8 Labor Day Cocktails for One Last Taste of Summer

Labor Day weekend has always been less about officially saying goodbye to summer and more about stretching it out for one more round. Whether that means a final long lunch outside, a beach day that turns into sunset drinks, or simply firing up the grill at home, the right cocktail can keep the season going just a little longer.

This year’s lineup moves easily between the last days of summer and the first hints of fall, with minty mojitos, a coconut-ginger margarita, peach and rosé cocktails, proper bourbon, and a few spritzes worth carrying well beyond the long weekend. Consider it your excuse to fill the ice bucket, invite a few people over, and refuse to acknowledge sweater weather quite yet.

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The Rémy Mojito

• 1.5 oz Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal

• 1 oz fresh lime juice

• 0.5 oz Simple syrup

• 1 oz Sparkling water

• Handful of mint

• Garnish: Mint sprig

Glassware: Collins glass. 10–12 oz ideal

Add all ingredients except sparkling water to shaker tin, shake with a small handful of pebbled ice (this doesn’t break the mint leaves as much which can look a bit messy if so. This is just adding dilution, expressing the mint oils, and aerating the ingredients). Dump ingredients into collins glass over ice, top with sparkling water and garnish with a bountiful mint sprig.

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Coconut Ginger Margarita

• 1 oz  Cointreau  

• 1 oz Blanco Tequila

• 1 oz Coconut Water

• 1 oz Fresh Lime Juice

• 5 coins Ginger

Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a lime peel and/or candied ginger

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CØSMO+GRONI

• 1 oz NOLET'S Silver Gin

• 1 oz Sweet Vermouth

• 1 oz Aperol®

• 1.5 oz Cranberry juice

  Vigorously shake all ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker. Pour into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a lime peel or wedge.

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Ketel One Vodka’s Peach Tea-Ni

• 1.5 oz. Ketel One® Vodka

• 0.5 oz. fresh lemon juice

• 0.5 oz. simple syrup

• 1.5 oz. white tea (steeped with white cranberry juice and fresh muddled raspberries)

• 2 dashes lemon bitters

  Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and shake with ice. Double strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a lemon twist and raspberry
  

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Rosé Paloma

• 3 oz Hampton Water Rosé 

• ½ oz Fresh Grapefruit Juice 

• 1 oz Grapefruit Soda 

• 1 oz The Starlino Rosé Aperitivo (or Aperol) 

• Sugar (to garnish) 

  Prepare glass by running a slice of grapefruit over the rim to coat in grapefruit juice. Then dip the rim into a plate of sugar to coat the rim. Add ice to the glass. Add all ingredients to the prepared glass and stir. 

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Wild Turkey Mint Julep

• 1/2 part Wild Turkey® 101 Bourbon

• 1/2 oz. simple syrup

• 12 mint leaves

Add mint leaves to silver julep cup or double rocks glass and muddle. Fill the glass with crushed ice and pour in remaining ingredients. Lightly mix and garnish with mint sprig.

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Appleton Estate Jamaican Daiquiri

•  2 parts Appleton Estate® Signature

• 0.75 parts fresh lime juice

• 1 part simple syrup (or demerara)

  Add all ingredients into a shaker filled with ice. Shake until well chilled and strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a lime twist.

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No . 3 Gin St. James Spritz

•  35ml No. 3 London Dry Gin

• 15ml Elderflower Cordial 125ml Crémant 

• 1 Rosemary Sprig 

• 1 Pink Grapefruit Ice

  Fill your large wine glass with ice, add your ingredients, stir gently and top with a little more crémant. Garnish with a pink grapefruit slice and a sprig of rosemary.

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Labor Day may signal the unofficial end of summer, but there is no reason the drinks have to follow the calendar. These cocktails have enough range to carry you from the final barbecue of the season into early fall dinners, rooftop nights, and whatever comes next. For now, keep the ice cold, the glasses full, and summer going for at least one more pour.

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