Our 10 Top Picnic Cocktails

Our favourite things about summer: holidays, open air cinema, picnics … and picnic cocktails!

Picnic cocktail basics

Here are our top tips that make your picnic cocktails as easy as 1,2,3:

• Fruit and Herbs: A couple of punnets of fresh fruit and some fresh herbs for garnish will make your cocktails picnic perfect. Pre-cut your garnishes and transport them in plastic containers.
• Presentation: Solid glassware or sturdy, elegant plasticware is your best friend Remember you don’t want too much weight, and nothing easily breakable.
• Ice: There’s no such thing as too much ice for a summer picnic with cocktails, so pack plenty!

Sangria

A wildly varying recipe that’s popular right across Spain and Portugal. This punch traditionally contains red wine and fruit and may also have spirits and lemonade. We’ve chosen Double Dutch Refreshing Lemonade to lift this recipe to new levels. This version serves six generously.

Ingredients in the Perfect Sangria Picnic Cocktail

• 2 roughly chopped thick-skinned oranges
• 1 (750 milliliter) bottle dry red wine
• 400g summer fruit: strawberries, peaches, nectarines, blueberries, raspberries, mango, pineapple all work well (pre-dice your larger fruits)
• 50ml Cointreau (optional)
• 500ml Double Dutch Refreshing Lemonade.

Method

In advance - Stir the oranges with the wine and Cointreau in a jug and refrigerate for an hour to blend the flavours. Transport in an insulated flask.

At the picnic - tip flask ingredients into a jug full of ice, top with fruit, and pour into tumblers.

Cucumber Collins

It’s not summer without cucumbers! This recipe serves one.

Ingredients in a Cucumber Collins

• 50ml dry gin
• 25ml lemon juice
• 20ml simple syrup or agave syrup
• Double Dutch Cucumber & Watermelon Soda
• Cucumber slices
• Mint sprigs.

Method

In advance - Combine the gin, lemon juice and simple syrup or agave in four or six person amounts and transport chilled in a flask.

At the picnic - Shake base ingredients in their flask, then strain into four or six ice filled tall glasses. Top with Double Dutch Cucumber & Watermelon Soda, and garnish with a cucumber slice and mint sprig.

The Greyhound

This is such a simple cocktail, but so beautifully refreshing that it will make any picnic into a special event! As a summer drink it’s unusual because traditionally we serve it without ice in the glass. But, you’ll need a cocktail shaker to make it properly chilled. This recipe serves one:

Ingredients in Our Greyhound Recipe

• 60ml vodka
• 120ml grapefruit juice
• 1 teaspoon simple syrup.

Method

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with 3-4 ice cubes. Shake well. Pour into a martini glass to serve.

Elderflower and Cucumber Gin Rickey

To make the perfect summer drink, just take a classic and mix it up with Double Dutch. This recipe serves one, or you can premix the gin and lime juice in multiples of six or eight. It’s easy to transport in a chilled flask to finish the drink at your picnic venue.

Ingredients

• 50ml Dry Gin
• 10ml Fresh Lime Juice
• 150ml Double Dutch Elderflower Tonic
• Cucumber ribbon.

Method For Making a Elderflower and Cucumber Gin Rickey

Pour the gin and lime juice into a tall, ice-filled glass. Top with Double Dutch Elderflower Tonic and garnish with a ribbon of cucumber.

Strawberry Daiquiri

Photo by Anil Sharma

Nothing is easier than a daiquiri when it comes to picnic cocktails. It’s just freeze, blitz, pour, drink!

Our recipe serves one, scale it up to make a jugful. Transport it in a large, chilled, flask but note that it's best enjoyed soon after making. The frozen strawberries chill the drink whilst stabilising it for transportation. You can replace them with ice cubes but you’ll miss out on some of the fruity beauty of this cocktail.

Ingredients

• 60ml white rum
• 4 frozen strawberries
• 4 fresh strawberries
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 tablespoon of lime juice.

Method

Chuck everything into a blender and blitz! Best served in a hurricane glass for maximum impact.

Aperol Spritz

A spritz is a perfect picnic drink, bringing a touch of Italian sunshine to your al fresco dining. And to make this one even easier, it’s a drink you can ‘eyeball’, measuring out rough thirds as you make it.

Ingredients

• Aperol
• Double Dutch Pink Grapefruit
• Orange slices.

Method

Fill a tumbler with ice and then pour until around one third full of Aperol. Then fill up with two thirds Double Dutch Pink Grapefruitand garnish with an orange slice. Our recipe below serves four but you can treble it to make 12 glasses of punch at a time.

Summer Punch (alcohol free)

This one needs a little pre-planning, but believe us, it’s worth it!

Ingredients

• 4cm chunk of cucumber
• 4 mint sprigs
• 100g red berries (raspberries, strawberries, redcurrants) per person and a further 50g red berries to make ice
• Double Dutch Pomegranate & Basil
• Garnish ingredients: citrus fruit slices, frozen berries, more cucumber, more mint.

Pre-preparation

The night before, freeze the 50g red berries into ice cubes, on the day, roughly chop the cucumber and mint. Boil 200ml of water and pour over the mint and cucumber.

Leave for five minutes before adding the 100g red fruits. Leave another five minutes before crushing the fruit to release the flavours (a potato masher is great for this) and then sieve or strain. This mix keeps for 24 hours in the fridge.

Method For Our Alcohol Free Summer Punch

Divide your fruit crush between four glasses, add a handful of fruit-filled ice and top off with around 120ml Double Dutch Pomegranate & Basil. Garnish as madly as you like - this punch is a perfect opportunity to unleash your inner Carmen Miranda!

Mizuwari Picnic Style

Hanami aka cherry blossom season. This is a time when the Japanese create delicious picnics to eat whilst gazing at the blossoms. They have a fantastic drink to accompany their viewing - Mizuwari.

Originally made with shochu, a Japanese spirit and water, then with whisky. We’re suggesting that diluting a good whisky with ice tea will give you a distinguished cocktail. A cocktail that your guests are sure to appreciate.

Ingredients

• 35ml of any whisky (but for try Mizuwari try Suntory Old)
• 60ml cold Earl Grey tea
• 60ml mineral water
• Mandarin orange wheel

Method

Fill a tall glass with ice and pour in the whisky. Add the Earl Grey tea and the mineral water and stir gently to combine. Garnish with a mandarin orange wheel and savour slowly.

Jalapeño Cucumber Margarita

We’re back to cucumber but seriously, how can you have a picnic cocktail list without including a Margarita? This is another one that requires a bit of pre-preparation, but it’s so worth it! Serves four.

Ingredients For Our Jalapeño Cucumber Margarita

• 1 fresh jalapeño pepper
• 400ml tequila
• 100ml Cointreau or Triple Sec
• Half a cucumber
• 100ml lime juice
• Lime wedges
• Mild chilli powder or paprika
• Sea salt.

Method

Before your picnic. Chop the pepper and pour the tequila over it for about an hour. Test if the heat of the chilli is sufficient.

Decant tequila into a bottle or flask with Cointreau and lime juice and shake to blend. Whizz the cucumber in a food processor, then sieve. Pour the resulting juice into a chilled flask.

At the picnic, fill a large jug halfway with ice, pour in the cucumber puree then the spirit mix, stir well. Rim your glasses by rubbing a lime wedge around the edge. Press each one into a mixture of mild chilli or paprika powder and sea salt. Serve to wild applause!

Pimped up Pimm’s

A Pimm’s is a summer cocktail classic, and we’ve pimped it to make it uniquely picnic worthy.

Ingredients

• Pimms No1 Cup
• Double Dutch Double Lemon
• Strawberry
• Watermelon
• Cucumber
• Orange
• Mint leaves

Method

Roughly chop the fruit, cucumber and mint. Then put them in the bottom of your glasses to transport in your cooler so the flavours can blend as you travel. Once you arrive, add ice and Double Dutch Double Lemon.

Did We Miss Any Classic Cocktails?

Let us know if we’re missing any classic picnic cocktails. To find the perfect mixers for your summer drinks view our range of alcohol mixers and tonics.