Summer is almost over. Almost. But not yet, and there’s still time to enjoy an ice cold summer cocktail on a hot DC summer night. Here are a few of our favorite St-Germain drinks, just right for that last party of the season. So invite some friends over and give some of these a try, before we have to break out the fall cocktails!

St Germain Swizzle

1 1/2 oz Aged Rum
1 1/2 oz Clear Rum
1 oz St-Germain
1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
1/2 oz Rich Simple Syrup
1 Dash Allspice Dram
Angostura Bitters

Smack a bunch of mint in your hands to release its oils, then place it in the bottom of a highball glass. Fill the glass with crushed ice, then add the rum, St-Germain, lime juice, and syrup. Top off your glass with more crushed ice, then swizzle the drink – put a swizzle stick or long-handled bar spoon into the glass and twirl gently between your hands to mix and cool the drink without churning up the mint at the bottom. Top with a dash of Allspice Dram and a few dashes of Angostura bitters, then garnish with more mint. Enjoy!

The last time we threw a summer cocktail party, I highlighted some recipes that were easy to make in big batches and light on the booze, the easier to serve to a gathering of friends spending a lot of time in the hot outdoors. This drink is sort of the opposite, and a bit on purpose. Swizzles like this Caribbean inspired cocktail are easy to drink, and this one is no exception: airy from the rum, sweet and floral from the St-Germain, minty and refreshing, sweet and spicy. It’s the sort of drink that you can put away before you feel its full effects, so it’s actually a good thing that the Swizzle takes some time, care and craft to mix up. So if you’re looking for a drink that will help your guests pace themselves, or an opportunity to hold court before your guests while you prepare a delicious and impressively gorgeous drink, mix up some St-Germain Swizzles.

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St-Germain Cobbler

2 oz Bourbon, Rye Whiskey or Brandy
3/4 oz St-Germain
1/4 oz Rich Simple Syrup
Blackberries

Combine the whiskey, St-Germain, syrup, and a handful of fresh blackberries in a cocktail shaker. Muddle the blackberries well, then shake everything with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with more blackberries. Enjoy!

Ok, so this might be the most perfect of all summer cocktails of all time. Not to brag or anything like that. But the combination of whiskey, blackberries, sweetness and ice is the sort of thing that could make a teetotaler convert. Unlike the Swizzle, this St-Germain Cobbler is pretty easy to make ahead in a big batch for a party. Just scale up your ingredients and combine in a pitcher; add to an ice-filled shaker and shake only when you’re ready to serve.

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The Pop-Up Paloma is a play on one of Mexico’s best cocktails, the Paloma, concocted by the brilliant minds of DC’s best cocktail bar, the Columbia Room.  This awesome drink pairs the vegetal kick of tequila, the tartness of all that citrus, and a bit of sweetness with a pop of beer, preferably a hoppy IPA.  It’s flavorful and refreshing and easy to make for a party, like the Cobbler. Just scale up your ingredients and combine them, except for the beer, ahead of time.  When you’re ready to serve, shake up those ingredients with ice, strain, then add the beer – the sort of thing that will make you look like a master mixologist in front of your guests.

All illustrations by Dinara Mirtalipova for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Calligraphy Cocktail Menu Cards: Meant to Be Calligraphy

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper

This post is brought to you in collaboration with St-Germain. All content, photos, recipes, and words are our own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that help make Oh So Beautiful Paper possible!

p.s. In case you missed them, you can see our first two cocktail party posts right here: a housewarming cocktail party + recipes, and a backyard summer cocktail party + recipes