13 Cocktails to Keep You Hydrated in the Summer Heat

During the summer, thirst can range from the simple need for water to the desire for a refreshing tipple.

In the heat of the season, heavy cocktails aren’t on anyone’s mind. In fact, the best, and usually most popular, drinks are those that add an extra boost of hydration. Good for body and soul.

Blackberries: The Black and Blue-Berry Kentucky Lemonade from New York Hilton Midtown features fresh blackberries, which are 85% water and high in antioxidants.

Black and Blue-Berry Kentucky Lemonade

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Woodford Reserve Bourbon
• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Rosemary Sprigs
• Simple Syrup, to Taste
• Fresh Lemon Juice, to Taste
• Club Soda, to Top
• Fresh Fruit, for Garnish

Preparation: Muddle berries with rosemary and lemon. Add just a splash of simple syrup. Shake and strain into an ice-filled glass. Top with club soda. Garnish with fresh fruit.

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Blueberries: Served at Westin La Paloma’s Poppy Kitchen, the Boom Berry, a part of their on-tap cocktails, combines blueberry-infused vodka, fresh lime juice, and blueberries.

The Boom Berry

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. Blueberry-Infused Vodka
• 2 oz. Simple Syrup
• 1 oz. Lime Juice

Preparation: Infuse your vodka with blueberries for at least three days. Shake all ingredients and pour over ice. Garnish with infused blueberries and enjoy.

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Coconut Water: Hilton Waikoloa Village serves the Guava Refresh Rita featuring fresh coconut water, which contains electrolytes like sodium, magnesium, calcium, and potassium.

Guava Refresh Rita

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Patron Silver
• 3/4 oz. Orchid Guava Liqueur
• 2 oz. Coconut Water
• 1 oz. Lime Sour

Preparation: Shake together and strain over fresh ice.

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Cucumber: The Brooklyn Dill Pickle, served at Manhattan’s iconic New York Hilton Midtown, is a refreshing twist on a traditional Gin and Tonic. With 96.7% water content, cucumber has the highest water content of any solid food.

The Brooklyn Dill Pickle

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Brooklyn Gin
• Muddled Fresh Dill
• Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
• Cubed Cucumber
• Tonic Water, to Top
• Fried Pickle Chip, for Garnish

Preparation: Muddle all fresh ingredients and then shake well in order to bring out the aroma of the dill. Pour into a highball glass filled with ice and top it with tonic water.

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Guava: The Bushido Slam served at Wyndham Grand Rio Mar’s Shimas features sake, fresh ginger, lychee syrup, guava puree, and club soda.

The Bushido Slam

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Sake
• 1 tsp. Fresh Ginger
• 2 oz. Lychee Syrup
• 2 oz. Guava Purée
• Club Soda, to Top

Preparation: Muddle the fresh ginger, then combine all ingredients and shake well. Top with club soda.

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Oranges: The Fresh Squeezed Punch is an “adult” fruit punch that combines plenty of fruit juice to add some juicy goodness to the boozy kick.

Fresh Squeezed Punch

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. Grey Goose L’Orange Vodka
• 1 oz. Malibu Passion Fruit Rum
• 1/2 oz. Amaretto Di Saronno
• 5 drops Bittermens Tiki Bitters
• 1 1/2 oz. Pineapple Juice
• 1 1/2 oz. Orange Juice
• 1/4 oz. Grenadine
• Orange Slice, for Garnish
• Cherry, for Garnish

Preparation: Combine all ingredients into a mixing glass. Cover and shake vigorously. Pour into a 16 oz. glass. Add a dash of grenadine for a sinker at the end. Finally garnish with an orange slice with a cherry on top.

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Passion Fruit: The Tropical Itch at Hilton Hawaiian Village’s Tropics Bar & Grill pairs Bacardi 151, Jim Beam Bourbon, Trader Vic’s Dark Rum, and Orange Curaçao with Passion Fruit Purée for a hydrating and refreshing summer cocktail.

Tropical Itch

Ingredients:

• 3/4 oz. Overproof Rum
• 1/2 oz. Dark Rum
• 1/2 oz. Bourbon
• 1/2 oz. Orange Curaçao
• 1 dash Angostura Bitters
• 4 oz. Passion Fruit Juice

Preparation: Fill glass with ice, add all ingredients except dark rum, and stir well. Float dark rum on top.

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Peach: The Peach Gimlet from Hilton Orlando combines the flavors of cucumber, elderflower, and peach for a revitalizing libation.

Peach Gimlet

Ingredients:

• 1/4 oz. Hendricks Gin
• 3/4 oz. St Elder Liqueur
• 3/4 oz. Peach Purée
• 1/2 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
• 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup
• Splash of Sprite
• Slice of Peach, for Garnish

Preparation: Shake all ingredients until chilled and serve up with a slice of peach.

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Pear: In the heart of downtown San Francisco, Urban Tavern offers the Pear Perfection, whose name offers more than a hint as to the pear purée.

Pear Perfection

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Bacardi
• 3/4 oz. Pear Purée
• 3/4 oz. Ginger Liqueur
• 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup
• Lemon Twist, for Garnish

Preparation: Shake all ingredients and serve in a martini glass, garnished with a fresh lemon twist.

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Pineapple: The Pineapple Sage Mojito from JW Marriott Grand Rapids combines the fruity mix of lime, pineapple syrup, mint, and locally grown pineapple sage leaves with chunks of fresh pineapple and rum.

Pineapple Sage Mojito

Ingredients:

• 1/2 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
• 1 slice of Fresh Lime
• 1/2 oz. Pineapple Simple Syrup
• (2) 1″ Chunks of Fresh Pineapple
• 3 Mint Leaves
• 5 Pineapple Sage Leaves (Grown Locally in JW Marriott Grand Rapids’ Deck Garden)
• 2 oz. Bacardi Light Rum
• Soda Water, to Top
• Pineapple Chunk, for Garnish

Preparation: Place all ingredients (except rum and soda water) in an empty Collins glass and muddle together. Add Bacardi and fill with ice. Pour contents into shaker and then back into glass to mix ingredients together. Top with soda water. Garnish with a third pineapple chunk at the top.

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Pomegranate: The Pomegranate Margarita from Del Frisco’s Grille features hydrating pomegranate juice paired with zesty lime and a kick of tequila.

Pomegranate Margarita

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Avion Reposado Tequila
• 1 oz. Cointreau Liquor
• 2 oz. POM Pomegranate Juice
• 1 1/2 oz. Sweet & Sour
• 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup

Preparation: Combine ingredients and serve over ice.

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Strawberry: The Martini Strawberry at 18 & Greene Steakhouse at Los Suenos Marriot Ocean & Golf Resort. Strawberries are 92% water, and studies show that people who eat one serving of strawberries per day tend to have higher blood levels of vitamin B.

Martini Strawberry

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Vodka
• 2 Basil Leaves
• 1 oz. Strawberry Juice
• 2 Lime Wedges

Preparation: Use a muddler to crush the lime and basil in order to release natural oils. Mix the crushed lime wedges and basil into the shaker with strawberry juice, ice, and vodka. Shake well and, serve in a martini glass.

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Red Grapes: Fruits and Veggies, served at Battello, a waterfront restaurant in the Newport section of Jersey City, is a hydrating cocktail that starts with organic Crop Vodka, which uses grains harvested from chemical-free soil. Then cucumber, red grapes, and St. Germain liqueur are added to give this cocktail a healthy, fresh flavor.

Fruits and Veggies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Crop Cucumber Vodka
• 1/2 oz. St. Germain
• 1 Cucumber Slice
• 2 Red Grapes
• 1 Grape, for Garnish
• 1 Cucumber Slice, for Garnish

Preparation: Muddle grapes and cucumber until a fine paste Add remaining ingredients and shake 10 to15 seconds. Double strain into a lowball filled with ice. Garnish with one grape and cucumber slice.