Skip to Content

32 Spiked Lemonades You Need To Make This Summer

We're giving the classic drink an adult twist.

By
spiked basil lemonade

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.

1

Pink Señoritas

pink señoritas
Parker Feierbach

Like a margarita with a softer, cuter side, the Señorita ditches limes for pink lemonade and lemon juice. Olé!

Get the Pink Señoritas recipe.

2

Blueberry Lemonade Margaritas

blueberry lemonade margaritas   delishcom
Emily Hlavac Green

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.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
3

Spiked Sparkling Basil Lemonade

spiked basil lemonade

Basil-infused vodka? Sign us up. This brings out the sweetness of the herb and turns the spirit a vibrant green.

Get the Spiked Sparkling Basil Lemonade recipe.

4

Mermaid Lemonade

mermaid lemonade vertical
Ethan Calabrese

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.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
5

Boozy Sherbet Punch

sherbet punch
Parker Feierbach

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.

6

Lemosas

lemosa cocktail garnished with skewered blueberries
JOEL GOLDBERG

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.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
7

Giggle Juice

giggle juice vertical

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.

8

Frozen Pimm's Cup

frozen pimm's cup
Emily Hlavac Green

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.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
9

Color-Changing Margaritas

color changing margaritas
Park Feierbach

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.

10

Summer Shandy Punch

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.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
11

Vodka Pink Lemonade Slushies

vodka pink lemonade slushies
Chelsea Lupkin

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.

12

Firefly Lemonade

firefly lemonade
Jonathan Boulton

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.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
13

Red, White & Boozy Margaritas

red white and boozy frozen margaritas
BRAD HOLLAND

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.

14

Rum Slushies

rum slushies
Chelsea Lupkin

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.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
15

Jack Frosties

drunk jack frosty
Emily Hlavac Green

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.

16

Arnold Palmer Mimosas

arnold palmer mimosas
Chelsea Lupkin

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.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
17

Shark Infested Waters

shark infested water cocktails
BRAD HOLLAND

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.

18

Layered Lemonade Drops

layered lemonade drops
Natalie Migliarini

Don't be fooled by its pretty layers; this baby packs a punch.

Get the Layered Lemonade Drops recipe.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
19

Strawberry Lemonade Margaritas

strawberry lemonade margaritas
Charlie Gillette

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.

Get the Strawberry Lemonade Margaritas recipe.

20

Sangria Lemonade

sangria lemonade
Ethan Calabrese

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.

Watch Next 
preview for Vertical Videos Delish
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below