One of the best parts of summer for a lot of people out there is enjoying the berries and other fresh fruits the season brings to us.

From early June through September we get to enjoy ripe raspberries, plumb strawberries, tart rhubarb, blueberries, blackberries and much more.

In addition to this, summer is also the perfect time to relax on the back deck or at the cottage and sip a cocktail.

You can enjoy the best of both worlds by making some cool and refreshing cocktails using summer fruits!

The recipes and handy bar tips below will help get you started and before you know it, you’ll be an expert mixologist with a degree in summer fruits!

Essential Bar Tools and Descriptions:

• Bar Spoon –a spoon with a long handle, used for stirring drinks in tall glasses.
• Blender –used for making blended frozen drinks such as margaritas or daiquiris.
• Bottle opener –essential for opening bottles without twist off tops.
• Corkscrew –while many wine bottles these days have screw top caps, there are still those that don’t so a corkscrew is a necessary tool for any bar.
• Cutting board –used for preparing garnishes or cutting up fruits.
• Jigger –a metal measuring device with two cones, one that usually holds 1 ½ oz and the other holds 1 oz. Used for precise measuring of liquids.
• Muddler –a thick stick usually made of wood or stainless steel, used to mash ingredients together in the bottom of a shaker or glass.
• Paring knife –a small short bladed knife used fur cutting up fruits and making garnishes.
• Shaker –available in several materials including metal, plastic and glass, used to mix drink ingredients together with ice.
• Strainer –a small strainer used with cocktail shakers that don’t have a built in strainer (such as the Boston Shaker)

5 Berry Cocktails for Summer

*Click images for full recipes 

Strawberry Smash Cocktail

[Source: CookieandKate.com]

Raspberry Beer Cocktail

[Source: Acupofmai.com]

Blueberry Hill

[Source: KitchenKonfidence.com]

Blackberry Pineapple Cocktail

[Source: TheCommunalPantry.com]

Blackberry Crush

[Source: MarthaStewart.com]