32 Spiked Lemonades You Need To Make This Summer
We're giving the classic drink an adult twist.
When you’re a kid, there’s nothing more fun than setting up a lemonade stand in your front yard as soon as summer hits. We took the whole task very seriously when we were kids: mixing in just the right amount of sugar to the tart lemons, displaying our hand-drawn sign just so, and trying to keep the sampling of our wares to a minimum. Now that we’re adults with real jobs, we long for the simplicity of those days. This summer, take note from your younger self and make some fresh lemonade, but with an adult twist—add booze, and turn them into a cocktail! Check out our 32 spiked lemonade recipes for ideas–we bet they’ll make you feel like a kid again.
Though truly, you could just add some vodka to a pitcher of lemonade and call it a day, it’s way more fun to go above and beyond with your spiked lemonade. One of our favorite ways to jazz up simple cocktails is to infuse some aspect of them with unexpected flavor. Instead of using basic sugar to sweeten your drink, try an infused simple syrup. Our blueberry lemonade margaritas and lemosas (lemonade + mimosa, get it?) both use a blueberry simple to incredible effect—trust us, you’re going to want to make extra to put in all your drinks from now on. You could even add flavor to the alcohol itself, like in our boozy sour watermelon slushies (made with Sour Patch watermelons) or our spiked sparkling basil lemonade (bonus: the basil turns the drink a lovely shade of light green). Another option is to get creative with your ice cubes. Our shark infested waters cocktail uses gummy sharks frozen in ice cube trays to keep it cold, and our pink cloud punch or boozy sherbet punch use fruity ice cream that’ll make them as much dessert as they are cocktail.
Want more summer drink inspiration? Check out our best summer cocktails, our favorite frozen drink recipes, and our top non-alcoholic party drinks (trust us, you DO need virgin options) too.
Pink Señoritas
Like a margarita with a softer, cuter side, the Señorita ditches limes for pink lemonade and lemon juice. Olé!
Get the Pink Señoritas recipe.
Blueberry Lemonade Margaritas
Turn your margarita into summer goals with this blueberry lemonade version. Have some leftover blueberry simple syrup? It tastes AMAZING in seltzer water, and is a great sweetener for iced tea. You can even stir it into yogurt or ice cream for a punch of blueberry flavor.
Get the Blueberry Lemonade Margaritas recipe.
Spiked Sparkling Basil Lemonade
Basil-infused vodka? Sign us up. This brings out the sweetness of the herb and turns the spirit a vibrant green.
Mermaid Lemonade
The combo of lemonade, blue curaçao, and rum works miracles in this tropical summer cocktail that will make you feel like a mermaid.
Get the Mermaid Lemonade recipe.
Boozy Sherbet Punch
A good punch really gets the party started! This one is filled with fruit, plenty of booze, and enough sherbet to go around. We love it for its simplicity and the fun pops of color it brings.
Get the Boozy Sherbet Punch recipe.
Lemosas
Lemonade plus champagne (or your fave sparkling wine) is a drink we can get behind, but what takes this to the next level is an easy blueberry simple syrup you're going to want to put in all your cocktails from now on.
Get the Lemosas recipe.
Giggle Juice
WTF is Giggle Juice, you ask? A combo of moscato, lemonade, and vodka that will have all your friends laughing.
Get the Giggle Juice recipe.
Frozen Pimm's Cup
You don’t have to be in the seats at Wimbledon or a polo match to sip on a Pimm’s Cup–especially when you turn into a slushie. The less-proper icy version blends up citrus, cucumber, and a bunch of fresh ginger for some legit zing.
Get the Frozen Pimm's Cup recipe.
Color-Changing Margaritas
The secret ingredient in these margaritas is red cabbage! Don't worry, though—it has absolutely no flavor and is simply used to get that gorgeous florescent fuchsia. We've used purple cabbage to make natural Easter egg dye, and it works just as well in these delicious margaritas. Just maybe don't tell your friends till after they've tried them. 😉
Get the Color-Changing Margaritas recipe.
Summer Shandy Punch
Think of this as the boozy version of an Arnold Palmer— 1/2 beer, 1/2 lemonade. We jazzed it up for summer with some fresh fruit and ginger beer too.
Get the Summer Shandy Punch recipe.
Vodka Pink Lemonade Slushies
Sweet, sour, and crazy adorable. Simply scoop out the fruit of the lemons, blend up some vodka, lemonade, and ice, and fill 'em up!
Get the Vodka Pink Lemonade Slushies recipe.
Firefly Lemonade
Putting glowsticks in our cocktails is one of our favorite summer hacks—they remind us of lightning bugs and we don't lose them in the dark!
Get the Firefly Lemonade recipe.
Red, White & Boozy Margaritas
These are the perfect margaritas for the 4th of July or to sip on all summer. Be sure your mixtures are nice and slushy! The thicker the mixture, the easier to get those distinct, colorful layers.
Get the Red, White & Boozy Margaritas recipe.
Rum Slushies
We drink SO much rum during the summer—how could you not? It plays so well with tropical flavors. These slushies get their icy texture from lemonade and orange juice concentrate.
Get the Rum Slushies recipe.
Jack Frosties
These are fun in the winter when the weather outside is frightful, but are also delightful year-round—we'll be making these ocean-hued cocktails this summer for sure.
Get the Jack Frosties recipe.
Arnold Palmer Mimosas
If you love the 1/2 lemonade, 1/2 iced tea combo in an Arnold Palmer, you need to try it as a mimosa. They're the perfect brunch cocktail.
Get the Arnold Palmer Mimosas recipe.
Shark Infested Waters
To make these fun cocktails, you'll freeze gummy sharks with seltzer and blue curaçao, then drop them into a mixture of lemonade and rum. Feel free to get creative with the gummies you use (we think turtles would be cute if you can find them!).
Get the Shark Infested Waters recipe.
Layered Lemonade Drops
Don't be fooled by its pretty layers; this baby packs a punch.
Get the Layered Lemonade Drops recipe.
Strawberry Lemonade Margaritas
If you want to use classic lemonade instead of pink lemonade, that's totally cool. Your margaritas will still take on a beautiful pink hue from the strawberries.
Sangria Lemonade
Lemonade, a white wine like Chardonnay, and light rum combine to make our favorite twist on classic white wine sangria.
Get the Sangria Lemonade recipe.
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