21 Classic Summer Cocktails to Beat the Heat

A traditional Cuban highball, the Mojito can trace its origins back to 1586, when Sir Francis Drake landed at Havana. The original Mojita was made with aguardiente, an early version of rum. Today, it combines white rum, lime juice, simple syrup, and muddled (crushed) mint leaves, topped with club soda.

Tired of gin-based cocktails? Try a Moscow Mule instead. Pour vodka, lime juice, and chilled ginger beer over ice into the distinctive copper Moscow Mule mug.

The unofficial drink of Wimbledon, this British favorite is named after Pimm’s No. 1, a gin-based liqueur first sipped in mid-1800’s London. The liqueur is diluted with sparkling lemonade and lemon juice. Plentiful garnishes are a must and include strawberries, cucumbers, fresh basil, and lemon slices.

Forget that annoying 1970s-era pop song and enjoy the Piña Colada for what it is: A refreshing concoction of rum, cream of coconut liqueur, and pineapple and lime juices poured into a chilled hurricane glass.

Said to be the unofficial drink of West Texas, Ranch Water is a light and bubbly highball that swirls together tequila, lime juice, and (insist diehard fans) Topo Chico mineral water from Mexico — though other sparkling water may be used.