7 Cool Summer Cocktail Recipes, Courtesy of Dallas Hot Spots

You’re in your breeziest linen, mingling among friends on a patio and blessed with — fingers crossed — bountiful shade. You’re ready to pour up something special to commemorate the moment (and combat the Texas heat) but… you find yourself at a loss for inspiration. We’re here to help. Or rather, some of our favorite Dallas restaurants are here with killer summer cocktail recipes for swizzles, lemon drops, and elevated punch bowls.

Monarch’s Lemondrop Martini

A sophisticated way to sip your favorite shot from the glittering downtown restaurant.

Ingredients:

– 2oz vodka
– .5oz lemon juice
– .5oz orange liqueur
– .5oz simple syrup

The Virgin Hotel Pool Club’s Highland Park Swizzle

A Dallas spin on Bermuda’s beloved Swizzle cocktail, this minty, tangy drink tastes like a Caribbean getaway.

Ingredients:

– 2 oz Rhum Agricole (Rhum JM or Clement preferred)
– 1 oz lime juice
– 1/2 oz simple syrup
– 7 to 10 dashes Angostura bitters
– ~2 oz Topo Chico (depends on glass size)

How to Prepare: Combine the rhum, lime, and simple syrup in a shaker tin with ice cubes. Shake vigorously. Strain the contents into a glass filled with crushed ice and top with Topo Chico until the glass is filled. Add a small amount of crushed ice to the now full glass to create a snowcone dome effect. Cover the domed ice with 7-10 dashes of Angostura bitters. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

Note from the Chef: Stirring the drink is not recommended, as the flavor of the drink evolves.

The Passionfruit “Yogarita” at Le Meridien, The Stoneleigh

In honor of The Stoneleigh’s Sunday poolside Yoga Flow series, the hotel’s executive chef Esayas Estifanos is whipping up a refreshing summer margarita to pair with your all-day pool pass post-class.

– Casamigos Blanco tequila
– Cointreau
– House made passionfruit purée
– Agave
– Lime juice

Crown Block’s Crown Blockberry

As aesthetically pleasing as it is delicious.

Ingredients:

– 1 1/2 oz. Casamigos Reposado
– ¾ oz. Cointreau
– ¾ oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
– ¾ oz. simple syrup
– ¾ oz. Aquafaba
– 5 blackberries OR blackberry puree

How to prepare: Muddle blackberries or add puree and add all the ingredients to a shaker tin filled with ice. Vigorously shake and strain into your choice of glassware. Garnish with two fresh blackberries.

Meddlesome Moth’s “Flew the Coop” Cocktail

When the Dallas Design District favorite revamped its craft cocktail menu in 2021, the bubbles-topped “Flew the Coop” was a notable, sweet-yet-tart addition.

Ingredients:

– 1.5 oz Towns Vodka
– .75 oz Mathilde Peche
– .5 oz simple syrup
– .25 oz lemon juice
– .25 oz lime juice
– edible orchid

How to Prepare: Shake, pour, and serve on the rocks with a splash of champagne.

Punch Bowl Social’s Careless Whisper Punch

Elevate the punch bowl offerings with a botanical gin and rosé brew, courtesy of the Deep Ellum bar.

Ingredients for an individual serving:
(Typically served as a large format cocktail for either 4 or 8 people)

– 1.5 oz Hendrick’s Flora Adora Gin
– .75 oz Lillet Rosé
– .25 oz Giffard Pamplemousse
– .25 oz fresh lemon juice
– .25 oz simple syrup
– 1.5 oz Liquid Death Berry It Alive sparkling water

How to prepare: Combine Gin, Lillet Rosé, Pamplemousse, lemon juice and simple syrup in a shaker.  Fill with ice and shake hard to combine.  Strain into the glass of your choice, and add the berry flavored sparkling water.  Add ice and garnish with rose petals.

Komodo’s “Pikachu”

No visit to Deep Ellum’s Miami fever dream is complete with the restaurant’s most photo-ready cocktail. The glass may be a bit silly, but the ginger, yuzu, and wasabi-infused drink justifies the kitsch.

Ingredients:

– 818 reposado tequila
– Yuzu
– Ginger
– Wasabi
– Honey

Prepared in Komodo’s signature Pikachu cocktail glass and garnished with a lemon peel.