When the mercury is soaring, we get pouring. Hot weather = perfect imbibing opportunity, and we never miss those. Pair these easy-to-make cocktails with your fave sunspot in your garden/balcony/window and cool down, baby. 

Raspberry Lemon Frosé

Nothing says summer more than rosé, but when a heatwave strikes, it's time to crank it up and freeze that bad boy.

You will need:

• 1 bottle rosé wine
• 1 cup frozen raspberries (the golden ones look f*cking dreamy but red also work)
• 50g caster sugar
• 1 medium lemon - juice that baby up
• 100ml Mirabeau Rosé Gin

Method: 

Fill an ice cube tray with the rosé and put it in the freezer. It depends how big your ice cube tray is, but you should still have loadsa wine leftover. Keep that.

While that's freezing, put your raspberries into a pan with some sugar and a little bit of water and turn up the heat. You wanna reduce it down to make a bit of a coulis. Once it's all soft, runny and juicy, blitz it all in a blender to make it mega smooth, and then sieve out the seeds. No one wants seedy frosé.

Once your cubes are frozen, put them in a blender/smoothie maker. Add your seedless raspberry sauce, lemon juice, gin and the rest of the rosé. Now blitz that baby up til you've got the ultimate grown-up slushy. Pour into the biggest wine glasses you have and top with a raspberry. This serves four so if you've made this just for you (yes queen), pop it in the freezer between refills.

^{Image sourced from inheritedsalt.com via Pintetrest}

Watermelon Martini

This rockstar recipe is courtesy of the crew at one of our fave east London hangs, TT Liquor. 

You will need:

• 50ml vodka
• 12.5ml lemon juice
• 12.5ml sugar syrup
• 4 watermelon cubes (roughly 1 inch)
• Watermelon slice, for garnish

Method:

Add the watermelon cubes into your shaker. Using your muddler (or end of a rolling pin, whatever) muddle the watermelon until it is mostly liquidised. Then add the vodka, lemon juice and sugar syrup to the shaker and fill with ice.

Give it a big-ass vigorous shake for 10-15 seconds or until your shaker is f*cking freezing. Then strain the contents into a frozen glass (use a fine strainer or sieve if you have one - you want this smooth!). 

Garnish with a thin wedge of watermelon, cut so it sits on the edge of the glass like a boss.

Spiked Vegan Dalgona Coffee

Whipped coffee was the hottest trend of lockdown, and it's still worth sipping - especially when it's got a boozy edge.

You will need...

• 2 tbsp instant coffee or espresso powder
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp very hot water
• 25ml of Aluna Coconut Rum (you can use any rum but this one gives a wicked tropical hit)
• 400ml chilled coconut milk
• 10ml sugar syrup (or to taste)

Method:

Add the coffee, sugar and hot water to a medium mixing bowl and whip it up using an electric whisk until it is light brown, fluffy and stiff peaks form. Don't try and do that thing where you hold it upside down over your head, 'cos it probs won't work (unless you're filming it, in which case HELLO VIRAL FAME).

Then pour the rum and coconut milk into a glass and briskly stir in a spoonful of sugar syrup. Spoon dollops of the frothed coffee mixture on top.

Spicy Strawberry Lime Margarita

It's not just the weather that's gettin' HOT HOT HOT when you mix up a batch of these SPICY Margs.

You will need:

• 240ml Patrón Silver (or any blanco tequila you're digging right now)
• 120ml Patrón Citrónge Lime (or any lime liqueur you have)
• 12 fresh strawberries
• 120ml fresh lime juice
• 60ml sugar syrup
• 2 cups ice
• Half a fresh jalapeño (or hey, if you like things extra spicy, a bit more. You do you)
• More strawberries and jalapeño, for garnish

Method:

Combine ingredients in a blender pitcher and blend thoroughly. Taste and adjust sweetness or tartness to your liking - we all know how berries can change with the season. Pour into frozen mason/jam jars (yeah, jam jar cocktails are still happening, people). Garnish with half of a strawberry and a jalapeño coin. HOT DAMN.

^{Image courtesy of Patrón}

Bourbon Peach Fizz

Peaches are in season, and whisky is good all year round - so go ahead and pour yourself this fruity number while ya soak up that sun.

You will need:

• 3 thin slices fresh peach
• 1 thin slice lemon
• 1/4 cup bourbon - whatever you're loving these days
• Lots of ice cubes
• Ginger ale

Method:

In the bottom of an Old Fashioned glass (or your fave tumbler), smash and muddle together two juicy peach slices and the lemon, until well mixed and broken up. Add the bourbon and stir it up!

Pile ice cubes to the top of the glass, and finish with a few splashes of ginger ale. Garnish with the remaining peach slice and serve. BOOM!

^{Image sourced from dunkandcrumble.com via Pinterest} 

• Looking for more recipes to batch up this weekend? Check out these epic jug recipes.
• How about the low down on how to pimp your trusty G&T? Hit this up.