We may all be grounded, but we can still enjoy happy hour!
Call a friend, mix your drink, and travel across the most beautiful cities in Europe.
Pimm’s: London, England
The quintessential taste of British summer is found in a jug of this gin-based citrus drink topped with fruit and mint. It’s mandatory at all picnics and sporting events in the UK and has been touted as the number one summer cocktail by the Brits, probably because it’s like drinking a spiked fruit salad! Try adding a few drops of ginger beer instead of the lemonade for a refreshing variation.
What you’ll need for 1 cocktail
- 2 ounces Pimm’s No.1
- 5 ounces of lemonade
- 1 slice of strawberry, orange, and cucumber
- A small mint sprig for garnish
- An ice cube
How to make it
- Place an ice cube into the bottom of a glass
- Add the Pimm’s, lemonade and fruit and stir to combine
- Garnish with the mint
Bloody Mary: Paris, France
With a feisty vodka kick, tangy lemon, and a Tabasco kick, the Bloody Mary is guaranteed to give you a wake-up call. Its reputation as a hangover cure is legendary, in fact, it’s a nutritional breakfast and hangover cure all in one! Legend has it that the first version of the drink was conceived by a bartender in the early 1920s while working at the famed Harry’s New York Bar in Paris.
What you’ll need for 1 cocktail
- 2 ounces vodka
- 4 ounces tomato juice
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of black pepper
- 1 tsp Tabasco sauce
- 3 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- An ice cube
- 1 celery stick, for garnish
- 1 lemon wedge, for garnish
How to make it
- Place all ingredients except the garnishes in a cocktail shaker or tightly sealed jar and shake vigorously for 15 seconds
- Strain into a highball glass
- Garnish with a celery stick and a lemon wedge
Sangria: Spain
With a base of full-bodied red wine, spiked with a citrus liquor, and combined with fruit and soda water or lemonade, Sangria is actually a variation on the Spanish word for blood (Sangre). Sangria is a refreshing and popular summer punch and is perfect for sipping on the porch as the sun goes down. For a twist on the recipe, try Sangria Blanca (made with white wine) or Sangria de Cava (a bubbly version made with sparkling wine).
What you’ll need for 4 cocktails
- 1 bottle of dry, full-bodied red wine (preferably Spanish)
- 2 tbsp orange juice
- 3 tbsp orange liqueur
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 orange, thinly sliced (you can also add diced peach or apple)
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced
- 8½ ounces of soda water
- Ice cubes
How to make it
- Combine all ingredients in a large jug except for the soda water and ice cubes
- Cover and refrigerate for several hours (or overnight)
- Add the soda and ice cubes and serve in tall glasses
Negroni: Italy
The inspiration for the Negroni came from an Italian cocktail known as the Americano, which is composed of Campari, sweet vermouth, and club soda. The story goes that in 1919, a French general by the name of Count Negroni thought that the cocktail wasn’t strong enough, he asked his bartender to add a touch of gin rather than soda to his mix. And voila – or as the Italians say ‘Ecco’ – the Negroni was born! It is now one of Italy’s most popular cocktails.
What you’ll need for 1 cocktail
- 1 ounce Campari
- 1 ounce gin
- 1 ounce Vermouth Rosso
- An orange slice for garnish
How to make it
- Chill the liquid ingredients
- Mix liquids together
- Pour into a glass filled with ice
- Add the orange slice as garnish
Black Russian: Brussels, Belgium
Despite what you might assume, neither the Black Russian nor its milky cousin the White Russian originates from Russia. In a strange turn of events, the mixture of vodka and coffee liqueur actually has its roots in Belgium. The Black Russian is so named due to its dark color and the vodka – the quintessential Russian symbol! It is believed that in 1949 a bartender at the Hotel Metropole in Brussels mixed the first Black Russian for American socialite Perle Mesta and has been a perennial favorite ever since.
What you’ll need for 1 cocktail
- 2 ounces vodka
- 1 ounce Kahlúa (or other coffee liqueur)
How to make it
- Add vodka to a glass with ice
- Add the coffee liqueur
Chava is the content manager at Sweet Inn.
She loves traveling the world with her family and collecting tacky magnets for the fridge.
