Celebrate Summertime with these Retail Cocktails

Retail Cocktails for Summertime 

In retail, every season has its challenges and opportunities. Summer sales volume is lower than other seasons. Still, there are ample chances celebrate and to promote. Swimsuit sales, inventory clearance, summer holidays mean something for everyone each and every month. Here are a few retail-inspired cocktails to enjoy this season.

Memorial Day Sale 

The traditional start to the summer season is the Memorial Day weekend. Here’s a light, seasonal concoction that serves four and will put everyone in the mood for more.

Ingredients

2 peaches, skinned and chopped

2 small desert apples, peeled and chopped

2 teaspoons chopped ginger

1 bottle pink sparkling wine

small apple slices for garnish

Combine the peaches, apples, and ginger with a little of the sparkling wine in a blender or food processor. Pour this into four tumblers over ice, and top off with the rest of the sparkling wine. You can garnish with small apple slices if you like.

4^th of July Clearance 

Nothing is as distinctly as American and patriotic as a clearance-sale event. The Founding Fathers were well known to indulge quite a lot. In fact, George Washington himself made a good living in his retirement distilling whiskey at Mount Vernon.  Here’s just the thing to enjoy after working a major summer-sale event.

Ingredients

2 measures of bourbon whiskey

a few drops of simple sugar

3 dashes of Angostura bitters

cherry and fresh orange slice for garnish

Combine all ingredients in a tumbler, add ice, and garnish with a fresh orange slice and a cherry (in remembrance of the Father of our country).

Semi-Annual Inventory 

Every retailer hates taking inventory. Often it’s done at night after the store closes, and it can go on all night long. You have to count every damn thing there is correctly.  When it’s all done, there is a sense of great relief, and here is just the thing to celebrate.

Ingredients

1 ½ measures of golden tequila

1 ½ measures of fresh squeezed lime juice

1 tablespoon of simple syrup

generous bunch of mint leaves, crushed, plus more for garnish

Begin by putting the crushed mint leaves into the bottom of a highball glass and cover with the simple syrup. Muddle it all together. Then add the tequila and lime juice. Fill the glass with crushed ice and stir. A lime wedge and another mint sprig makes a nice garnish on top.

Dads and Grads 

June is often a very slow month for retailers. All retailers look for something to get customers excited enough to come into the shop. Father’s Day and graduations are often combined into this classic June promotional event headline. And Dad will certainly appreciate a drink after he sees what that graduation cost him.

Ingredients

1 measure of vodka

1 ½ measures of cranberry juice

1 ½ measures of grapefruit juice

lime slice for garnish

Fill a tall glass with crushed ice, pour all ingredients over the ice, and stir well. A lime slice makes a great garnish, and this refreshing drink may be enjoyed through a straw.

Summer is a great time to be a retailer. There’s always lots to celebrate in the beginning of the season—Memorial Day, the middles, and Dads and Grads—and 4^th of July toward the end. These libations here are perfect for enjoying all of summer’s opportunities.