7 Unique Summer Drinks That Deserve a Spot in Your Glass

Summer has a way of slowing everything down. The heat makes you pause, and the sunshine draws you outside. The days stretch long, and the nights feel even longer - until they’re suddenly gone. So, it’s worth making the most of it. Sit in the garden with some ‘picky bits’ and enjoy drinks crafted with care. Not just another white wine or the same old gin and tonic - there’s nothing wrong with either - but there is a lot more out there to enjoy.

Think drinks with a story. Bottles that shine in the sun and are full of summer flavour. From English fine cider and French apéritifs to floral Cognacs and fruit-forward whiskies, these are summer-ready drinks full of character. They’re versatile, too - perfect for long drinks like Cognac and soda, a combination that will keep you cool in the warm weather. In fact, all of these drinks work beautifully with soda. And soda loves summer. 

Find & Foster Natura Pastorum 2020 Cider

Find & Foster make fine cider in Devon, working to regenerate historic orchards and preserve traditional English cider-making. Natura Pastorum 2020 is a medium-dry sparkling cider crafted using the traditional Champagne method. It spends two years on lees, adding complexity and a soft, rounded mouthful.

Expect notes of fragrant apple, orange blossom, lemon and gentle honey. Elegant and expressive, it is the kind of bottle to have chilled and ready for long afternoons outside. Best served chilled in a wine glass, where it can open up in the sun.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 6%
Find Here: £21.00

Jean Luc Pasquet Marie-Framboise

Jean-Luc Pasquet is an organic Cognac producer behind some of the region's most exciting expressions. Marie-Framboise is a raspberry apéritif made with locally grown organic berries - and it’s shaping up to be a modern classic. It bursts with vibrant raspberry character and carries layers of complexity.

Enjoy it over ice or with soda, but it really shines when splashed into sparkling wine or fine cider, such as Find & Foster. The raspberries are macerated for up to three months, developing notes of freshly picked raspberries, dates, blackcurrant leaf and mint, making it a real taste of summer.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 16%
Find Here: £24.50

Savoia Orancio

Savoia Orancio is an orange wine aperitivo blended with spice and citrus, making it perfect for a refreshing Spritz. It’s a fresh, modern take on the Italian aperitivo tradition. Orange wine is made by fermenting white grapes on their skins, which adds complex aromatics to the glass.

Its bittersweet balance unfolds gradually with the orange wine and spices working together, as the flavours evolve over time. Notes of bitter orange, lime and bergamot meet ginger, pomegranate and a hint of saffron. It's made for sunny evenings, shared plates and great company.

Size: 500ml
ABV: 17.2%
Find Here: £21.95

Bruichladdich Whisky: The Classic Laddie

Bruichladdich’s (pronounced BROOK-Laddie) is a barley-forward single malt Scotch whisky with bright fruit notes and a deep connection to place. The distillery champions sustainability and, through its commitment to reconnecting ‘whisky and agriculture’, it uses 100% Scottish barley in its whiskies. They describe the colour of the whisky as ‘sunlight on early summer barley fields’ - and that is how it tastes too.

Bottled at 50% ABV, it carries plenty of fruity richness and lets the barley flavour shine through. Whisky and soda come into their own in summer, and this is one of the best whiskies to enjoy in that long serve. Expect notes of pear, honey, heather, lemon and a touch of salt.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 50%
Find Here: £49.90

Four Roses Small Batch Whisky

Strawberries are a real summer treat and instantly bring to mind Four Roses Small Batch bourbon, thanks to its fruity profile. Four Roses uses ten different bourbon recipes to create whiskies with a wide range of flavour profiles, making their range an excellent way to explore bourbon and discover how different flavour combinations come together.

The Small batch delivers those classic bourbon notes of sweet vanilla oak, caramel, baking spices - cinnamon, nutmeg and clove alongside lashings of ripe strawberries. It is a firm favourite for an old-fashioned cocktail, but for something lighter, try their Kentucky Lemonade cocktail, which keeps things refreshing on a hot day whilst still letting that bourbon shine.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 45% ABV
Find Here: £30.50

Frapin VSOP Cognac

The fruit-forward notes of cognac make it the perfect spirit for summer, and if you’re unsure where to start, Frapin VSOP is a great choice. It is fruit-forward, versatile, and made without compromising on quality. VSOP stands for Very Superior Old Pale and notes that the cognac is at least four years old, giving you greater depth and richness.

Remarkably, this cognac house dates back to 1270, yet the spirit feels modern and accessible. Notes of baked apple, flowers (roses), oak, vanilla, and ginger work wonderfully in a sidecar or with soda for a refreshing fruity-sweet alternative to gin.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find Here: £58.25

Grosperrin Extra Grande Champagne Cuvée Abel Mestreau

Some moments deserve a truly special spirit. This 45-year-old Grande Champagne Cognac comes from Grosperrin, highly regarded négociant-traders who buy and bottle Cognac. It has been bottled under the historic Abel Mestreau label, originally a broker from the early 1900s whose business closed after World War I.

Grande Champagne, which refers to the growing region (also known as cru), is the most prized region in Cognac, famed for long-aging potential and finesse. This bottle offers indulgent notes of old oak, tobacco, leather, plums and warming spices (nutmeg and cinnamon), with a lingering, contemplative finish. This is a rare chance to experience history in a glass.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 43% 
Find Here: £136

For more summer-ready drinks, take a look at this article on English whisky, which highlights whisky that truly shines at this time of year.

No Longer a Curiosity: The 7 English Whiskies You need to try

English whisky has been building momentum, with a focus on innovation that still pays tribute to tradition. Ever since The English Sherry Cask Matured was voted ‘best single malt in the world’ in the 2024 World Whisky Awards, English distilleries have been challenging the perception that English single malt whisky was here to merely make up the numbers. This is an exciting time to explore English whisky with a groundswell of passion and experimentation up and down the country. What unites them is their commitment to flavour and a curious mind. There is a sense of freedom: to innovate, to play and to reflect the place it is made. The seven whiskies below have been hand selected and tell a story of English whisky’s emergence as the whisky of the 21st century.

Filey Bay Flagship 

If you’re a new whisky drinker and don’t know where to start, this is the whisky for you. This English single malt whisky from Yorkshire manages to be approachable whilst having enough complexity to interest experienced drinkers. Filey Bay has a real connection to place, which carries through every step of production and through the regenerative farming practices at the centre of their approach. Growing 100% of the barley in the carefully nurtured soil on their farm yields a flavoursome barley with hints of caramel. The Flagship bottle is the essence of their style, with notes of soft vanilla ice cream, fruity with peaches and gentle oak spice. It is wonderful in a highball.

Size: 70cl
ABV: 46%
Find here: £55.75

Fielden Rye Whisky

There is a real sense of England captured in this expressive rye whisky. Also based in Yorkshire and employing regenerative farming practices, they are able to extract abundant flavour from heritage grains that are selected for flavour over yield. This considered approach to whisky making supports English farmers and enhances the biodiversity of the English countryside more widely. These efforts happily translate into a uniquely English rye whisky, which is matured in a combination of American oak casks and a selection of ex-wine casks. This is rich and inviting with notes of buttery croissant, berries, caramel and cinnamon. It works exceptionally well in an old-fashioned cocktail.

Size: 70cl
ABV: 46%
Find here: £55.75

Cotswolds Signature Single Malt

In terms of flavour profile, Cotswolds sits between the softer Filey Bay and the rich and full-bodied Fielden. Situated in the beautiful Cotswolds countryside, this single malt whisky uses locally grown barley. It’s an everyday indulgence and a must-try for anyone exploring English whisky. They use a variety of barrels to include ex-Bourbon casks and STR ex-wine casks; shaved, toasted and recharred to remove a few millimetres of wine-soaked wood, toast the fresh surface, then flame-char it: the refreshed oak offers notes of raspberry and caramel that complement the malt forward creamy porridge notes. This whisky is well suited to enjoy after a Sunday stroll in the countryside.

Size: 70cl
ABV: 46%
Find here: £47.90

White Peak Wire Works Whisky Bourbon Barrel

Located at the old Johnson & Nephew Wire Works on the banks of a river nestled in ancient woodland, White Peaks focus on flavour and place, using spent brewers yeast from a local brewery. This whisky follows the distillery’s fruit forward and lightly-peated style, with so-called ‘inactive’ Bourbon barrels imparting minimal flavour and allowing the true characteristics of the whisky to shine. This is a great starting point with Wire Works whisky and peated whisky generally. It offers notes of vanilla sponge, lemon rind, white chocolate, and wisps of gentle smoke. and pairs really well with chalky cheese and crackers.

Size: 70cl
ABV: 53.4%
Find here: £60.75

The Lakes Signature Single Malt

The Lakes Signature is the distillery's first permanent style of sherry-led whisky. It is equally approachable to newer whisky drinkers, offering a ‘treat yourself’ moment of the sublime, while also perfect for those who enjoy sherry-forward whisky. The Lakes know that “to prosper we cannot play safe” which inspires their curiosity. Whisky Maker Sarah Burgess (formerly of The Macallan) builds layers of richness and complexity by making careful adjustments to the location and climate of the cask throughout maturation. This technique is known as élevage, and is traditionally used in cognac production. The whisky has rich notes of leather, medjool dates, figs, sandalwood and gentle oak and is well suited to quiet contemplation accompanied by your favourite album. 

Size: 70cl
ABV: 47%
Find here: £78.50

Circumstance Organic Single Grain Barley Whisky

Circumstance Distillery challenges assumptions about how great whisky is made, and delivers exceptionally flavoursome results. This is authentic, experimental, and exciting whisky. Prioritising flavour, they don’t produce single malts. Instead, they layer flavour using multiple grains, various yeast strains, very long fermentations, and a range of cask types that add a warming texture to the whisky. Committed to sustainability, they’re certified organic and carbon neutral. The result is a velvety whisky that tastes like freshly baked rhubarb crumble, with toasted hazelnuts and lemon zest adding balance. It pairs beautifully with chilled hibiscus kombucha.

Size: 70cl
ABV: 47.7 %
Find here: £45.25

Woven Experience N.22 Pastures New

English whisky has its first English blended whisky thanks to the team at Woven. It represents yet another milestone, bringing together diverse approaches and styles that collectively contribute to a rich and thriving whisky scene. In doing so this bottle signifies that English whisky is here to stay. Blended whiskies are at times unfairly seen as lesser than single malts, but blending is a craft and offers the opportunity for greater complexity compared to single malts. Woven are a refreshingly modern whisky brand who are making whisky inclusive and fun. The blend comprises six whiskies, including Wire Works, Fielden, and Cotswolds. It offers notes of plums, spiced rye bread, wildflowers, and nutmeg. and pairs perfectly with a nice crisp, dry cider.

Size: 70cl
ABV: 49.1%
Find here: £54.95

Together, these whiskies represent a vibrant and thoughtful English whisky scene, deeply tied to place. Be curious. Pick up a bottle and start exploring! If you’d like to read more whisky content click here.