Summer is here and it’s not just a season for beach bunnies. It’s the time for long, sun-soaked brunches and starting the evening with plenty of laughter, mingling with new friends, as well as sipping on chilled cocktails. Popping open a bottle of champagne is a surefire way to being a welcoming host. Skip the usual Mimosas and instead, surprise guests with delightful drinks that’ll keep them chilled while partying until the early hours of the next day.
There are countless locally grown ingredients to choose from, all ideal to perfect your summer elixir. “Fresh is best when it comes to summertime cocktails,” explains expert Kim Haasarud of Liquid Architecture, who helped us gather her picks for best summer brunch cocktails. “There is a world of fresh ingredients at one’s fingertips anywhere around the country, especially in the warm summer months.”
Delicious cocktails for summer brunches can be as simple as adding champagne to muddled blood oranges or handpicked herbs for an added zest to your cool number. Even desserts, like sorbet, can be incorporated into a grown up drink that anyone can appreciate. No matter what ingredients you have on hand, an added pour of bubbly will create the perfect setting for an enchanting mid-summer night.
Top Summer Brunch Cocktail: Blooming Fizz
Nothing pleases guests more on a sticky day than a sweet frozen treat to keep them feeling cool. With lush gardens as your scenery, why not serve a lip-smacking dessert with a kick? A Blooming Fizz allows you to mix tart lemon sorbet with bubbly champagne and very potent St. Germain Elderflower liqueur, resulting in an unforgettable thirst quencher. Incredibly aromatic and extremely delicious, Blooming Fizz is the reason why we crave for summer.
Ingredients
1 scoop Lemon sorbet, softened
1 oz. St. Germain Elderflower liqueur
Champagne (We used Moët & Chandon Impérial Champagne)
Edible flowers
Preparation
Combine the softened lemon sorbet in a cocktail shaker with the elderflower liqueur. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a flute and top with champagne. Sprinkle edible flowers for garnish.
Top Summer Brunch Cocktail: Raspberry Sorbet Bellini
Much like Mimosas and Bloody Marys, Bellinis are a common brunch staple, but that doesn’t mean you can’t vamp up this sparkling Italian import. The standard Bellini is made with peach puree and champagne, but raspberries, ripe and plump for the picking, give it a classy twist. This recipe is more sophisticated as it combines both rose champagne and black raspberry vodka, both soaking creamy sorbet. You may be tempted to admire its yummy fragrance of fresh berries, but you’ll be too busy slurping!
Ingredients
1 scoop Raspberry sorbet, softened
0.5 oz. Black raspberry-flavored vodka (We used Belvedere Black Raspberry Vodka)
Rose Champagne (We used Moët & Chandon Rosé Impérial Champagne)
Two raspberries
Mint leaves
Preparation
Combine the raspberry sorbet and vodka in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into an empty flute. Top off of with champagne. Add two raspberries and mint leaves for garnish.
Top Summer Brunch Cocktail: Orange Sunrise
Going out during a hazy day can be a challenge, especially when you can’t resist relaxing in your air conditioned home, but with this morning concoction, you’ll be willing to bear the heat just for a sip. Posh and eye-catching, the Orange Sunrise is made with pure guava nectar, spiced orange liqueur, and champagne to give your mouth a pop of flavor that’s sure to put a smile on your face, even if you’re sweating bullets. Slim and sinfully sweet, the Orange Sunrise is a quick little number worth rising up for anytime of the year.
Ingredients
2 oz. Guava nectar
0.5 oz. Orange liqueur
Rose Champagne (We used Moët & Chandon Rosé Impérial Champagne)
Preparation
Combine the nectar with the orange liqueur in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a flute. Top with champagne.
Top Summer Brunch Cocktail: Cherry Chiller
Its 102 degrees outside and no matter how skimpy your dress or short your shorts, you can’t seem to put Mother Nature in her place. When winding down at your local watering hole, demand the official heat buster: a Cherry Chiller. Don’t be fooled by its seemingly tame appearance that female patrons can’t get enough of. This marriage of gin and champagne makes cherries bursting with fine alcohol. You’ll happily surrender to its overpowering affects as it jets down your throat like a rush of wind during winter. Brunch has never been this good.
Ingredients
2 Basil leaves, sliced into thin strips
3 Pitted bing cherries, plus 2 extra for garnish
0.5 oz. Gin (We used Plymouth)
0.5 oz. Simple syrup
0.5 oz. Lime juice
3-4 oz. Champagne (We used Moët & Chandon Rose Imperial)
Preparation
Combine the basil, cherries, lime juice, gin, and simple syrup in a mixing glass. Muddle. Top with ice and shake vigorously. Pour contents into a highball glass and top with champagne.
