7 Best Summer Cocktails For RV Camping

There are few things better after a long day of camping than a nice, cold drink. And with warm weather and prime camping season on the way for many of us, summer cocktails, in particular, will hit the spot.

We’ve rounded up our seven best picks to cool you off and chill you out. And all are surely easy enough for even the most novice campsite bartender. 

Let’s jump in!

What Makes For A Great Summer Cocktail?

When the weather’s hot and the sun is beating down, certain types of cocktails just hit the spot. Firstly, they tend to have lighter, fruitier flavors and contain lighter spirits like tequila, rum, or vodka. Many times, they’ll be simple to make, with just a few ingredients, or lend themselves well to large batches for a group to enjoy.

This is especially handy for camping trips when you can’t bring along your whole bar. Perhaps most importantly, summer cocktails are almost always served nice and cold, providing that refreshment you need on a hot summer day or steamy summer night. 

The 7 Best Cocktails For An RV Summer

No matter what flavors you love or the kind of drinks you crave, we’ve got a drink for you on the list of our seven favorite cocktails for summer. 

#1 – Spiked Blackberry Limeade

What Makes It Great:  Summer’s best berries and most drinkable spirit meet with the refreshingly sweet and tart combo of limeade. It’s a drink that brings to mind classic lemonades of summers past, but with a zing of flavor all its own. Tequila and Blackberry limeade is an excellent choice for large batches or pitches. In addition, this summer cocktail requires relatively few ingredients and next to no skill or time to prepare.

Ingredients: Tequila, lime juice (fresh or bottled), sugar, water, and blackberries (fresh or frozen.)

Pro Tip: If you don’t have access to fresh blackberries, bring this high quality blackberry syrup with you!

How To Make It: Start by adding your blackberries to a cup or pitcher and muddle with a spoon or mixing utensil. Pour in your water and lime juice, then add sugar until it’s reached your desired level of sweetness/tartness. Lastly, add tequila to taste and serve over ice with a blackberry garnish. 

Summer In A Glass Ranking: 8/10. A flavorful and unusual twist on an iconic hot weather drink.

#2 – Mojito

What Makes It Great: For a taste of the Caribbean, whip up this thirst-quenching Cuban classic. Mint is the major flavor here, providing a light and refreshing contrast to many fruity or sweet cocktails. The simple ingredients of this summer cocktail also let the spirits shine – a bonus for rum lovers looking to highlight their favorite alcohol. 

Ingredients: Fresh mint, a lime, simple syrup (or sugar), white rum, and club soda.

How To Make It: Add your mint leaves, lime, and sugar or simple syrup to your glass. Next, muddle those ingredients to release the mint flavors and aromas. Pour in your rum, then top with crushed ice and club soda. Garnish with an extra sprig of mint or lime wedge, and serve. 

Summer In A Glass Ranking: 9/10. A true classic that whisks you from your campsite to the shores of a white sandy beach – if you’re not camping on one already!

#3 – Mason Jar Sangria

What Makes It Great: Wine drinkers will love this fruity, summery, easy-to-transport cocktail. This fruity and complex combination of ingredients gets an extra kick from some added vodka. Making this summer cocktail before leaving home (up to three days in advance), you can save yourself some significant time and stress at the campsite. Plus, it comes in its own glass, saving you from having to bring along extra cups. 

Ingredients: Red or white wine, vodka, frozen fruit (peaches, raspberries, blueberries, or your favorites!), peach nectar, lemonade concentrate, sugar, and club soda.

How To Make It: Add fruit to your mason jar and top with vodka, peach nectar, and lemonade concentrate. Then, sprinkle in some sugar, and fill the jar with wine, leaving a little space at the top. Refrigerate for several hours to chill and allow the flavors to mingle. Top with a splash of club soda before serving.  

Pro Tip: If you don’t want to pack glass mason jars, try these 16oz plastic mason jars.

Summer In A Glass Ranking: 7/10. Amazing flavors and a great drink to make ahead of time, but the relatively larger number of ingredients makes it less practical than some other choices on this list. 

#4 – Paloma

What Makes It Great: If you’re looking for an ultra-simple but still ultra-flavorful tequila cocktail, you’ve found it in the Paloma. You’ll need just three or four ingredients to make it, and your drink comes together in just seconds. It’s also an excellent and easy choice to scale up for large groups. 

Ingredients: Tequila, grapefruit soda (or grapefruit juice and club soda), and lime. 

How To Make It: Pour your tequila into a glass filled with ice. Top with grapefruit soda (or a mixture of grapefruit juice and club soda), then squeeze in some lime juice, and serve. 

Summer In A Glass Ranking: 8/10. Familiar and different at the same time, and you’ll find few summer cocktails that are this easy and this delicious at the same time.

#5 – Moscow Mule

What Makes It Great: The bite of ginger, the tang of lime, and the classic, ice-cold copper mug make Moscow Mules a hot weather favorite. It also requires just three ingredients, all of which keep well for longer trips. Properly prepared in a frosty mug, a mule will certainly help you cool off on a hot summer day. Complex, refreshing, and easy to prepare, it’ll quickly become a go-to for your camping cocktail repertoire. 

Ingredients: Vodka, lime juice, and ginger beer. 

How To Make It: If possible, prepare it in copper mugs filled with ice. Squeeze juice from half a lime over the ice, then add the lime shell to the cup. Add vodka, and top with ginger beer. Stir and serve. 

Summer In A Glass Ranking: 8/10. This distinctive and simple cocktail packs bold, complex flavors that’ll have you craving another round. 

#6 – S’mores Cocktail

What Makes It Great: It’s a s’more in a glass. Need we say more? In case that wasn’t enough for you, this sweet delight takes one of camping’s most iconic food items and adds a little buzz from vodka and chocolate liqueur. It’s a perfect after-dinner or dessert drink and a nice departure from the lighter, fruitier summer cocktails that hold the other spots on our list. 

Ingredients: Chocolate liqueur, vanilla vodka, milk (or non-dairy milk of your choice), chocolate syrup. Garnishes if desired, such as marshmallows, crushed graham crackers, whipped cream, chopped chocolate, and more!

How To Make It: Add chocolate liqueur, vodka, and milk to a shaker with ice, then shake vigorously. Drizzle the inside of a chilled glass with chocolate syrup and strain the cocktail into the glass. Lastly, top with garnishes of your choice and enjoy. 

Summer In A Glass Ranking: 7/10. A delicious alcoholic take on a camping classic, but not the best choice for those looking for a refreshing summer cocktail.

#7 – Mai Tai Mocktail

What Makes It Great: It’s a tropical flavor lover’s dream – no alcohol required. Bursting with the flavor of citrus, it’s an excellent choice for kids or others who can’t or don’t want an alcoholic drink but still want to enjoy a tasty beverage with their fellow campers. It’s so delicious you won’t even miss the rum!

Ingredients: Lemon-lime soda, pineapple juice, orange juice, grenadine, and maraschino cherries, oranges, or limes for garnish.

How To Make It: Pour the juices over ice, then add the lemon-lime soda. Then, drizzle in some grenadine, and serve. Garnish with your choice of cherries, orange slices, lime slices, or all three!

Summer In A Glass Ranking: 8/10. Refreshing, full of flavor, and no tipsiness or hangover afterward. Still, it requires more ingredients than others on this list, especially if you include your garnishes. 

Summer Cocktails Refresh and Invite

As you can see, you don’t need to be a master bartender to make delicious and refreshing drinks that’ll be the hit of your campsite. And maybe you’ll even make some new friends from the next site over! With the help of these trusty summer cocktails, your RV camping trips will surely never be the same. As always, remember to drink responsibly – and enjoy!

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