Recipes Holidays + Events Memorial Day 13 Refreshing Pitcher Drinks for Memorial Day Weekend By Bridget Hallinan Bridget Hallinan As an Associate Food Editor, Bridget Hallinan primarily focuses on home cooking content for Food & Wine.com. She writes and edits recipe content, interviews chefs for helpful tips and tricks, and works on franchises such as our cookbook roundups and taste tests. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on May 14, 2020 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: © Con Poulos Memorial Day Weekend is the unofficial start of summer, and we like to celebrate with cool, refreshing drinks—better yet, pitcher drinks, which can easily be scaled for gatherings. Think sangria, punch, batch mojitos, and Aperol spritzes, too. Read on for some of our favorite Memorial Day drink recipes. 01 of 13 Ginger Shandies © Tina Rupp All you need to make these drinks is ginger beer, Hoegaarden beer, one thinly sliced lemon, and mint sprigs. Go to Recipe 02 of 13 Georgia on My Mind Peach liqueur, fresh lemon juice, bourbon, chilled apricot or peach ale, and more come together in this fruity drink. Go to Recipe 03 of 13 Pineapple-Sake Sangria with Jalapeño LUIS GARCIA This sake-based punch from chef Helene Henderson is refreshing and spicy thanks to an easy-to-make jalapeño syrup. Go to Recipe 04 of 13 Red Sangria LUCAS ALLEN This easy red sangria only has a few ingredients—a fruity red wine (such as Merlot), brandy, simple syrup, mixed citrus pieces, and ice. Serve in chilled, ice-filled wine glasses. Go to Recipe 05 of 13 Sparkling Yuzu Gimlets © Christina Holmes After you've mixed them up, Top Chef winner Mei Lin recommends serving these gimlets in ice-filled collins glasses, with small sprigs of mint and basil and a cucumber spear for garnish. Go to Recipe 06 of 13 Rum Punch All of the ingredients in this simple punch come together in a pitcher except for the ice and pineapple wedges. Once you're ready to serve, pour the punch into red wine glasses over ice and use the wedges for garnish. Go to Recipe 07 of 13 Sandy Bottoms Victor Protasio This pitcher drink pairs refreshing watermelon with the delicate fennel-and-herb flavor of Peychaud's bitters. 08 of 13 Sky Juice Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Ana Kelly / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell This creamy concoction of fresh coconut water and sweetened condensed milk liberally mixed with gin is also known as Gully Wash and tastes equally good by either name. Go to Recipe 09 of 13 Grilled Pineapple–Tequila Punch Greg Dupree Paula Disbrowe makes this cocktail when cooler weather starts to hit Texas, but you can make it during warmer weather, too. The sweet and smoky notes of grilled pineapple are combined with blanco tequila, Ancho Reyes Verde (poblano liqueur), pineapple juice, and lime juice, with Topo Chico and fresh garnishes as the finishing touch. Go to Recipe 10 of 13 Aperol Spritz This recipe allows you to make a batch of the refreshing Italian cocktail. You'll need one bottle of Aperol, one bottle of Prosecco, chilled seltzer, and ice, and a big pitcher, too. It all gets combined and then poured into ice-filled wine glasses. (Don't forget the orange slices for garnish.) Go to Recipe 11 of 13 Pineapple Mojitos © Con Poulos Chef Jose Enrique's family comes from Cuba, where they were famous for their pineapple soda—it was once the country's most popular soft drink after Coke. Enrique makes a mojito version of it, using a rich brown sugar-pineapple syrup, rum, mint and club soda. Go to Recipe 12 of 13 Tequila-Watermelon Aguas Frescas with Prosecco ADRIAN GAUT In this refreshing cocktail, Prosecco adds a lively spritz to a light, watermelon-forward margarita. You can mix everything in a pitcher or large bowl. Go to Recipe 13 of 13 Sanibel Sangria Victor Protasio This rosy-red sangria is made with hibiscus tea, fresh raspberries, sugar, gin, and dry sparkling rosé. Wait to add the latter to the pitcher until you're ready to serve—add fresh raspberries for a garnish. Go to Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit