Summer Essentials: 6 Must-Try Drinks for Your Festival Season
Summer is here! How do we know? Aside from the longer days, the warmer weather, and a general sense of increased optimism, we can TASTE it!
Yes, Jameson has a whole sweep of summer cocktails to let you sink into the festival season and replenish your zest for the outdoors and good music on a warm day. We’re not saying you can’t enjoy listening to your favourite band without some refreshing festival beverages but, why deny yourself the pleasure?
With this in mind, let’s lay out the 6 summer cocktails perfect for festival goers, that will get you dancing even if the music has stopped.
What to Drink at a Festival?
Along with seeing your favourite band, checking out a cool art installation or just dancing until you drop, enjoying a drink at a festival is all part of the experience. So, when it comes to festival alcohol, you need the right festival liquor for the right occasion.
Festivals come in all shapes and sizes. Some are small and some are absolutely massive! There are festivals where you can return home every night to do it all again the next day and festivals where you camp out nearby and the party never stops. So, the types of festival cocktails will depend on what kind of festival you’re attending.
Are you having a drink at home before getting the bus to the festival? Are you bringing your alcohol with you for the weekend? How far do you have to travel? How do I keep these drinks cold? If there is no glass allowed, what should I bring instead? Many questions need answering to settle what drinks are “good festival drinks”.
Finding drinks that work for you will save you stress, hassle and money. While getting a fresh drink from a vendor is always a nice treat, buying from alcohol solely at a festival will leave you short of choice and short of cash!
That’s why when it comes to picking the perfect alcohol to bring with you, Jameson Irish Whiskey is the ideal choice to get you into the festival spirit! And we don’t just mean to drink!
We have loads of advice for festivals and camping. Check out our guide to the best festivals, as our tips on creating the ultimate camping experience and the best whiskey mixers to bring for any occasion.
1. Jameson Ginger Ale & Lime Ready-to-Drink Cans
CAN Jameson, Ginger Ale & Lime get any better?
Yes, that’s right, our signature simple serve has been made even simpler, with our Ready-to-Drink cans! All the flavour you can expect from a JGL served at the bar, in a nifty soda can.
If you’re looking for festival drink hacks look no further than the Jameson, Ginger Ale & Lime RTD cans are near perfect. Easy to carry, and easy to store while staying chilled in a cooler box, these cans are the crack-open-and-get-dancing solution you’ve been looking for.
2. Strawberry Basil Mule
The festival season is the summer season, so fruity cocktails are a must for the menu. The Strawberry Basil Mule is just what the doctor ordered!
Made with real strawberries, basil and lime juice, this fruity number is the one to have with a few friends at home before heading to a festival or concert. Garnish with whole strawberries and sprigs of basil, this cocktail also comes out on top for creative cocktail garnishes.
3. Jameson Buck
The Jameson Buck is a wonderfully simple cocktail to showcase your mixology skills in a festival environment. A bottle of Jameson, some cans of ginger beer, and a few limes wrapped up in a plastic bag to carry alongside your tent, and you are set. Grab some ice from the cooler and pour your ingredients into a cup, and hey presto, you just became the campsite mixologist (and favourite everyone’s person)!
4. Iced Coffee with Jameson
Festivals are fun, but boy oh boy are they tiring! All that dancing, singing at the top of your lungs, and walking back and forth to the different stages to see your favourite acts can leave you drained. That’s when a little pick-me-up is in order.
Yes, after Jameson Irish whiskey, coffee is the world’s favourite drink! It smells good, it tastes good, and it puts a pep in your step when you need it most. What happens when two titans of the drink world meet? It’s a match made in festival heaven. Ice coffee with Jameson is the perfect blend of caffeinated goodness with that signature smooth Jameson taste.
Cool, sweet, and wonderfully balanced, this cocktail is great to pre-make and keep in a flask. Add ice to the mix when your energy levels dip, and you’ll be back dancing in no time!
5. 3 Ingredient Mixed Drinks
When it comes to festival drink ideas, keeping it simple is king. Festival cocktails are a great way to elevate the experience and make your weekend feel more like a holiday but, like a flight on a budget airline, travelling light should be front of mind. Luckily, you can leave your cocktail shaker at home because there are more than enough 3-ingredient Jameson cocktails perfect for a festival context.
The Jameson Buck mentioned above is perfect but also the classic Jameson, Ginger and Lime cocktail (those cans fly off the shelves this time of year) and a delicious Jameson, Apple and Lime are just one of many simple Jameson cocktails suited to spending a long weekend in a field with friends. Remember, when it comes to festival drink ingredients, 3 is the magic number.
6. Summer Punch
Festivals are usually… say it with us folks! Outdoors! Therefore it is of the utmost importance that summer weather blesses you with its kindness as you spend the day exposed to the elements. With this in mind, we always believe there’s nothing wrong with a little positive thinking to manifest the results everyone was hoping for, which brings us to the daddy of pre-made cocktails, Summer Punch.
A refreshing and straightforward recipe that combines cider, Jameson Original, elderflower, lemon and sugar, this cocktail tastes best sipping in the sun. Designed to be premade and shared around at a party, Summer Punch is perfect for the campsite. Just add ice and look to the skies to confirm the clouds have parted and hey presto, you know your pre-batch ritual has worked.
How to Keep Drinks Cold at a Festival?
When going on a camping trip with friends, the person who builds the best campfire to keep the group warm is revered as a wonder amongst the clan. When camping for a festival, the respect of the tribe is won by the person who can keep the drinks cold!
Step one: Bring a cooler! A cooler is the best way to ensure your drinks and favourite snacks turn cold and stay that way for as long as possible. Fill it with ice and cooler bricks and treat it like your freezer at home: keep it closed! Only open when you need to take something out, and your drinks, ice, and anything else you are keeping in there will last far longer.
Step Two: Search for the shade. Keep your cooler in a shaded place, preferably outside to allow cool air to circulate. If you can’t find shade outside, a little makeshift construction will help. Reflective covers or putting your cooler between tents to reduce direct sunlight on the cooler over the course of the day, is a good call.
Step 3: Bring the right container. Insulated cups (insulated sleeves in a pinch) work wonders for keeping drinks hot or in this case, cold! Fill your insulated cup with ice, pour in your cocktail and keep the lid on. It will help keep the drink cold and avoid the woes of spillage!
Festival Drink Hacks
Now that we’ve got the festival cocktails figured out, it’s time to go through some top tips (or hacks as the kids call them these days) to get the most out of your festival experience!
Lighten the load: As you might have guessed, preparing beforehand or keeping it simple on the day is the best route to enjoying cocktails while at festivals. The last thing anyone wants to do is to haul an entire bar’s worth of ingredients, and utensils with other the other festival needs.
Stay hydrated: While delicious Jameson cocktails are always something we’ll champion (for obvious reasons) however, it is so important to remember that they are, by no means, the only thing you should be drinking at a concert or festival.
Electrolyte powder packs are a lifesaver, to replenish all those vital minerals lost to dancing, singing and sweating on a hot summer’s day at a concert. Ensure you bring or buy water to mix your electrolyte pack with and drink the whole thing. Your muscles, your brain and your plans for the following day, will thank you.
Keep cool: We’ve already spoken about keeping drinks cold at a festival but, keeping cool in general is also important. Pack your favourite frozen fruits in your cooler, to use as additional ice cubes in drinks or as a cold snack to munch on as they thaw.
While you’re at it, pack some Jameson Ginger Ice Pops, to keep the heat away! A classic Jameson flavour on a stick! However, don’t blame us when your friends stop speaking to you because they have turned green with envy… it’s probably best to make enough for everyone if we’re honest…
What Drinks to Order at a Concert or Festival?
We’ve talked a lot about how to make cocktails for yourself at a festival, but what about when you’re in an arena or at a day festival?
Depending on the venue, the choice of drink to choose from, can be restrictive or wonderfully wide-ranging. However, more often than not, there’s usually at least one spot where you can get yourself a made-to-order Jameson cocktail (and if you can’t, what are you even doing there?).
Some of the best concert drinks can be found at the bar. Concerts and festivals regularly have sponsored stands that focus on a few core cocktails made really well and are an extra treat on top of the (hopefully) great time you are already having. Once again, the best drinks to order at a concert are the simple ones. Nobody wants to miss out on their favourite song because the bartender is using up precious time to make a beautiful garnish out of apple slices, pick a drink that can be made relatively quickly and tastes great.
3-ingredient cocktails like a Jameson, Ginger and Lime are perfect but, if something a bit more upmarket is what you’re after, then an Old Fashioned made with Jameson Black Barrel or the always welcome Whiskey Sour are two cocktails that any bartender worth their salt know how to make well and make fast!
What Cocktail is Best for a Summer Festival?
As always, the best summer cocktail is a cocktail you like the most for the occasion. We have a whole list of great summer cocktails to choose from here!