Summer cocktails

In refreshing cocktails, ice does more work than the drink itself. A full glass of ice melts more slowly than a half-full glass because the cubes keep one another cold; so anyone trying to save ice actually ends up with a lukewarm, watered-down cocktail. Use large cubes in the glass and smaller ones in the shaker, because there you do want some melting. Make the ice with filtered water and keep it covered, otherwise it will absorb the smell of your freezer. And top it up as soon as the glass is half empty.

If you search for summer cocktails, you'll find roughly three groups. The first is the fruit sour: rum or gin, citrus, syrup, and fresh fruit, shaken and poured over ice. The second is the spritz family, where bubbles do the work and you barely need to measure anything. An Aperol Spritz belongs there. The third is the tropical category with coconut and pineapple, with the Piña Colada as its best-known example. All three work outdoors, provided you have enough ice.

Fresh fruit in the shaker requires two things: shake hard and then strain. Purée soft fruit first and strain the juice; otherwise pulp will remain and float on top of your cocktail. Don't muddle mint with a muddler; press it once between your hands instead, releasing the oils without bruising the leaves. Measure with a jigger, especially syrup, because half a centiliter too much is immediately noticeable with fruit. You'll find our cocktail shakers together, with bar spoons and strainers beside them.

An alcohol-free cooler needs something extra, otherwise it remains lemonade. Replace the rum with 4 cl of strong chilled tea or alcohol-free rum, and keep the citrus and syrup the same. The acidity does most of the work. A pinch of salt makes fruit taste rounder and mimics the body that alcohol normally provides. Our Virgin Mojito follows the same principle, and the overview of mocktails gives you more recipes for those who don't drink. Serve them in the same glass as the rest, and no one will notice the difference.

Outdoors, you rarely pour just one glass, so a pitcher is more practical than a shaker. Anything without bubbles can be mixed in advance: spirits, syrup, and juice in the recipe's proportions multiplied by six, in a sealed pitcher in the refrigerator. Squeeze fresh citrus on the day itself, as it loses its freshness within a day. Add ice and sparkling water only to the glass; otherwise, you'll have lukewarm water after half an hour. Put a pitcher of water next to it and stick to one or two glasses per guest.

The four below cover the summer. The Mojito is the most requested: rum, mint, lime and soda, and it only works with fresh mint. The Aperol Spritz is the lightest and easiest for a group. The watermelon cocktail is closest to the cooler above, and the Piña Colada is the only one you blend. Start with the Mojito; it teaches you the most about balance. If you have a mixed group, make two with alcohol and two without; the proportions remain the same.