Refreshing Summer Cocktails

Trade your signature drink for a refreshing summer sipper. Don't forget the tiny umbrella!

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Cucumber-Lime Infused Gin and Tonic

Photo: Jennifer Causey Styling: Missie Neville Crawford

Cucumber-Lime Infused Gin and Tonic Recipe
The crisp mixture of cucumber and lime is made complete with a splash of gin and tonic for the ultimate summertime sipper.

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Berry Limoncello

Photo: Caitlin Bensel Styling: Lindsey Lower

Berry Limoncello Recipe

Raspberries and strawberries really brighten up the flavors in one this berry cocktail. Serve it up at a party for a perfectly summery and refreshing sip.

Sugars 18g (est. added sugars 17g)

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Blackberry Pisco Sours

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

Blackberry Pisco Sours Recipe

Pisco is a South American grape brandy popular in Peru and Chile. If you can't find it in your area, feel free to substitute white tequila, grappa, or vodka. Don't be alarmed by the strength of this new classic; it's a cocktail that's meant to be sipped and savored.

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Thai Basil-Ginger Spritzer

Photo: Alison Miksch; Styling: Claire Spollen

Thai Basil-Ginger Spritzer Recipe
Paired with peppery ginger, the anise flavor of Thai basil gives you a highly refreshing summer sipper.

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Marionberry Mojito

Photo: Neil Dacosta

Marionberry Mojito Recipe
Exceptionally juicy and slightly tart, marionberries are perfect for this fizzy summer refresher. You can also use regular blackberries.

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Orange-Infused Rum Gimlets

Photo: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

Orange-Infused Rum Gimlets Recipe
If you enjoy fruity and light, this refreshing summer cocktail is your new BFF.

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Mai Tai

Photo: Nina Choi

Mai Tai Recipe
This classic rum-based cocktail recipe, infused with the citrus flavors of orange curaçao, orange juice, and lime juice, is the perfect drink to enjoy at the beach–or when you're dreaming of being there.

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Bottled Negronis

Photo: Robbie Caponetto; Styling: Claire Spollen

Bottled Negronis Recipe
Paired with peppery ginger, the anise flavor of Thai basil gives you a highly refreshing summer sipper.

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Kane's Peppery Bloody Mary

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Rose Nguyen

Kane's Peppery Bloody Mary Recipe
It's hard to beat the spicy bite of a good bloody mary on warm summer mornings. Seasoned with fresh basil, cilantro, and chives, this drink received the highest rating from Southern Living's test kitchen.

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Sparkling Elderflower Lemonade

Photo: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

Sparkling Elderflower Lemonade Recipe
Serve this sparkling lemonade as the perfect, thirst-quenching cocktail for a summer celebration. Elderflower liqueur is sweet, delicate, and floral, like nectar from a spring bouquet.

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Garden Cocktail

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Heather Chadduck

Garden Cocktail Recipe
This fresh summer cocktail is a fun spin on the classic Bloody Mary.

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Watermelon-Lime Soda

Watermelon-Lime Soda Recipe
Watermelon and lime pair beautifully in this exceptionally cool cocktail. Zingy ginger is the secret ingredient that will make people ask, "What tastes SO good in here?"

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Pisco Sour

Pisco Sour
This creamy, frothy cocktail is best served poolside—and by the pitcher.

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Sparkling Sangria

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Jan Gautro

Sparkling Sangria Recipe
Flavor this cava-and-brandy-based sangria with blueberries, cherries, raspberries, strawberries, nectarine, and apricot nectar for a sweet summer cocktail that tastes as good as it looks.

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Mojito Cooler

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Missy Neville Crawford

Mojito Cooler Recipe
Five ingredients are just a few minutes of prep time are all that stand between you and this refreshing classic cocktail.

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Fritz's Sonoran Sunset

Thomas J. Story

Fritz's Sonoran Sunset Recipe
Prickly pear syrup adds a sweet note to the grapefruit and tequila mixture. If your local store doesn't carry prickly pear syrup, you can order it online or substitute grenadine.

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Pomegranate-Key Lime Vodka Cocktails

Becky Luigart-Stayner; Jan Gautro; Leigh Ann Ross

Pomegranate-Key Lime Vodka Cocktails Recipe
Marry the flavors of pomegranate and Key lime for a light, fizzy cocktail that not only looks beautiful, but also tastes delicious.

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Ultimate Rum Punch

Howard L. Puckett

Ultimate Rum Punch Recipe
Bring the flavor of the Caribbean to your backyard barbecue with this festive concoction. Golden rum and coconut rum combine with apricot brandy and the juices of pineapples, oranges, and grapefruits. Garnish this summer-in-a-glass cocktail with lime wedges.

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Planter's Punch

Randy Mayor; Jan Gautro

Planter's Punch Recipe
Welcome guests with the traditional greeting drink of the Caribbean. Use fresh juices, and let guests garnish according to their preferences–sliced pineapple, cinnamon sticks, cherries, and a sprinkle of nutmeg are a few of our favorite toppers.

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Blackberry Cocktail

Photo: Jim Franco; Styling: Scott Martin

Blackberry Cocktail Recipe
Combine fresh blackberries, cucumber slices, lime juice, gin, club soda, sugar, and fresh mint for an ultra-summery, fruity escape.

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Honeydew Mimosas

Honeydew Mimosas Recipe
Use a traditional breakfast fruit as the base for this frosty sipper. Blend the melon with ice and sugar, then mix with a bottle of sparkling wine for a refreshing summer combo.

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Tequila Mojitos

Tequila Mojitos Recipe
Spiff up the classic mojito by substituting tequila for rum in this guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Our online reviewers had one unanimous note: Double the recipe!

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Blueberry Thrill

Photo: Anna Williams; Styling: Pam Morris

Blueberry Thrill Recipe
Sweet blueberries infuse spicy gin for summer's most refreshing cocktail sipper. For a fizzy cocktail, pour gin, cardamom syrup, and lemon juice over crushed ice in a glass; top with chilled club soda.

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Watermelon-Mint Margarita

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Lindsey Lower

Watermelon-Mint Margarita Recipe
Try a new twist on a classic margarita with watermelon and mint flavors.

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Pimm's Cup

Pimm's Cup
This thirst-quenching cocktail is best suited for a summer afternoon spent poolside.

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Strawberry Hibiscus Cooler

Photo: Iain Bagwell

Strawberry Hibiscus Cooler Recipe

With or without the vodka, this sweet-tart drink deserves a spot at brunch.

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Lemon-Mint Sparklers

Photo: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham

Lemon-Mint Sparklers Recipe
This refreshing summer drink is great with or without bourbon. Make a non-alcoholic batch for the kids, then use leftover simple syrup to whip up a boozy version for the adults in your crowd.

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Basil Tonics

Photo: Buff Strickland; Styling: Olga Naiman

Basil Tonics Recipe
Vodka, fresh basil, simple syrup, and tonic water are all you need for these refreshingly easy cocktails. They're also a wonderful way to use basil leaves from an herb garden.

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Sweet Heat Arnold Palmer

Photo: Jennifer Causey Styling: Missie Neville Crawford

Sweet Heat Arnold Palmer Recipe

The trick to layering beverages is to add liquids to the glass in order of most to least dense. We put most of the sugar into the lemonade (the denser liquid), so be sure to swirl before swigging.

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Mint Julep Sweet Tea

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Lydia DeGaris Pursell

Mint Julep Sweet Tea Recipe
This iced cocktail features combines the best of two classic Southern drinks: the mint julep and sweet tea.

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Seaside Sunrise

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Stylist: Linda Hirst

Seaside Sunrise Recipe
Take it to the beach! Blend bright juices and passion fruit rum, and then top with bubbly for a tropical twist on a mimosa.

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Vera Kollans Cocktails

Photo: Brain Woodcock; Styling: Missie Neville Crawford

Vera Kollans Cocktails Recipe

This drink is Greg Best's twist on the classic fizzy lemonade cocktail, Tom Collins.

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Limoncello Mojito

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Stylist: Linda Hirst

Limoncello Mojito Recipe
Combine lemon juice, mint, and Limoncello (lemon liqueur) to create this fresh summer mojito.

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The SL Mint Julep

Photo: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

The SL Mint Julep Recipe
Our go-to recipe for the quintessential Derby-day drink

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Dark 'n Stormy®

Photo: Robbie Caponetto; Styling: Linda Hirst, Rachael Burrow

Dark 'n Stormy® Recipe
Add rum and ginger beer to an ice-filled highball glass, stirring to combine. Garnish with a sugar cane stick and a lime wedge.

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Salty Water

Photo: Michael Kraus; Styling: Roscoe Betsill

Salty Water Recipe
Beach trip, anyone? Be sure to bring along fresh watermelon and strawberries to whip up this tasty oceanside sipper.

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Blood Orange Mimosas

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Lindsey Lower/Claire Spollen

Blood Orange Mimosas Recipe

We love the color blood oranges give this classic brunch cocktail. A dash of bitters adds depth. Look for orange bitters--such as Fee Brothers or Stirrings--at liquor stores or specialty grocers. The sugar cube dissolves as you sip, balancing the bitters and giving off bubbles for a festive touch. Juice the oranges and keep chilled up to a day ahead.

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Honey-Lemon Spritz

Photo: Jennifer Causey Styling: Missie Neville Crawford

Honey-Lemon Spritz Recipe

Slap the verbena leaves lightly between your palms before you garnish to release essential oils.

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Season Creep Cocktails

Photo: Brain Woodcock; Styling: Missie Neville Crawford

Season Creep Cocktails Recipe

For this drink, Best uses yellow Chartreuse--an herbal liqueur flavored with saffron and honey. Substitute Strega, an Italian herbal liqueur, if you wish.

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Watermelon-Jalapeño Margarita

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Stylist: Linda Hirst

Watermelon-Jalapeño Margarita Recipe
For a spicy garnish, combine salt and chili powder in a saucer. Dip rims of glasses in lime juice or water, and dip in salt mixture to coat.

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Christopher Robin

Photo: Michael Kraus; Styling: Roscoe Betsill

Christopher Robin Recipe
WIth honey and fresh lemon, this refreshing citrus drink will have you wishing every season was Summer.

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Smoky Old West

Photo: Thomas J. Story

Smoky Old West Recipe
In an old-fashioned glass, combine water, sugar, and bitters, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add orange peel and press against bottom of glass with bar spoon to release oils. Add whiskey and ice cubes to fill glass and stir briefly to mix.

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Ginger Pineapple Punch (Lebouroudjee)

Photo: Peden & Munk; Styling: Amy Wilson

Ginger Pineapple Punch (Lebouroudjee) Recipe
This intensely flavored punch is nonalcoholic but great as a cocktail; just add sparkling water and rum.

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Forest Negroni

Photo: Thomas J. Story

Forest Negroni Recipe
Fill a cocktail-mixing glass about two-thirds with ice cubes and add ingredients to mix together. Strain over a large ice cube into an old-fashioned glass, and garnish with a bay leaf.

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Gin and Coconut Water

Photo: Robbie Caponetto; Styling: Linda Hirst, Rachael Burrow

Gin and Coconut Water Recipe
Add lime juice and coconut water to a glass of gin, and stir in Angostura bitters to get a nice rosy color.

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Fluke Sunset

Photo: Michael Kraus; Styling: Roscoe Betsill

Fluke Sunset Recipe
Top with pomegranate juice and garnish with a lime slice.

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Pink-a-Colada

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Stylist: Linda Hirst

Pink-a-Colada Recipe
Brighten up a refreshing cocktail with fresh fruit and edible flowers.

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The Bernie Paloma

The Bernie Paloma Recipe
Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders recently served up a speech complete with a custom cocktail. Made with Vermont maple syrup, fresh fruit juices, and silver tequila, the now-famous cocktail was developed by Washington bartender Miguel Marcelino Herrara.

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Cucumber-Mint Tequila Tonic

Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Cindy Barr

Cucumber-Mint Tequila Tonic Recipe
Cucumber-Mint Tequila Tonic is the perfect warm weather cocktail. Made with fresh mint and cilantro leaves and chopped cucumber, it's refreshing and fabulous.

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Citrus-Honey Beer Shandy

Photo: Johnny Miller; Styling: Sarah Smart

Citrus-Honey Beer Shandy Recipe
This ultra-refreshing beer cocktail is perfect for sipping poolside, especially if you can find those mini paper umbrellas. Cheers!

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The Blush Lily

Photo: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

The Blush Lily Recipe
Our version of Churchill Downs' Oaks Lily

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Bourbon-Peach Limeade

Photo: Dana Gallagher; Styling: Alistair Turnbull

Bourbon-Peach Limeade Recipe
Freeze fresh peach and lime slices on a parchment-lined pan, and drop a few into your drink for a frosty garnish.

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Basil-Thyme Gimlet

Photo: Jeffery Cross; Styling: Jeffrey Larsen

Basil-Thyme Gimlet Recipe
In this drink, gin is infused with the savory freshness of basil and thyme.

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Skinny Cucumber-Lime Gin and Tonic

Meredith Food Studios

Skinny Cucumber-Lime Gin and Tonic Recipe

This refreshing and effervescent drink is like summer in a glass. Diet tonic water and lime juice combine for a great low-carb alternative that doesn’t have a strong aspartame aftertaste. For the coldest drink possible, make sure your glass is full of ice before you strain the mixture over it.

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Super Skinny Margarita

Meredith Food Studios

Super Skinny Margarita Recipe

Sweet, sour, strong, and delicious, this low-carb margarita is so much better than the fake (and overly sweet) sweet and sour mix. Margaritas are typically dense with calories, but this one is made with Stevia and fresh lime juice, which covers up any aftertaste. If you aren’t being too strict on your carbs, try agave nectar instead. You can also freeze and blend these for frozen margaritas.

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Skinny Strawberry Vodka Lemonade

Meredith Food Studios

Skinny Strawberry Vodka Lemonade Recipe

Looking for a sweet cocktail without all the sugar? This low-carb drink is sweet and tangy with a subtle flavor of fresh strawberry. If strawberries aren’t your favorite, you could substitute any summer fruit here for a spiked light cocktail.

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Salty Dog Slushes

Photo: Jen Causey; Prop Styling: Christina Daley; Food Styling: Karen Rankin

Salty Dog Slushes Recipe

The Salty Dog has no flaws, but turning it into a slush makes it the most wonderful and festive summertime cocktail ever. The bitterness, sweetness, salt, and booze come together to make a subtly sweet pink and frosty delight. You can even keep frozen grapefruit juice cubes in the freezer and whip a few drinks up to amaze friends (or yourself). If you’d like to experiment, this would also make a mighty fine granita.

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Grapefruit Beergaritas

Photo: Greg DuPree

Grapefruit Beergaritas Recipe

This fruity beer cocktail falls somewhere between a shandy, a margarita, and a radler. Serve with citrus slices and a half-salted rim, if you'd like, or omit the salt for a straight-up refreshing sipper.

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Refreshing Summer Cocktails

1 of 59

Cucumber-Lime Infused Gin and Tonic

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Berry Limoncello

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Blackberry Pisco Sours

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Thai Basil-Ginger Spritzer

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Marionberry Mojito

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Orange-Infused Rum Gimlets

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Mai Tai

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Bottled Negronis

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Kane's Peppery Bloody Mary

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Sparkling Elderflower Lemonade

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Garden Cocktail

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Watermelon-Lime Soda

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Pisco Sour

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Sparkling Sangria

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Mojito Cooler

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Fritz's Sonoran Sunset

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Pomegranate-Key Lime Vodka Cocktails

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Ultimate Rum Punch

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Planter's Punch

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Blackberry Cocktail

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Honeydew Mimosas

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Tequila Mojitos

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Blueberry Thrill

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Watermelon-Mint Margarita

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Pimm's Cup

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Strawberry Hibiscus Cooler

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Lemon-Mint Sparklers

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Basil Tonics

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Sweet Heat Arnold Palmer

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Mint Julep Sweet Tea

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Seaside Sunrise

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Vera Kollans Cocktails

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Limoncello Mojito

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The SL Mint Julep

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Dark 'n Stormy®

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Salty Water

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Blood Orange Mimosas

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Honey-Lemon Spritz

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Season Creep Cocktails