I love me some summer cocktails! Sip your way right into the end of summer with these fun, refreshing and minty cocktails from some restaurants around town.  Mint based cocktails have been around since the beginning, but these upgraded recipes make for some innovative sippers.  Whether used as a garnish or muddled inside the drink, these cocktails prove that mint is here to stay!

With the use of fresh raspberries, lemon juice, prosecco and vodka, the mint is the perfect topper to create the Fresca Fizz.  To cure that sweet tooth, mix in some pomegranate juice with fresh raspberries, lemon juice and mint leaves to get the Raspberry Smash.

Fresca Fizz from Bottiglia

4-6 Raspberries

10-12 Mint Leaves

1.5 oz Grey Goose Vodka or Sapphire East Gin

.75 oz Fresh Lemon Juice

.75 oz Wilks & Wilson Raspberry Gomme Syrpup

1.5 oz Prosecco (add after shake)

Build: Add raspeberries, 6 mint leaves, and raspberry syrup into mixing tin, lighting muddle.  Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the prosecco.  Add ice and shake vigorously.  Now add 1.5 oz prosecco into mixing tin, and strain over crushed ice with 6 mint leaves on the bottom of the glass.

Ice: Crushed

Glass: Collins

Garnish: Raspberry, Mint Sprig

The Drunken Sailor from The Hudson

1.75oz Sailor Jerry’s rum

.75oz strawberry puree

.75oz mint simple

1oz fresh lime

mint sprigs

Kin-Tucky Derby from The Churchill

2 oz Kin White Whiskey

3/4 oz fresh lime juice

1/2 oz simple syrup

Slapped Mint Leaves

Topped with Mixwell Grapefruit Soda

Raspberry Smash from Hearthstone

6-8 Mint Leaves

6 Fresh Raspberries

2 oz. 50 Bleu Vodka

1 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

1 oz. Pomegranate Juice

½ oz. Simple Syrup

Build: Add mint and raspberries into mixing tin. Lightly muddle, to press berries and to release the oils from mint. Now add the rest of the ingredients. Add ice and shake vigorously. Now strain over crushed ice.

Glass: Rocks

Garnish: Lemon Wheel, Raspberry, Mint Sprig

The Mint Julep from Tilted Kilt

1.5 oz. Marker’s Mark

1.0 oz. Simple Syrup

12-14 mint leaves

In a double old fashioned glass muddle the mint leaves with the Simple Syrup just enough to release the oils but not tear the leaves. Fill glass with ice, add Jim Beam Black and stir until glass is frosted. Garnish with a mint sprig.