7 Brat Summer Cocktails You’ll Want to Keep on Rewind All Year Long

From slime-green political campaigns to vegan hot dog ads, there's no question that the summer of 2024 has been drenched in the influence of Charli XCX's sixth studio album, "brat," and its corresponding trend, brat summer. Like many trends of the TikTok era, the genius of the "brat" ethos lives in its devious simplicity. You need only replicate its abrasive green tint or stretched lowercase font to join the cultural movement. Like the ubiquitous Barbie pink of last year, anything can be brat-ified if viewed through the right lens. Especially cocktails. In addition to the obvious suspects (lime, mint, melon, etc.), we'd argue that the album's mixology potential can dig below the surface and into its very DNA. The iconic "brat" color — Pantone 3750-C, to be precise — is only a few shades over from chartreuse, named after an iconic French liqueur known for its pungent, herbaceous bite. Little did its 18th-century inventors that they'd created the perfect distillation of a future hit album. With this and many more inspirations in mind, we'll delve into seven deliciously themed cocktails perfect for rewinding far after "brat" summer comes to a close.

Matcha Margarita

Classic cocktail recipes are defined by their ability to flow with the times. In the case of the ever-changing margarita, drinkers have grown accustomed to spicy, mezcal, skinny and frozen varieties that themselves have spun off into countless iterations tailored for every occasion. The matcha margarita — a favorite of LA bars and the Kardashians — is one of many that arguably needs no introduction. Balancing citrus, nuttiness and a waft of umami, the simple recipe thrives by incorporating just about every ingredient that pairs well with blanco tequila. Even if your patience with influencers is running thin, there's no reason not to give this cocktail a shot if you've got matcha lying around the pantry.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Blanco Tequila
• 1 oz Cointreau
• 0.75 oz Fresh Lime Juice
• 0.5 tbsp Matcha Green Tea Powder

Directions:

• Combine all ingredients in a shaker
• Add ice and shake until well chilled
• Strain into a chilled Old Fashioned glass
• Garnish with a lime slice

Chartreus’ito

[caption id="attachment_81651" align="aligncenter" width="600"] (Photo: Chartreuse)[/caption] Nowhere can you find a product that blends "spirits" with "spiritual" quite like Green Chartreuse. First conceived in 1737, the herbal liqueur is produced exclusively by an order of Charthusian monks cloistered in the mountains of France. The recipe? A sworn secret. Think of it like KFC's 11 herbs and spices, except it's a blend of 130 botanicals and Colonel Sanders has been replaced by a monastery of reclusive Catholics. Combining viscous flavors of pine sap, licorice and citrus, the ingredient is an obvious fit for "brat" celebrations of all kinds. In this case, it'll act as a substitute for rum inside a classic muddled mint mojito.

Ingredients

• 1/2 lime
• 2 teaspoons of cane sugar
• 1 oz Green Chartreuse
• Fresh mint
• Sparkling water

Directions

1. Inside the glass, cut the lime into pieces and crush it with cane sugar
2. Pour in green chartreuse
3. Add mint
4. Fill with ice cubes and sparkling water
5. Stir and enjoy!

Mi Campo "BRAT" Cocktail

[caption id="attachment_81640" align="aligncenter" width="600"] (Photo: Mi Campo Tequila)[/caption] Mi Campo's "BRAT" summer cocktail is the only recipe on this list designed from the ground up as an ode to Charli xcx. In keeping with the theme, it incorporates cucumber, lime juice and not one but two additions of apple. Eyes squinted, the charcoal sugar rim might even be confused for the lowercase typography on the album cover. The only thing missing from the equation is a splash of coconut.

Ingredients

• 4-5 Cucumber chunks
• 4-5 Green Apple chunks
• 1 oz Sour Apple Liqueur
• .25 oz Agave nectar
• 1.5 oz Mi Campo Blanco tequila
• .25 oz lime juice
• Activated charcoal and sugar rim, "for that bold, bratty flair"

Directions

1. Muddle the cucumber, green apple and lime juice inside a shaker.
2. Add sour apple liqueur, agave nectar, Mi Campo Blanco and ice. Shake for 15-20 seconds.
3. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.

La Cava Avocado

[caption id="attachment_81642" align="aligncenter" width="600"] (Photo: Cantera Negra Tequila)[/caption] Ah, the guacamole margarita. At their simplest, these drinks spruce up avocado puree with an odds-defying mix of tequila and orange liqueur. Sometimes the concept is taken in even more literal directions. At New York City's Añejo Tribeca, the cocktail is served with a crushed tortilla chip rim alongside a radish and cilantro garnish. We'll suggest a version served at — surprisingly enough — Disney World’s EPCOT Mexico Pavilion. Dubbed "La Cava Avocado," this Mike Wazowski-green concoction had the ingenious idea to blend melon liqueur with silky avocado and a touch of hibiscus.

Ingredients

• 2 oz Tequila Blanco
• 1.5 oz Melon Liqueur
• 1 oz Orange Liqueur
• .25 Avocado
• 1 oz Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
• 1 tbsp Hibiscus Salt

Directions

1. Add all ingredients except salt to a blender with 3/4 cup of ice.
2. Blend until smooth, 1-2 minutes.
3. Pour into a margarita glass rimmed with hibiscus salt.
4. Enjoy!

The Salty Sailor

[caption id="attachment_81646" align="aligncenter" width="600"] (Photo: Jos. A. Magnus & Co.)[/caption] The second Green Chartreuse cocktail on our list comes courtesy of Jos. A. Magnus, a distiller whose Vigilant Navy Strength Gin garnered an extremely impressive Raided Score® of 95. The gin — distilled with an unusual combination of corn, harissa and figs — is a stellar solo sipper in its own right, balancing its core trio of botanicals with heady flavors of black pepper, tobacco and classic juniper notes. Great stuff, but perhaps not "refreshing" in the usual laid-back, brunch cocktail sense. If you're hoping to elevate the spirit for gin die-hards and skeptics alike, this easy mix of simple syrup, lime and liqueur should hit just the right spot on a sweltering afternoon.

Ingredients

• 2 oz Joseph Magnus Vigilant Navy Strength Gin (aggregated review here)
• 0.75 oz Fresh lime juice
• 0.5 oz Simple syrup
• 0.25 oz Green Chartreuse
• Pinch of sea salt
• Lime wheel, for garnish

Directions

1.  Add gin, lime juice, simple syrup, Green Chartreuse and sea salt to a shaker with ice.
2. Shake well until chilled, 15-20 seconds.
3. Pour into a cocktail glass and garnish with lime wheel.

Green Dragon

[caption id="attachment_81638" align="aligncenter" width="600"] (Photo: Cointreau)[/caption] Most drinkers associate crème de menthe's in-your-face mint flavor with early-1900s cocktails like the Grasshopper and the Stinger. Suffice it to say that the neon-green liqueur hasn't fallen neatly into the modern craft cocktail craze. For many, it's a throwback to a bygone era, or maybe a novelty pour at St. Patrick's Day festivities. Alongside vodka and orange liqueur, however, crème de menthe still has plenty of gas left in the tank. For a specific brand to accomplish the task, we'd recommend either Bols Green or Tempus Fugit, both of which have done well to innovate the minty flavor for 21st-century tastes.

Ingredients

• 0.5 oz Cointreau
• 1 oz Green Crème de menthe
• 1 oz Vodka

Directions

• Combine all ingredients in a chilled mixing glass
• Add ice and stir until well chilled
• Strain into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass

The Broctail

[caption id="attachment_10580" align="aligncenter" width="600"] (Photo: tenderstem/Instagram)[/caption] The final recipe on our list incorporates Tenderstem broccolini — a hybrid of Chinese kale and broccoli — as its central ingredient. Naturally, the drink is known as the Broctail. Invented in 2023 by British bar owner and television host Jack Sotti, the cocktail's crunchy twist is complemented by savory pinches of olive oil and flaky salt. Far from tossing a few vegetables in the blender and calling it a day, this time-intensive drink revels in bright, punchy flavors that'll leave your guests' jaws on the floors for all the right reasons.

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz Blanco Tequila
• .75 oz Fresh Lime Juice
• .5 oz 1:1 Sugar Syrup
• Dash of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 4 florets of blanched Tenderstem Broccoli
• 1 pinch of Flaky Salt

Directions

1. Bring a pot to boil and blanch broccoli for no more than 1 minute. Quickly remove and crash cool in an ice bath to prevent any further cooking. Pat dry and store in a sealed container with a dry kitchen towel.
2. Into a shaker add florets of broccoli, add your lime juice, sugar syrup, blanco tequila, olive oil and salt. Use a stick blender or blender to break down the broccoli. If you don’t have one, use a muddler or rolling pin to crush the life out of it.
3. Add lots of ice to a shaker and shake hard for 30 seconds until your hands go numb.
4. Fine strain into a rocks glass with lots of ice and garnish with a blanched floret and a pinch of flaky salt.

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