As you soak up the last moments of summer, we highly recommend you spend your time outside soaking up the sun, ideally with a refreshing drink in hand. Whether you’re planning a casual get-together or a Labour Day dinner party, consider whipping up a refreshing cocktail or opening a bottle of easy-drinking wine, guaranteed to spice up your night and easily impress your guests.

First thing’s first – one of the most common sweeteners in many cocktail recipes is a simple syrup. While this may sound intimidating, it is one of the easiest things you can do to spice up your drinks and even desserts. On the stove, add a 1:1 ratio of water and sugar, heat until the sugar is dissolved, and remove from the heat to cool – and there you have it, simple syrup. To enhance the flavour of your syrup, feel free to add vanilla extract, fruit juices or whole fruits while your syrup is on the stove and strain out any seeds or skins before adding them to your cocktail.

Now that you know the basics, we’ve put together a list of 7 refreshing cocktails and wines you should make before summer comes to an end.

Dillon’s Mariposa Float

This Dillon’s Peach Brandy cocktail is the perfect sweet treat (or nightcap) to serve to friends after dinner.

Ingredients: 2-3 fresh peach slices, 1.5oz Dillon’s Peach Brandy, vanilla bean ice cream, 3oz sparkling wine or Prosecco

Instructions:

1. Layer fresh peaches on the bottom of your glass, pour over 1.5oz of Dillon’s Peach Brandy

2. Scoop vanilla ice cream over the peaches

3. Top with 3oz of sparkling wine or prosecco

4. Garnish with peach slice and straw

BEARFACE Highball

One of the simplest cocktails anyone can make is a highball. This type of cocktail typically contains a spirit, served over ice in a highball glass, and topped with a carbonated beverage like soda. The BEARFACE Highball only has 3 ingredients and is a refreshing way to enjoy Canadian Whiskey.

Ingredients: 1.5 oz BEARFACE whiskey, 1/2 oz vanilla syrup, soda water, strawberry, thyme

Instructions:

1. Fill your your highball glass with ice

2. Add 1.5oz BEARFACE whiskey and a 1/2 oz vanilla syrup

3. Top with soda water

4. Garnish with strawberry and thyme

Saturday Sun Brilliant White Wine

If you don’t want to roll the dice of guessing a cocktail palette, open a great bottle of wine. Our end-of-summer pick is the Saturday Sun Brilliant White Wine, enjoy a heavy pour of this refreshing and fruity blend with grilled seafood and other spicy flavours.

Notes: Citrus, melon

Pairs with: Caprese salad, grilled chicken, spicy shrimp, soft cheeses, pear

Ceci Otello Lambrusco

Lambrusco is a great light alternative to heavier red wines in the summer and pairs best with aperitivo snacks. The Ceci Otello Lambrusco comes from the Emilia region of Italy and has complex botanical notes.

Notes: Strawberry, blackberry, raspberry, mint, licorice and hints of cinnamon

Pairs with: hard cheeses, cured meats

Limoncello Spritz

A close relative of the beloved Aperol Spritz, the Limoncello Spritz is a no-fuss Italian summer daytime cocktail which can be enjoyed with small bites like bruschetta and cured meats.

Ingredients: 3oz Prosecco or Sparkling white wine, 2oz Limoncello, soda water, lemon, mint

Instructions:

1. Fill a wine glass with ice

2. Add 3oz Prosecco or sparkling white wine

3. Measure and add 2oz limoncello

4. Top with 1oz of soda water

5. Garnish with lemon slice and mint

Cherry Mojito

The tropical Mojito can easily be modified to include seasonal fruits like cherries which can elevate this rum-based cocktail to another level.

Ingredients: 6 cherries, 1 lime, mint, 2oz white rum, 2oz simple syrup, club soda

Instructions:

1. In a shaker, add 5 (pitted and stemmed) cherries, mint, 2oz simple syrup and 2oz of white rum

2. Use a muddler to break up the fruit and release the mint flavour

3. Fill shaker with ice, shake for 30 seconds – 1 min, or until shaker is cold to the touch

4. Strain and pour mixture into a highball glass filled with ice

5. Top with soda and a squeeze of lime juice

6. Garnish with a fresh cherry and mint

Phony Negroni

For those who don’t drink but still want to enjoy a sweet and bitter mocktail, the Phony Negroni is exactly what it sounds like – a classic Negroni, without the booze.

Instructions:

1. In a rocks glass filled with ice, add your Phony Negroni

2. Stir with ice to chill

3. Garnish with a fresh orange slice

4. OPTIONAL: top with soda or non-alcoholic prosecco