My husband and I are what you might call full-time campers. In 2020, we sold our house and moved into a 5th wheel RV so we can travel full time while working remotely.
When we lived in a house, we had a super awesome bar that we created from a 1950's television console. I adored it!
Unfortunately, there's no room for that fabulous, funky bar in our 5th wheel. So, while we have more space than a lot of campers, we've paired down our cocktail-making tools and ingredients substantially.
Thankfully, as this list of delicious camping cocktails proves, that does NOT mean sacrificing great cocktails.
Tips for Making Great Camping Cocktails:
- If you have limited refrigerator or cooler space, choose cocktails that are delicious served hot or at room temperature like the Campfire Hot Chocolate with Peanut Butter Whiskey or Bourbon Spiked Apple Cider.
- If making drinks for a group that includes drinkers and non-drinkers, choose cocktails for which the non-alcoholic base can be mixed up in a pitcher and served as is or with the addition of seltzer or soda. Allow drinking adults to add their own alcohol to their cups.
- If you're really limited on space and weight, consider bringing mini bottles of liquor instead of whole, regular size bottles. Even wine and prosecco can often be found in cans or small bottles (sometimes called a split) that are easier to pack than full size wine bottles.
- Pre-mix! Cocktails like the Pomegranate Margarita, Bourbon Margarita, the Boulivardier, and the Tequila Paloma can be mixed up by the pitcher before the camping trip. This means you only have to find room for the pitcher, not all the individual ingredients.
21 of the Best Cocktails for Camping
In this collection, you'll find cocktails for hot summer days and cool weather evenings. You'll find deliciously indulgent cocktails for sipping around a campfire and easy sipping cocktails perfect for day drinking.
All of the following cocktail recipes in this list require very few ingredients, no special equipment, and most can happily be sipped from plastic cups. Most can be mixed up right in the glass or by the pitcher.
And, several of them, like the Dirty Shirley, can be easily adapted to zero alcohol drinks for non-drinking campers of all ages.
In fact, many of these cocktail recipes include ingredients (seltzer, soda, juice) that can do double duty as a cocktail mixer and as a non-alcoholic beverage option.
Dirty Shirley Drink Recipe
One deliciously crowd pleasing camping drink for EVERYONE! Mix up a pitcher for however many people are in your group and let the drinking adults add their own vodka. Everyone else can happily sip on the non-alcoholic version, aka, the Shirley Temple.
Aperol Spritz Cocktail Recipe (Spritz Veneziano)
If your idea of the perfect camping cocktail includes a bubbly beverage the color of a sunset that you can happily sip all afternoon, the Aperol Spriz just might be your new favorite drink recipe.
This classic Italian aperitif is a light and refreshing mix of sweet, crisp, and bitter. And it's low in alcohol so you can sip away without overdoing it.
Pomegranate Margaritas
Pomegranate Margaritas are simple, easy, dangerously delicious, and exactly right for nearly any situation. In fact, I have made these delicious cocktails for more parties and get togethers than any other drink because they are a true crowd pleasing cocktail - the perfect balance of sweet, sour, and bitter that practically everyone will enjoy.
The recipe can be easily scaled up or down so you can make margaritas by the pitcher or by the glass.
Bourbon Margarita
This easy 4-ingredient bourbon margarita is just like a regular margarita but with a whiskey twist. Made with bourbon, cointreau, lime juice and a dash of agave, this cocktail is shaken and served on the rocks.
Camping Cocktail Tip! Use a large mason jar instead of a cocktail shaker to make several of these delicious cocktails at once. Add all the ingredients and a handful of ice to a mason jar, close the lid and shake well. Strain, serve, kick back and relax.
Boulevardier Cocktail Recipe {Negroni with Whisky}
The Boulevardier, which is also often called the French Negroni, is a warm and lavish cocktail made from just three ingredients: Whisky, Sweet Vermouth, and Campari. The difference between a Negroni and the Boulevardier is that the Negroni uses gin and the Boulevardier uses whisky.
Where the Negroni is crisp and refreshing, the Boulevardier is warm and lavish. It's the kind of camping cocktail that's perfect for cool nights spent lingering by the campfire.
Dirty martini
For the sophisticated campers who know what you like and don't mind spending extra for the good stuff. Making a classic dirty martini requires just 3 Ingredients and 5 minutes, which makes it an ideal camping cocktail in my book.
Tequila Paloma Cocktail
This refreshing cocktail requires just 3 ingredients and can be mixed up right in the glass. Plastic solo cups are 100% acceptable here.
This is the kind of cocktail that's perfect for afternoons spent on a beach or a boat. And it goes without saying that a cool, crisp tequila paloma hits the spot after a long day of hiking or biking.
Camping Cocktail Tip! Mix up a pitcher and keep it in the refrigerator or in the cooler for easy refills.
Authentic Ranch Water Recipe- Mom's Dinner
Ranch Water is a Texas born cocktail that is said to hail from Western Texas where it was the go-to drink of cattle Ranchers! Since it is a refreshing drink that isn’t sweet or sugary, like a traditional Margarita, it was perfect for Ranchers to drink after a day in the hot Texas sun.
What's good for ranchers is good for campers! Just grab some silver tequila, a couple limes and some Topo Chico Sparkling Mineral Water and you've got yourself a camping cocktail that is as easy to drink as it is to make.
Passion Fruit Margarita Cocktail Recipe
Calling all day drinking campers! I feel that it's not only acceptable to serve this tropical cocktail in plastic cups, it's practically required.
This simple 5-ingredient cocktail is dangerously drinkable and easy to mix up by the pitcher.
Cape Cod Drink – Simple Vodka Cocktail
If you're looking for a camping cocktail that's the ultimate in simple and refreshing, you can’t get much better than than a Cape Cod Cocktail which is nothing more than cranberry juice, vodka, and a few limes.
One of my favorite things about this cocktail is how easy it is to control the balance of sweet, sour, and bitter. Use a Cranberry Cocktail blend and just a touch of lime if you prefer cocktails that are on the sweet side. If you prefer cocktails that are bitter and sour, use 100% Cranberry Juice and plenty of lime.
Pineapple Screwdriver (Simply Delicious!)
A tropical twist on the classic screwdriver that’s perfect for long, lazy camping days.
If making cocktails for a group, miix pineapple juice and orange juice in a covered container and let everyone mix their own.
Easy White Wine Spritzer
Nothing beats the first cold sip of a white wine spritzer. These 3 ingredient cocktails are cold, crisp, and 100% refreshing. Even better, they are the kind of camping cocktail you can sip on all afternoon without without repercussion the next day. 👏
Campfire Hot Chocolate with Peanut Butter Whiskey
It's my humble opinion that any cocktail called a campfire hot chocolate is mandatory on every camping trip for which cold evenings are expected.
This decadent hot chocolate is made with warm milk, hot chocolate mix and peanut butter whiskey. And, of course, it's topped with toasted marshmallows.
Bourbon Spiked Apple Cider
With apples, mulling spices, and a dash of warming bourbon, this spiked apple cider recipe is a cold-weather classic.
Whether you’re gathered around a campfire or hunkered down for a cozy cabin weekend, this autumn cocktail will put you in a warm and fuzzy mood all night long.
How to Make a Hot Toddy
There is no cocktail quite like a hot toddy. Just a few sips of this warming blend of whiskey, tea, honey, and lemon, and all your troubles will start to slip away.
Campfire Crunch Cocktail
Can you even have a campfire without something warm in your hands??? I didn’t think so.
If whisky, Kahlúa and cream sound like your kind of warm cuppa, this is the perfect camping cocktail for you. This is a sweet sip that will go to your head, so sit back and take it nice and slooooowwww.
The Mexican Michelada
This camping cocktail is for all of the beer drinking campers! Think of the Michelada as something of a close cousin to the red-eye, which is simply tomato juice, beer and salt.
The Michelada steps it up a notch with the addition of lime juice, spices and chili peppers. You'll find this delicious cocktail all over Mexico served chilled in a salt-rimmed glass, but it's also a fantastic addition to long days relaxing at the campground.
Maple Whiskey Sour
The addition of maple and cinnamon to a whisky sour somehow magically transforms it into the kind of cocktail that should be enjoyed outside.
Just four simple ingredients - bourbon or whisky, lemon juice, maple syrup and a touch of cinnamon - make this camping cocktail as easy to make as it is to drink.
Vodka Sunrise
The vodka sunrise is a 3-ingredient cocktail that’s perfect for summer BBQs, the 4th of July, beach days, and every summer camping trip.
This cocktail is aptly named for the layers of color created in the glass by simply mixing up some orange juice and vodka then slowly pouring grenadine into the glass so that it settles to the bottom and creates a drink that looks like a sunset.
Apple Cider Moscow Mule
Add a warming fall twist on the classic Moscow mule with a splash of sparkling (or non-sparkling) apple cider.
Moscow mule cups are perfect for camping because they are resistant to breaking and do an excellent job of keeping your cocktail cold. While a traditional Moscow mule is also a great camping cocktail, there's something about the addition of apple cider that makes this version especially suited to an evening spent outside by the campfire.
Pear and White Wine Sangria
This utterly delicious sangria is as easy to make as it is to drink. The flavors are a no-brainer for fall camping. But honestly, every cool-ish evening spent around a campfire is even better with a pitcher of this maple-cinnamon-pear spiked sangria.
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