that create summer brews, but there are a few we've found to be a notch above the rest.
Bell's Oberon is a great summer brew. A light wheat beer with lemony flavors, this one is sure to be a crowd pleaser.
Another favorite of ours is Ommegang Witte is, as its name might suggest, another wheat beer but this one has citrus, lemon, pepper, and coriander notes.  On a hot day, almost nothing can beat this one.
Half Acre's Daisy Cutter's name alone suggests it's perfect for a summer day.  Another citrusy beer, but this one's a pale ale rather than a wheat beer, and tastes of orange and grapefruit.
Goose Island's Summertime is also a refreshing choice, as is Lagunitas' A Little Sumpin, which is described as a "hybrid between an IPA and a wheat beer."

Non-Alcoholic Drinks
One of our favorite non-alcoholic summer drinks is the line of flavored sparkling waters from La Croix or Perrier. They're unsweetened, but they're carbonated and have a light flavor. The orange is our favorite.
Aguas Frescas are another good drink to have in the summer. These are typically made with fruits, sugar, and water, and blended. Good ones to try are canteloupe and watermelon.
Iced tea and lemonade are also perfect for summer, and they're great when they're mixed together in the classic drink, the Arnold Palmer.
Coconut water is also a popular choice for the summer, and it's said to help rehydrate you faster than water.

Honorable Mention
Prosecco is in a class of its own when it comes to summer. It's typically less expensive than champagne, but it still brings the burst of bubbles that you're looking for when you want to celebrate.

Whatever your drink of choice is during the summer months, remember not to ignore plain old water, since when it's in the 90s with 100% humidity, you're going to need more than beer, liquor, and sugar to keep you going.