Ah, Labor Day weekend. It’s our last summer hurrah. Our last chance of the season to take our Sunday day drinking well into the evening, because it just doesn’t matter how deep into Monday afternoon our hangover lasts. We can just roll out of bed whenever we damn well please and do it all over again.
The end of summer doesn’t necessarily mean the end of day drinking, but it means no more sitting by a grill while sipping an icy cocktail that’s garnished with seasonal fruit and a tiny umbrella. So enjoy that daiquiri while you still can.
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And remember that with a great day-drinking session comes great responsibility. You don’t want to end up being the guy at the party who passes out at 3 PM face down in your chips and salsa , so you’ll need to properly pace yourself.
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Somewhere between an Aperol spritz and a mimosa, the Aperol Betty is a great drink to start the day. It’s citrusy and refreshing, and it’s got enough booze to help cure your hangover but not enough to get you wasted.
As the day moves on, it’s time to kick it up a notch with a relatively low-proof Pimm’s cup. This drink has been helping the British cool down while keeping it classy since well before Labor Day even existed. And with a garnish of six fruits and fresh mint, it’s basically a garden party in a glass.
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Even better, freeze your Pimm’s. This Pimms o’clock poptail will make you forget the fact that it’s still way too hot for a day in September, plus the extra time it will take to lick your way through your cocktail will help you pace yourself. And bringing boozy popsicles to your party will make you an instant legend.
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Not quite as frozen, but just as impressive, this frosé (which is exactly what it sounds like) is the slushie rosé of your dreams, and in fact the only way to drink wine in the summer. The best part: you don’t even need a blender to make it.
Eventually you’ll probably want to move onto hard liquor, and whether it’s sweltering outside or you’re caught in the rain, you should probably have at least one more piña colada before fall arrives.
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While you’ve got your blender out, throw in some in some watermelon and cucumber, strain it and add fresh mint tea, rum and ice to commemorate the ultimate summer fruit with this New Orleans pink daiquiri. Just be careful, because just as most drinks born in the Big Easy, these guys will knock you on your ass before you know what hits you.
Alright, now put away the blender because we’re making margaritas. Nothing screams day drinking like a margarita, but too often, frozen ‘ritas are covering up the taste of unholy margarita mix and shitty tequila. This 30-year-old recipe for Tommy’s margarita uses high-quality tequila, fresh lime juice, and agave nectar. Freezing such freshness would be doing it a disservice.
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While you’ve got the tequila out, feel free to make the margarita’s more citrusy, and arguably more refreshing, cousin: the paloma. Just shake up some lime juice, grapefruit juice, and tequila, dump into a salt-rimmed glass with ice, and top with soda water. Mexico’s favorite drink is also about the easiest cocktail you can make, which you’re probably going to need at this point, because you’re lucky if you’re still able to stand let alone mix drinks.
