As temperatures rise, beverage experts in New York emphasize the importance of light, refreshing drinks for summer gatherings, offering practical advice for home bartenders looking to serve crowds without overcomplicating recipes.

Moe Aljaff and Juliette Larrouy, co-owners of Schmuck, a cocktail bar in Manhattan’s East Village, highlight the challenges of serving classic cocktails like martinis in warm weather. Aljaff, with experience from Barcelona’s vibrant outdoor terrace culture, advises against the traditional served-up martini due to its tendency to warm quickly and feel heavy. Instead, he suggests a "dirty martini and tonic," a tall, fizzy drink made by combining equal parts London dry gin, dry vermouth, olive brine, and a touch of apple brandy in advance, then pouring over ice and topping with tonic water. He notes that slight dilution from the ice is acceptable in hot weather, as lighter drinks are preferable to the sharp, heavy alcohol preferred in colder months.

Taking inspiration from Spain’s thriving outdoor social scene, Jopus Grevelink, senior beverage manager for the José Andrés Group, advocates for sangria as an ideal crowd-pleaser. He stresses the importance of quality ingredients, recommending a cava sangria made with Spanish sparkling wine and seasonal fruit macerated in gin, vermouth, and sugar. This mixture is then topped with cava and served over ice, garnished modestly with mint and an orange slice. Thomas Thompson, beverage director at Spanish restaurants Ernesto’s and Bartolo in New York, recommends the “yayo blanco,” a popular Madrid cocktail blending gin, sparkling lemonade, and red vermouth, which he modifies by infusing white vermouth with oolong tea to add tannins reminiscent of an Arnold Palmer. His colleague, Daryl Coke, suggests tinto de verano—a simple combination of red wine and lemon-lime soda or sparkling lemonade—as another easy option.

Mexican-inspired agua frescas are also championed by Ignacio Jiménez, owner of Superbuno in the East Village. He proposes using these fruit-based drinks to lower alcohol content while maintaining refreshment. Examples include the fresca royale, made with rum, lemon juice, and strawberry agua fresca topped with sparkling wine, or the fresca tonic, combining gin, St. Germain elderflower liqueur, and cucumber agua fresca with cucumber tonic.

For those preferring punch-style beverages, Rafa García Febles, general manager of Kabawa and Bar Kbawana, offers a simple rum punch recipe designed for groups. The beverage combines aged Caribbean rum, fresh lime juice, cane syrup, Angostura bitters, and distilled water, mixed ahead and refrigerated. To serve, the punch is poured over ice and garnished with sliced tropical fruits and grated nutmeg. García Febles emphasizes the versatility of the punch, noting that once the base recipe is mastered, it can be tailored with added spices or fruit juices for variation.

Overall, these experts endorse a summer cocktail philosophy centered on ease, lower alcohol levels, and use of fresh, seasonal ingredients to keep guests cool and satisfied throughout warm-weather gatherings.