5 Seriously Underrated Summer Cocktails To Sip By The Pool

If you've ever been on vacation and pulled up a rattan chair at a poolside bar, you've likely noticed lots of people cooling down with strawberry daiquiris and mojitos or sipping on Aperol spritzes. These are popular drinks to have when you're by the water for good reason (delicious! refreshing!), but if you find yourself gravitating towards the familiar, stop! There is a wide world of summery cocktails that are perfect to consume by the pool, and there are plenty of underrated ones that could potentially become your new favorites.

When you're out during the summer rocking that new bathing suit (or even just mixing something up to enjoy in your adult-friendly inflatable pool), you're going to want a drink that's fruity, citrusy, light, fizzy, or sweet — or all of those things combined. Drinks like the French 75, Americano, Hugo spritz, pineapple jalapeño margarita, and Aviation are all fantastic alternatives to typical poolside quaffs. Colorful, fun, and even a bit mysterious (you will definitely spark a conversation with a purple Aviation in your hand), these drinks are guaranteed to elevate your summer cocktail experience.

Many people associate the French 75 with brunch, but it's also a simple yet elegant drink to sip poolside. The modern version of this cocktail is made with gin, champagne, lemon juice, and sugar. It's super light and refreshing, with the lemon giving a citrusy punch to the sweetness of the champagne and sugar. 

Despite it's sophisticated appearance, the French 75 has a rough and tumble history. The "75" in the name refers to a gun — in particular, the French 75 millimeter field gun that was a common sight during WWI. The drink received this explosive name because its first iteration apparently packed quite a punch, knocking imbibers off their feet. (Of course, you won't be doing much standing when you're lounging by the pool.)

Simply called a "75" at first, the earliest recipes mixed both gin and apple brandy with grenadine and sometimes lemon juice (one even added absinthe to the mix). Champagne didn't enter the picture until 1927 — but thank goodness it did. The drink's bubbles are an essential part of what makes this tipple so ideal for cooling down in style.

An Aperol spritz is sweet, light, and cool with a touch of bitterness. It's definitely a crowd pleaser, and when roaming Italy you will see both tourists and Italians alike sipping the beautiful sunset orange drink during aperitivo hour. If you're already a fan, branch out by adding another kind of bitters-based refreshment to your repertoire. Meet the Americano.

This cocktail, a precursor to the Negroni, dates back to 1860s Milan, Italy, at Gaspare Campari's eponymous Caffè Campari. The recipe is exceedingly simple: Campari, sweet vermouth, and club soda to top it all off. Then, garnish with an orange slice. It's basically a fizzy Negroni minus the gin. As for its origins, one story surmises that the drink got its name after becoming popular with American tourists; another theory, outlined by Difford's Guide, claims that Italian vermouth brands took to combining vermouth and bitters and selling the mixture as "vermouth Americano" in a nod to U.S. drinkers' fondness for the two alcohols. Whatever the case, the bittersweet drink's low alcohol content means you can enjoy them rather effortlessly. The Americano also happens to be a favorite order of famous fictional spy James Bond (just in case you thought he only favored martinis); it's perfect for whiling away under the sun, cocktail in hand.

Let's say you're really, really not into bitters but still want a sparkling Italian cocktail. No problem! Say hello to the fizzy and floral Hugo spritz.

This spritz variation, which bartender Roland Gruber created in 2005, combines sweet and herbaceous elderflower liqueur with prosecco and sparkling water. Elderflower, which grows in the Alps, is a popular base for a number of sweetened spirits (perhaps most notably St. Germain) and gives the cocktail a regional flair. Gruber invented the Hugo spritz in the Alpine mountain village of Naturno, where the vibe is less laying out by the pool and more relaxing in the majesty of the forest. Of course, that doesn't mean this isn't a great drink for your pool party! With its lemon and mint garnishes, it's the perfect shallow- or deep-end sipper for folks who like brightly sweet yet herbal and flowery drinks. 

Margaritas are endlessly customizable and particularly suited for enjoying when the weather turns warm. They're fresh, tangy, citrusy, and salty — and seem to go hand-in-hand with hanging out near the water. The lime juice, tequila, and triple sec cocktail can be frozen, have a salted or chile-spiced rim, and come in a wide variety of fruit flavors. However, the pineapple jalapeño version is a great choice for people who want some spice in their life. The sweetness of the pineapple juice with the bright citrus notes of the lime and triple sec, plus the heat of the peppers, is truly a tropical treat.

The origins of the classic margarita are a bit mysterious, and we'll probably never know for sure how this popular drink came to be. Spicy margaritas, meanwhile, seemingly rose to prominence in the aughts. When it comes to incorporating the heat in your pineapple jalapeño margarita, you have a few options. You can add slices of the fresh peppers to the shaker and glass — remove the seeds if you prefer a less spicy cocktail — or infuse your tequila with them ahead of time to amp up the fiery flavor even further (plus, sweating helps you cool down).

A purple drink poolside? Yes, please! One of the prettiest cocktails out there, the Aviation is also one of the most underrated to sip while relaxing on a chaise lounge next to the pool. A mix of gin, maraschino cherry liqueur, crème de violette (made from violet petals), and lemon juice, this cocktail is flowery and sweet with a hint of citrusy tang. Plus, you can wear a purple bathing suit to match your tipple.

Credit for the Aviation seemingly goes to bartender Hugo R. Enslinn, who published the first-known recipe in his 1916 book, "Recipes for Mixed Drinks." However, it essentially vanished from U.S. menus and liquor cabinets starting in the 1960s, after the company producing crème de violette (the reason this cocktail is purple) ceased operations. It wasn't until 2007 that the deeply-hued liqueur made its return via Haus Alpenz, a Minneapolis-based importer that introduced American imbibers to Austrian brand Rothman & Winter's version. Before long, bartenders and connoisseurs discovered what they had been missing during those decades of absence.

If crème de violette isn't readily available to you, it's possible to infuse your own with violets, high proof booze, and sugar, or else substitute it with a gently flavored fruit liqueur like blueberry or raspberry. Your drink won't have the same shade of purple, but it will still taste delicious.