Beyond beautiful weather and longer days, one of our favorite things about summer is berry season. As summer approaches, we dream of luscious strawberries, plump blueberries and fun hybrid berries like olallieberries. And, like most people, we love berries in all forms — fresh, in pies, and as jams — but our favorite thing to do with berries is to enjoy them in summer cocktails. In the spirit of summer cheer, we’ve included recipes for two of our favorite cocktails so that you, too, can take advantage of berry season before it’s over!

Strawberry Basil Lemonade (inspiration: theKitchn)
Makes 1 serving

• 3 strawberries, de-stemmed
• 5 basil leaves
• 1.5 ounces vodka (the original recipe calls for Smirnoff Strawberry Vodka, but unflavored vodka will do as well)
• 1 ounce pureed strawberries
• ½ cup lemonade
• a few ice cubes

Start by muddling the strawberries and basil leaves and vodka in a glass*. Transfer the mixture to a cocktail shaker and add the pureed strawberries to the mix. Add ice, shake for 15 seconds, and then pour everything back into the glass. Lastly, fill the glass with lemonade and stir before serving.

*we like these Rocco Blue Double Old-Fashioned Glasses or, if you’re feeling playful, these Mustache Double Old Fashioned Glasses. Both are available at World Market.

Blackberry Cooler (inspiration: Rachael Ray)
Makes 1 serving

• 4 mint leaves
• 4 blackberries
• 2 ounces gin
• 1 ounce elderflower liqueur (the original recipe recommends St-Germain)
• ½ lemon, juiced
• a few ice cubes
• optional: agave nectar, to taste

Start by muddling the mint leaves in a cocktail shaker, like this one from World Market. Add the berries and continue muddling. Add the remaining ingredients into the cocktail shaker and shake to combine. Strain the mixture into a rock glass* and enjoy.

*we’re fans of the Harry Rocks Glass from Crate&Barrel — beautiful and inexpensive.

We hope you enjoy these recipes, and we’d love to hear about your favorite summer cocktails in the comments below!

Cheers,
the Shopilly Team

Photo credits: worldmarket.com, rachaelraymag.com, crateandbarrel.com