With summer (and hot weather) firmly established, everyone’s looking for the best way to cool off. Whether you’re mixing up a fizzy, refreshing cocktail, or serving up your favorite spirit over ice, we’ve put together some of the best, most refreshing choices — check it out!
Vodka:
Twisted Citrus Vodka is a winner during the summer, with its bright, refreshing layers of orange, lemon & lime. For pairing with fresh veggies & herbs from the garden & farmer’s market, you can’t go wrong with North Shore Vodka!
Vodka Soda
Your favorite spirit, just a tiny bit jazzed up with refreshing bubbles — sometimes, the classics can’t be beat! This two-ingredient cocktail is so simple to make, but adds a fun fizz to smooth, crisp North Shore Vodka or bright, citrusy Twisted Citrus Vodka. Either way you go, it’ll make your vodka into a summer winner!
1½ oz North Shore Vodka or Twisted Citrus Vodka
Club Soda
Add vodka to a Collins glass, then fill with ice & top with fizz. Garnish with whatever you like — a citrus swath or wedge, or if you want to continue the color story, a strawberry slice & a blueberry on a pick.
Cucumber Caipiroska
An all-time summer favorite at the distillery, this drink is endlessly customizable, like in the Garden Caipiroska!
Muddle in Mixing Tin:
3 slices of Cucumber
½ oz Fresh Lime Juice
½ oz Plain or Herb-based Simple
Add:
1½ oz North Shore Vodka or Gin No. 11 or Aquavit – Private Reserve
Muddle cucumber, lime and simple in a mixing tin. Add vodka, fill shaker halfway with ice, then shake well and pour entire contents of shaker into a rocks glass. Garnish with a fresh slice of cucumber.
One of our favorite parts about this cocktail is its endless possibilities for customization. The base recipe uses cucumber, simple, lime & the spirit of your choice, but you can also jazz it up with any number of fresh fruits, herbs or veggies from the bounty of your summer garden (or your local farmer’s market!). We’re partial to muddling in a few slices of radish along with the cucumber, or muddling in a few leaves of our favorite fresh herb – basil, oregano, dill and mint are all great pairings for the cucumber.
That Summer Feelin’
North Shore Vodka provides a smooth, crisp base for the classic summer pairing of watermelon & mint. This cocktail is a great way to use up mint if you have some that just won’t stop growing – like the stuff in our distillery garden!
1½ oz North Shore Vodka
½ oz Fresh Lime Juice
¾ oz Mint Simple
2 chunks of Watermelon
Muddle watermelon, simple & juice in mixing tin – if you like, throw in some extra mint to taste. Add vodka and shake with ice. Double strain into a chilled coupe glass, then garnish with a mint sprig or watermelon slice.
Twisted Lemon Drop
The classic vodka cocktail is the perfect start to jazz up with fresh fruit, summer herbs or rich floral notes.
2 oz Twisted Citrus Vodka
¾ oz Plain Simple
¾ oz Fresh Lemon Juice
Shake ingredients with ice, then strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Other versions: Hibiscus Lemon Drop, Berry Lemon Drop, Lemon Verbena Drop
Gin:
It’s no secret that we’re huge fans of gin here at North Shore Distillery. There’s a reason we make four different versions! These versatile spirits are delightful summer companions, whether you’re looking for rich florals, bright citrus, or deep botanicals & herbs. Gin cocktails span the spectrum from bright, fruity concoctions to complex savory surprises.
Classic G&T
Fizzy and crisp, with a lot of botanical & a hint of bitterness — on a sweltering summer day, it’s just the thing!
1½ oz North Shore Gin
1 or 2 Lime Wedges (if desired)
Fever Tree Tonic water
Fill tall glass with ice. If desired, squeeze lime wedges into glass, then drop in. Add gin, then top with tonic water. Stir, then garnish with a lime wedge.
Spanish Summer Tonic
This cocktail is based on the Spanish-style G&T, and is great with any of our four gins. You can go savory with thyme, cucumber & Gin No. 11, or citrusy & herbal with Gin No. 6 & lemon verbena. Try playing with different spirit & simple pairings, or a variety of garnishes in the glass!
2 oz North Shore Gin
½ oz Flavored Simple
½ oz Fresh Lemon Juice
Citrus peels or slices
Fresh fruits or veggies
Fever Tree Tonic
Squeeze lemon peels into a goblet, then drop in along with berries, veggies, etc. Add lemon, simple & gin. Fill goblet with ice, then top with tonic water. Stir to mix ingredients, then add a citrus slice or wheel on the rim of the glass for garnish.
Other versions: Summer Dance, Flip Flop Fan, Drifting Away
Mimi’s Corpse
This herbal, floral riff on the classic Corpse Reviver No. 2 is made with Scofflaw Old Tom Gin, but we also love it with Gin No. 6!
1 oz Scofflaw Old Tom Gin
½ oz North Shore Curaçao (or Cointreau)
1 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
½ oz Hibiscus Simple*
¼ oz Sirène Absinthe Verte
3 Dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
Shake ingredients with ice, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Whiskey:
While whiskey might not be the first spirit you think of when you think summer, its rich flavor profile makes a great base to layer on fresh fruit or herb flavors. From something simple like a Kentucky mule, to deliciously complex tropical cocktails, whiskey is for summer drinking too!
Summer Mule
Sometimes known as a Kentucky Mule, this cocktail is a refreshing way to include whiskey into your summer libations.
1½ oz American Whiskey
½ a lime
Ginger Beer
Squeeze half a lime into a copper mule mug, then drop in. Fill copper mug with ice, then add whiskey and top with ginger beer. Stir, then garnish with a lime wheel, a sprig of mint, or a pineapple slice — or all three!
Halekulani
This cocktail matches whiskey with a suite of fresh citrus flavors in a fruity, tropical, exceptionally delicious summer drink!
1½ oz American Whiskey
½ oz Pineapple Juice
½ oz Fresh Orange Juice
½ oz Fresh Lemon Juice
½ oz Demerara Simple
1/8 oz Grenadine
2 dash Angostura Bitters
Shake ingredients with ice, then strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a lemon wheel.
Classic Smash
One of the earliest classics, and a perennial summer favorite due to the super-fresh minty profile.
2 oz American Whiskey
¾ oz Mint Simple
¾ oz Fresh Lemon Juice
Shake ingredients with ice, then strain into chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a sprig of mint or a lemon twist.
Other Versions: Blueberry Smash, Basil Smash, Summer Smash
Shake ingredients with ice, then strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a lemon wheel.
