18 Cocktail Ideas for Your Next BBQ

There is no better drink when the sun is scorching at a BBQ than this ultra-refreshing strawberry lemonade cocktail. This cocktail is sweet and balanced enough that even the pickiest drinkers will love it. The key is the strawberry mix made with fresh berries, sugar, and lemon juice. This cocktail strikes the perfect harmony of sweet and sour. 

This cocktail is a fun summer twist on a classic margarita. You need crushed watermelon, your favorite tequila, and lime juice. To balance the flavor, the drink includes some simple syrup and Cointreau. To enhance the flavors of this refreshing cocktail, rim the glasses with coarse sea salt and impress all your guests with your bartending skills!

Guy Fieri’s chipotle-barbecue margarita doesn’t pull any punches. It’s super easy to make, as it follows your standard margarita recipe but adds a few dashes of Angostura bitters and barbecue sauce! Barbecue sauce in a margarita may sound odd, but after trying this fiery margarita, you’ll be a believer. 

Grilled lemonade? It may sound weird, but it will be your new favorite barbeque cocktail. It’s a simple combination of tequila, triple sec, and lemonade, but it features caramelized lemon slices for a captivating flavor. It’s sweet with a slightly smoky flavor, an ideal pairing for BBQ food. 

If a smoky cocktail sounds appealing, try this BBQ-smoked margarita. The key ingredient is liquid smoke, which brings depth and complexity to what is otherwise a classic margarita! If you know how to make a margarita, this cocktail is a breeze but will wow your tastebuds. 

Kick your Arnold Palmer up a notch by adding some alcohol! This spoked Arnold Palmer recipe adds bourbon and limoncello to this previously subtle beverage. With a scoop of honey and some soda water, it's sweet and bubbly. When you want to utilize classic BBQ flavors in your BBQ cocktails, this recipe delivers. 

If you want a super easy cocktail for your next BBQ, it doesn’t get simpler than this delicious blackberry tequila cocktail. All you need is tequila, blackberry syrup, lime juice, and 7UP or a similar soda. The sweetness of the blackberry syrup with the punch of the tequila is a perfect combination with a rich but refreshing flavor. 

Not only is this grapefruit bourbon smash cocktail yummy, but also beautiful. The bright pink grapefruit juice paired with lovely green mint leaves makes for an endearing glass that will make mouths water. The recipe uses bourbon instead of light alcohols like vodka or tequila, creating a warm but fruity taste that is hard to resist. 

Looking for something more tropical to liven up your BBQ? Try this jungle bird cocktail recipe with fruity flavors and a classic tiki vibe. The rich flavor of dark rum is subdued by the brightness of pineapple juice, lime juice, and demerara simple syrup, which uses a special sugar for a toasty flavor. 

This recipe is a fruity twist on the classic collins cocktail. A collins is a typically sour gin cocktail with bubbles, and this cocktail adds vibrancy with the inclusion of fresh blueberries! No blueberry syrup or puree in this recipe. Instead, you muddle fresh blueberries for a bright taste that is brisk and bubbly. 

You can find loads of delicious sangria recipes for your summer BBQ, but this blackberry sangria takes the cake. Sangrias are ideal for a BBQ because you can make them in large batches and keep the party going all night. This colorful sangria will be a hit at your next BBQ party. 

This limoncello prosecco is one of the more sophisticated BBQ cocktails you can try. It has a complex flavor, combining the sweetness of limoncello and blueberries with the earthy flavor of thyme. The addition of lemon slices adds a subtle bite that livens the cocktail. This cocktail is super easy to make and even easier to drink. 

This cocktail has a warm and inviting taste that is smooth on the palate and perfectly sweet. The maple syrup replaces typical simple syrup, making the taste deeper, and the vanilla extract brings all the flavors to life. While this pear bourbon smash is a wonderful BBQ cocktail, the flavors are versatile enough that you can continue making it into autumn! 

Taking a break from the fruity BBQ cocktails for a moment, check out this rub and rye cocktail for something more savory and robust. This cocktail combines rye whiskey, lemon juice, maple syrup, beer, and barbecue bitters. The cocktail encompasses classic Memphis barbecue flavors and is even garnished with a slice of beef jerky to round out the earthy, umami taste. 

This cocktail is the easiest one on this list, using only three ingredients. Combine your favorite lemonade, iced tea, and vodka, and start drinking! Hosting a BBQ can be a lot of work, so keep your cocktail table simple with a bunch of spiked Arnold Palmers. 

While mules are some people’s go-to cocktails, others have never experienced the refreshing, biting flavor of a classic mule. Treat your guests to this Kentucky mule loaded with ginger flavor and the perfect amount of bourbon. When making any mule, don’t skimp on the ginger beer, as it makes the whole cocktail!

Another easy way to satisfy your thirsty guests is with this massive punch recipe. It’s brimming with Caribbean flavors that are vibrant and mouthwatering. It combines a variety of rums with grenadine, grapefruit juice, and pineapple-orange juice for a myriad of delicious flavors. 

The innovative cocktails on this list are outstanding, but there’s something about a classic mojito that will always hit the spot at a BBQ. While this recipe is for a pitcher of virgin mojitos, you can always add your favorite rum to make it alcohol. But it’s thoughtful to offer a virgin drink for the youngins or people opting not to drink.