109 Best Camping Cocktails (2024)
If you’re looking for simple, delicious camping cocktails, look no further than this blog post. I’ve gathered some of the best recipes to enjoy a refreshing drink no matter where you are. And don’t worry; they will be easy.
In this blog post, I’ll discuss some of the best camping cocktail recipes you can make on your campsite. I’ll also include batched cocktails you can make at home and bring to the campsite for an easy breezy camping experience. There will be non-alcoholic versions as well.
I’ll also recommend some excellent travel bar kits and gear ideas to help make your cocktail-making process a breeze. So whether you’re a seasoned camper bartender or just getting started, this blog post will have everything you need to enjoy a delicious camping cocktail. Cheers!
What Makes a Good Camping Cocktail?
Number one, a good camping cocktail should taste good.
You are in nature soaking up the natural sights, sounds, and smells, so what you taste should also match.
Camping cocktails should be simple to make.
I recommend you keep your camp cocktails easy breezy because there are too many other moving parts when camping. I feel camp cocktails need to be batched to make it easy if it has more than three ingredients. But you can also batch the 2-3 ingredient recipes too.
What Cocktail Recipes are Good For Camping?
Happy Camper
To begin, the best camping drink should always be something you enjoy. For example, if you are a wine or bourbon whiskey lover (you should check out my bourbon cocktails page), you won’t be happy with a Moscow Mule made with vodka and ginger beer. And as the saying goes, it’s about being a “happy camper.”
Mother Nature
What’s the weather like? Nothing will taste better around a campfire on chilly nights (or day) than warm, delicious cocktails like a Hot Toddy, hot chocolate, or hot apple cider. Flip the weather, and day drinking (and evening) goes well with lemonade, cranberry juice, orange juice, and lime juice mixed with your favorite alcohol.
Ice Supply
Lastly, what will your ice supply be like? Will your access to ice be limited or unlimited? If it’s unlimited, then you are good to go. But if you have limited ice and space, batching/make-ahead options might be good for you.
Experienced campers will freeze water bottles and even gallon jugs to keep food cold and use most ice for drinks.
You can also pack batched cocktails with frozen gel packs. With these simple steps, you’ll have plenty of cold drinks for a weekend of camping fun. So go ahead and mix up that cocktail – happy sipping!
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Camping Cocktails
Two Ingredient Cocktails
Two-ingredient cocktails can be as simple as a Screwdriver (vodka and orange juice), a highball (a spirit of your choice mixed with a carbonated mixer), or a Martini (gin and vermouth).
Let’s start with mixing your favorite alcohol with your favorite mixer.
Alcohol
Alcohol (beer, wine, and liquor) would include vodka, gin, rum, tequila, whisk(e)y, brandy, schnapps, liqueurs, bitters, wine, beer, etc.
Mixers
Mixers are non-alcoholic and include juices, carbonated sodas, dairy and non-dairy milk and cream, water, ginger beer, syrups, cider, hot chocolate, Red Bull, etc.
Alcohol + Mixer Examples
Vodka Soda, Gin & Tonic, Bourbon & Coke, Rum & Coke, Vodka Cranberry, Moscow Mule, Scotch & Water, Beer & Tomato Juice, Wine & Sprite, etc.
If you are making a non-alcoholic version, omit the alcohol, except for recipes with cream, unless you brought your cat.
For those new to cocktails, I have included variations for the recipes so you can see how cocktails spin off one another.
Black Russian
Equal measures of vodka and coffee liqueur. Pour over ice.
Variation:
Add cream to make a White Russian.
Replace the vodka with tequila to make a Brave Bull.
Replace the vodka with brandy to make a Dirty Mother.
Bloody Mary
1.5 oz vodka and 5 oz Bloody Mary mix. Add ice and stir with a straw. Garnish with whatever you want.
Tip: You can make and batch DIY mary mix or buy store bottles if you must.
Variations:
Replace the vodka with tequila to make a Bloody Maria.
Replace the vodka with gin to make a Red Snapper.
Replace the vodka with absinthe to make a Bloody Fairy.
Add Clamato juice to make a Bloody Caesar.
Add a beef bouillon cube to make a Bloody Bull.
Omit the vodka to make a Virgin Bloody Mary.
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Brave Bull
Equal measures of coffee liqueur and tequila, then add ice.
Buttery Nipple
Equal measures of butterscotch schnapps and Irish cream (like Baileys). Add ice.
Variations:
Replace the butterscotch schnapps with Sambuca with vodka to make a Slippery Nipple.
Cuba Libre
1.5 oz light rum and 4 oz cola. Add ice, then garnish with a lime.
Dark ‘n Stormy
1.5 oz Gosling’s Black Seal Rum and 4 oz ginger beer. Add ice and garnish with a lime.
Death in the Afternoon
1 oz absinthe and 5oz sparkling wine.
Dirty Mother
Equal measures of coffee liqueur and brandy. Add ice.
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Fuzzy Navel
1.5 oz peach schnapps and 4 oz orange juice. Add ice.
Variations:
Add vodka to make a Hairy Navel.
Add vodka and cranberry juice to make a Sex on the Beach.
Godmother
Equal measures of amaretto and vodka. Add ice.
Variations:
Replace the vodka with Scotch whisky to make a Godfather.
Hot chocolate and…
Mix 1.5 oz (see choices below) with 5 oz hot chocolate / cocoa.
Bourbon whiskey (cherry, cinnamon, mint, honey, or peanut butter), Fireball, absinthe, coffee liqueur, Irish cream, peppermint schnapps, vodka (banana, orange, raspberry, vanilla, cherry, pear, strawberry, or make your DIY peppermint candy cane vodka), ginger liqueur, rum (coconut, banana, orange, raspberry, vanilla, cherry, spiced, pear, mint, strawberry) amaretto, red wine, tequila, Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur, and butterscotch schnapps.
Incredible Hulk
Equal measures of Hennessey Cognac and Hpnotiq. Add ice.
Kahlúa and Cream
1.5 oz Kahlúa coffee liqueur and 2 oz cream. Add ice.
Variations:
Add vodka to make a White Russian.
Kir
1 oz créme de cassis and 5oz sparkling wine.
Martini
2 oz gin and .5oz dry vermouth. On the rocks: Pour over ice. Straight up: Shake and strain. Garnish with green olives or a lemon twist.
Variations:
Replace the gin with vodka to make a Vodka Martini.
Reduce the vermouth to .25 oz to make a Dry Martini.
Replace the vermouth with olive brine to make a Dirty Martini.
Add vodka and Lillet blanc to make a Vesper.
Use equal measures of the gin and vermouth to make a 50/50 Martini.
Flip the measures of the gin and vermouth to make an Upside Down Martini.
Garnish with cocktail onions to make a Gibson.
Malibu and Pineapple
1.5 oz Malibu coconut rum and 4 oz pineapple juice. Add ice.
Moscow Mule
1.5 oz vodka and 4 oz ginger beer. Add ice and garnish with a lime.
Variations:
Replace the vodka with gin to make a London Mule.
Replace the vodka with bourbon to make a Kentucky Mule.
Replace the vodka with rum to make a Caribbean Mule.
Replace the vodka with Gosling’s Black Seal rum to make a Dark ‘n Stormy.
Replace the vodka with tequila to make a Mexican Mule.
Replace the vodka with Irish whiskey to make an Irish Mule.
Pink Gin
2 oz gin and 3 dashes Angostura bitters. Pour over ice.
Rusty Nail
Equal measures of Scotch whisky and Drambuie. Pour over ice.
Mimosa
2 oz orange juice and 4oz sparkling wine
Gimlet
2 oz gin and 1 oz Rose’s lime. Pour over ice and garnish with a lime.
Variations:
Replace the gin with vodka to make a Vodka Gimlet.
Add triple sec to make a Kamikaze.
Add triple sec and cranberry juice to make a Cosmopolitan.
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Screwdriver
1.5 oz vodka and 4 oz orange juice. Add ice.
Variations:
Replace the vodka with gin to make a Gin & Juice.
Replace the vodka with peach schnapps to make a Fuzzy Navel.
Add peach schnapps and cranberry juice to make a Sex on the Beach.
Add melon liqueur to make a Melon Ball
Add Galliano on top to make a Harvey Wallbanger.
Add cranberry juice to make a Madras.
Replace the vodka with tequila and add grenadine to make a Tequila Sunrise.
Add sloe gin to make a Sloe Screw.
Add sloe gin and Southern Comfort to make a Sloe Comfortable Screw.
Use vanilla vodka, and add blue Curacao and Sprite to make a Sonic Screwdriver.
Cape Codder
1.5 oz vodka and 4 oz cranberry juice. Add ice and garnish with a lime.
Variations:
Add peach schnapps to make a Woo Woo.
Add grapefruit juice to make a Sea Breeze.
Add pineapple juice to make a Bay Breeze.
Replace the vodka with Southern Comfort to make a Scarlett O’Hara.
Greyhound
1.5 oz vodka and 4 oz grapefruit juice. Add ice and garnish with a lime.
Variations:
Add a salted rim to make a Salty Dog.
Godfather
Equal measures of Scotch whisky and amaretto. Pour over ice.
Scarlett O’Hara
1.5 oz Southern Comfort and 4 oz cranberry juice. Add ice and garnish with a lime.
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Shandy
Equal measures of pale ale beer and Sprite.
Slippery Nipple
Equal parts of Sambuca and Irish cream. Pour over ice.
Stinger
Equal measures of brandy and white créme de menthe. Pour over ice.
Variations:
Replace the brandy with vodka to make a Vodka Stinger.
Tootsie Roll
2 oz coffee liqueur and 4 oz orange juice. Pour over ice.
Vodka Redbull
2 oz vodka and 1 (8.4oz) can of Red Bull. Add ice.
Three Ingredient Cocktails
Americano
1.5 ounce Campari, 1.5 oz sweet vermouth, and 3 oz seltzer. Add ice and garnish with an orange twist or slice.
Variations:
Replace the seltzer with 1.5 oz of gin to make a Negroni.
Replace the seltzer with 1.5 oz of bourbon to make a Boulevardier.
Banshee
1oz banana liqueur, 1 oz white crème de cocoa, and 2oz half & half. Add ice.
Variations:
Replace the banana liqueur with brandy to make a Brandy Alexander.
Replace the banana liqueur with Galliano to make a Golden Cadillac.
Replace the with banana liqueur with green créme de menthe to make a Grasshopper.
Replace the with banana liqueur with green crème de noya (noyaux) to make a Pink Squirrel.
Bay Breeze (also called a Hawaiian Seabreeze)
1.5 oz vodka, 2 oz pineapple juice and 2 oz cranberry juice. Add ice.
Bee’s Knees
2 oz gin, .5 house lemon juice, and .5 oz honey syrup. On the rocks: Pour over ice and stir. Straight up: Shake and strain.
Variations:
Replace the gin with bourbon to make a Gold Rush.
Brandy Alexander
1 oz brandy, 1 oz white (or dark) créme de cacao, and 2 oz cream. On the rocks: Pour over ice and stir. Straight up: Shake and strain.
Daiquiri
2 oz light rum, 1 oz lime juice, and 1 oz simple syrup. On the rocks: Pour over ice and stir. Straight up: Shake and strain.
It can be served straight up or on the rocks.
1.5 oz vodka, 1 oz raspberry liqueur, and 3 oz pineapple juice. On the rocks: Pour over ice and stir. Straight up: Shake and strain.
Girl Scout Cookie
1 oz coffee liqueur, 1 oz white crème de menthe, and 2 oz half & half. Add ice.
Golden Cadillac
1 oz white crème de cocoa, 1 oz Galliano, and 2 oz half & half. Add ice.
It can be served on the rocks or straight up.
Harvey Wallbanger
1.5 oz vodka and 4 oz orange juice. Add ice. Pour 1 oz Galliano on top.
Hot Toddy
5 oz hot water (or hot tea), .5 oz honey syrup, and 1.5 oz liquor of your choice. Garnish with a clove-studded lemon and or cinnamon stick. Bourbon whiskey is the traditional liquor, but you can use any other whisk(e)y or vodka, gin, rum, tequila, Grand Marnier, Tuaca, and Fireball.
Jack Rose
2 oz Laird’s Applejack, .75 oz lemon juice, and .5 oz pomegranate grenadine. On the rocks: Pour over ice and stir. Straight up: Shake and strain.
Kamikaze
2 oz vodka, .5 oz triple sec, and 1 oz Roses’s lime. You can replace Rose’s lime with .5 oz lime juice and .5 oz simple syrup. Pour over ice.
Variations:
Replace the triple sec with blue Curaçao to make a Blue Kamikaze.
Add cranberry juice to make a Cosmopolitan.
Lemondrop
2 oz vodka, .5 oz triple sec, 1 oz lemon juice, and .5 oz simple syrup. On the rocks: Pour over ice into a sugar-rimmed glass. Straight up: Shake and strain into a sugar-rimmed glass.
Madras
1.5 oz vodka, 2 oz orange juice, and 2 oz cranberry juice. Add ice.
Variations:
Add peach schnapps to make a Sex on the Beach.
It can be served on the rocks or straight up.
Rob Roy
2 oz Scotch whisky, 1 oz sweet vermouth, 2 dashes Angostura bitters. On the rocks: Pour over ice and stir, then add a lemon twist. Straight up: Shake and strain, then add a lemon twist.
Margarita
2 oz tequila, 1 oz triple sec, and 1 oz lime juice. Shake, then strain in a koscher salted-rimmed glass with ice.
Melon Ball
1 oz vodka, 1 oz melon liqueur, and 4 oz orange juice. Add ice.
Mint Julep
3 oz bourbon, 1 oz simple syrup, and 5 spigs of mint. Slap the five mint sprigs on the back of your hand for three seconds to release the mint oil. Pluck off the leaves from three sprigs and drop them into the bottom of your chosen vessel. Add the simple syrup and bourbon, then slowly add cracked, crushed, or nugget ice. The ice will absorb the liquids like in a snow cone. Garnish with the remaining two mint sprigs, then add a straw.
Old Fashioned
An Old Fashioned is spirit, sugar, and bitters.
The early to mid-1800s Bourbon Old Fashioned came with a shard of ice harvested from a lake or pond garnished with a lemon peel. Mark Twain even wrote about it looking like a jewel. Later, rye whiskey was the spirit of choice, with an orange peel garnish. The 1940s-2000s Old Fashioned had a muddled orange and cherry at the bottom. And since the second cocktail revolution started (the late 1990s), bartenders have returned to the old ways. Some use granulated sugar and some simple syrup.
Try this recipe. How not to make an Old Fashioned.
Mudslide
1 oz coffee liqueur, 1 oz Irish cream, and 2 oz cream. Add ice.
It can be served on the rocks or straight up.
Boulevardier
1 oz bourbon, 1 oz Campari, and 1 oz sweet vermouth. On the rocks: Pour over ice, stir, and garnish with an orange zest. Straight up: Shake and strain. Garnish with an orange zest.
Pimm’s Cup
1.5 oz Pimm’s No. 1, .5 oz lemon juice, and 4 oz gingerale. Add ice and garnish with cucumber and seasonal fruit.
Pina Colada
2 oz rum, 2 oz Coco Lopez coconut cream, 4 oz pineapple juice. Shake and strain over ice. Garnish with a pineapple and cherry.
Pink Squirrel
white crème de cocoa, crème de noya (noyaux) and half & half.
Red Snapper (the 1990s)
1oz Crown Royal, 1 oz amaretto, and 3 oz cranberry juice. Add ice.
Sangria
4 oz of wine (red, white, or rosé), 1 oz liquor or liqueur of your choice (I like peach), and 3 oz club soda, sprite or any flavored club soda of choice. It all depends on how sweet or not sweet you want it. Add ice. Garnish with fruit. For a batch, you can add fruit juices.
Seabreeze
1 oz vodka, 2 oz grapefruit juice, and 2 oz cranberry juice.
Sidecar
2 oz brandy, .5 oz lemon juice, and .5 oz simple syrup. On the rocks: Shake and strain over a half-sugar-rimmed glass of ice. Straight up: Shake and strain into a half-sugar-rimmed glass.
Surfer On Acid
1 oz Jägermeister, 1 oz coconut rum, and 4 oz pineapple juice. Add ice
Toasted Almond
1 oz amaretto, 1oz coffee liqueur, and 2 oz half & half. Pour over ice.
Variations:
Replace the amaretto with Irish cream to make a Mudslide.
Washington Apple
1 oz Crown Royal, 1 oz sour apple schnapps, and 4 oz cranberry juice. Add ice.
White Russian
1 oz vodka, 1 oz coffee liqueur, and 2 oz cream.
Woo Woo
1 oz vodka, 1 oz peach schnapps, and 4 oz cranberry juice. Add ice.
If you are with friends and want to set up a camping bar, here is my suggestion. The basic setup would be a beer pong table and an ice chest/cooler with a drain. Beer pong tables are 8′ long and fold up suitcase-sized to 2′ X 2′. Bump it up a notch and add a foldable 6′ bench / bar top riser that folds up suitcase style. If I were doing it, I would probably drill a hole in the beer pong table to run a flexible tube from the ice chest drain to a bucket under the table. I would take it further and secure the bench to the beer pong table by drilling holes and using heavy-duty zip ties. But you could always duct tape it. I also want a second beer-pong table behind me to hold assorted items and a trash can. For a finishing touch, I would probably attach grass table skirts to the beer pong tables and add LED string lighting powered with my Jackery. Oh, and here’s a good garnish tray.
Batched / Make Ahead Cocktails
Think of batched / make ahead cocktails like a punch in a punch bowl, but in containers. For camping, you would make a large batch ahead of time. You want to relax and have fun on your camping trip, so this saves time, hassle, and cleanup.
You can batch almost any cocktail. You take the recipe and do some math. Don’t stress yourself out figuring out how to fit it precisely in a gallon container
Batched recipes are coming soon!
Canned Cocktails
The canned cocktail trend has taken over the beverage industry by storm. No longer are you limited to the traditional canned beer or soda options for your camping trip.
Honestly, I haven’t found one canned cocktail that I liked. They either give me a headache or heartburn. But everyone’s body is different, and it’s the easiest and camp-friendly cocktail.
Conclusion
Camping cocktails can significantly enhance your happy camping getaway. It’s unlimited to what cocktails you can make for camping. It depends on how much time you are willing to gather and prep.
Remember to drink responsibly, and never drink and drive. And above all else, don’t forget to enjoy the great outdoors! So go on and grab that camping cocktail shaker and mix something special (or batch it) – remember to clean up after yourself and leave no trace. Cheers! Happy camping.
