What's a good signature cocktail for a bbq on a hot summer day?

Campari and tonic. But I may be a bit old school.

I looove mojitos. I posted this recipe in another thread as well:

apple mojitos

2 oz apple rum
6 oz club soda
3 lime wedges
2 tsp sugar
3 fresh mint leave

Dip rim of glass in rum, then place in sugar to get rim coated. These are so delicious

Margaritas. Get a good blender.

@The_Compassionate_Heretic Do you have a good recipe for margaritas? We tried making them last weekend and they didn’t taste right.

Here is an awesome margarita recipe

@chyna The better the tequila, the better the margarita.
Just make sure you have the basics: Triple Sec, lime juice.

How about this one,

1 oz gin
1 oz cherry brandy
1 oz cointreau orange liquere or triple sec
5–7 oz lime cordial

Mix using those proportions and then blend with tons of ice. Garnish with a fat slice of orange.

you cant even imagine how much im craving these now that im finished writing out the recipe!

@brettvdb I’m warning you now, never throw a party with gin. Bad results, trust me.

I should’ve said Strawberry Margarita’s. I need a good recipe for that one.

How about this one:

NOTE: I would definitely substitute the triple sec for grand marnier like in my previous link’s recipe.

1 oz Tequila
½ oz Triple Sec
½ Strawberry schnapps
2 oz or 5–6 Frozen strawberries
1 oz Lime or lemon juice
2 oz Smashed ice
Some sugar

Directions

Shake the tequila, triple sec, schnapps, lemon juice and frozen strawberries with ice. Strain the ingredients into a cocktail glass fill with cracked ice pieces. The strawberry margarita could be served in a glass which is rimmed with sugar instead of salt. Perhaps also garnish with a fresh strawberry.

@brettydb I think the Triple Sec is what I’m missing. Thanks, I’ll try that one.

How about a bottle of ice, cold, beer?

it’s timeless

Oi! I got blasted on these Friday night… Salty Dogs…

Well I make mine an Orange Salty Dog:

Vodka
Grapefruit Juice
Vodka
Orange Juice
Vodka
(maybe a dash of ginger ale or sprite to give it some fizz for a hot day)
And with or without a salt rim..

Smashin!!

Sangria.
A Scorpion is also terrific, but more work.

I found a blog with what it claims are the Top 10 Drinks of Summer. Bottoms up!

Please drink responsibly and be of the drinking age in your state or locality. Thank you.

Down where we live I think most folks go for either Margaritas or cold beer. Personally, I’m a fan of Rum Collins or of Gin and Tonic (light on the gin), but I generally end up with a Virgin Margarita.

beer

damn! My husband beat me to it! Darwin too.

@creativejuices, is that one recipe or three?

One!! hhahaha! I just like mine STRONG.. of course.. you add the vodka to your tastes!

I know this will sound odd but it is really good…
Fill a glass with ice and build
1 1/2 oz Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka
3–4 oz Lemonade (any concentrate will do. if you do something like a Kool-Aid pack you might end up making the drink to sweet if you happen to overdo the sugar. Oh, do make sure to dilute the lemonade like it says to, don’t just use the concentrate straight.)
The next completes it but not needed
Splash of Huckleberry Syrup (btw huckleberry is related to the blueberry so use that or any other flavor you like)
Garnish with a Lemon wedge

I agree with @Blondesjon & @jonsblond….ice cold beer. I’m partial to Heinikin, Corona (with a lime wedge), or Pacifico on the imports, and for domestic, make mine an MGD (and an occasional PBR…afterall, I lost my beer virginity to a PBR). If I’m in the mood to kick things up a bit, I won’t mess with flavored cocktails…its got to be tequila shooters with salt and fresh lime (I have a mini-lime tree in my yard that produces fruit twelve months out of the year). As for the tequila, it must be Silver Patron, at minimum (stay away from gold or cheap tequila unless you really want a hangover). I mean, come on, now…...you are at a bbq and up to your elbows in ribs, chicken, baked beans, corn on the cob and potato salad and you’re sticky and thirsty. Last thing I want is some fruit juice tasting crap in a delicate cocktail glass. I want to stick my arm into one of those kiddie pools filled with ice and pull out an ice cold bottle (no cans) of beer. And before and after eating, you will likely find me huddled with some friends on a bench or around a fire pit, having fun and doing shooters.

I concur with those recommending beer. Nothing is better on a hot day like holding onto a cold Corona all day. We have a beer from Brazil called Brahma, it’s Corona-style but a bit different, give that a try if you’d like.

It’s not that you can’t make cocktails, mojitos are always fun after all, it’s just that with the hotness and the having fun (hopefully you’ve got some game going on, horseshoes or bocce or whatnot), a beer is more portable, less likely to spill, and easier to replenish. Plus you have to make the cocktail inside (or keep replenishing the edible melting ice outside), versus simply grabbing a beer from the cooler.

But if you’re adamant on finding a signature cocktail, I would recommend going in the direction of a large quantity drink you can customize to create your signature versus individual cocktails. I recommend sangria. Add your choices of wine and fruits and alcohol and sweetener and voila, a delicious drink that everyone can enjoy simply by pouring a cup. Plus you can add in other alcohols and fruit drink and wine as the night goes on to keep it flowing if that’s what you wish.

with BBQ, stick to beer.

@dynamicduo – Yup – my favorite summer drink. Goes down so easy and tastes so good and is good for you! :)

http://wine.about.com/od/howwineismade/a/sangriaessentia.htm

Not a summer cocktail but fun at bbq’s!! Put a funnel in a watermelon and slowly over a few days pour in a spirit based drink then on the bbq day slice up and serve yum!!

Greyhound soda…
Vodka and Squirt over ice…

Sangria is yummy and inexpensive, but i would not call it a cocktail.

After you have a glass of sangria on a hot summer day, you can call it whatever you like, maybe even ‘happy juice’!

@autumn43 : 1/3 red wine, 1/3 OJ, 1/3 water, maybe with a splash of lime juice, over ice, on a hot day—YUM! but not with BBQ. BBQ calls for a very light (in taste and color, but not necessarily in alcoholic content), well-chilled lager. That’s my position, and i’m sticking to it until i assume the resultant one (under the table).

@LexWordsmith – I have it with white wine. You can mix up the fruits too – oranges, etc. I’ve also had a pink sangria with apples that is made with white zinfandel. MMMMM! And, while I realize beer would really be the drink of choice for a hot, summer BBQ, it’s not my choice. But from the sounds I’ve heard from others drinking it…I’m guessing that’s a good thing! LOL!