Be Your Own Bartender

As the days get longer and temperatures rise, there’s no better time to hone your skills as an at-home mixologist. Whether you prefer to sip on wine coolers, frozen drinks, aguas frescas, or classic cocktails, you'll find plenty to get inspired by and more in this thirst-quenching roundup of summer-worthy drink recipes.

Wine-based cocktails are ideal for several reasons: they tend to be lower in alcohol (which is particularly helpful if the cocktails are being served during the day), they’re less expensive to make than traditional liquor-based cocktails, and they can (and often should be) made ahead of time. From sangria to coolers, our On Point Wine is the perfect fit for the drink recipes in this section. Featuring a crisp white, a smooth red, and a fruity rosé, On Point Wine has big flavour but only 3 Points per 5 ounce serving. If On Point Wine is unavailable in your area, look for a similar wine that’s between 6 and 10 percent ABV (alcohol by volume) to use instead.

Made from ingredients that are both fruity and sparkly in equal measure, the mocktail recipes listed below are as refreshing and flavourful as any traditional cocktail. If you find yourself with an overabundance of seasonal fruit, try making a batch of agua fresca to keep in the fridge on hot days. Made with a wide variety of fruits, flowers, and chia seeds that have been blended with water, agua fresca is a healthy and cost-effective beverage to have on hand when your crisper drawer is flush with berries, melon, peaches, and other summer fruits.

To serve these frozen drinks, spoon the slushie into chilled coupe-style Champagne glasses or martini-style cocktail glasses; holding the glass by the stem will help prevent the ice from melting too quickly. Go full Tiki mode by garnishing the drinks with frozen fruit, edible flowers, paper umbrellas, and other novelty drink accessories. These recipes will work best if made in a high-power blender that can handle crushing large amounts of ice.

When beginning your journey into the world of mixology, be sure to have the bare minimum when it comes to bar equipment: a cocktail shaker (with accompanying accessories), a sharp paring knife (for cutting garnishes and peeling zest), and a selection of cocktail glasses. Extras such as specialty ice cube trays, smoking cloches, seltzer bottles, and ice tongs are fun to have and use, but you should be able to make most classic cocktails with basic equipment. There’s no need to buy top-shelf liquor (unless you have a favourite brand), but the alcohol used to stock your bar should be good quality and pleasant to drink.