Labor Day Cocktail Recipes 2014: Five Holiday Drinks To Spruce Up Your Weekend Plans

Labor Day signals the end of summer, so one must spend it wisely. Whether on the beach, at a family barbecue, or lazing around with friends, here are some specialty cocktails to spruce up your weekend plans.

Sunshine Sipper

What You'll Need:

Skinnygirl Pinot Grigio

Frozen lemonade

Soda Water

Lemon twist - but just if you want to make it pretty.

Blend these ingredients with crushed ice for the ideal end of summer cocktail. You'll want to fill your glass about halfway with the Skinnygirl Pinot, then fill the remainder with two-thirds frozen lemonade and rest with soda water. If you want to add some fanciness, add the garnish and serve to friends.

Birds & The Bees

What You'll Need:

Solbeso

Lemon juice

Honey syrup

Fill a shaker with ice, and then add two-thirds of Solbeso. After that, finish it off with half lemon juice and half honey syrup. Shake (not stirred) and strain it into a chilled cocktail glass. 

The Basil Fizz

What You'll Need:

Bourbon

Champagne

Easy and creative, the Basil Fizz is a potent concoction that actual tastes great. Just add the two ingredients about half and half into a champagne flute and enjoy.

Summerlin

What You'll Need:

Fine aged rum

Lemon juice

Watermelon juice

Black pepper garnish

After juicing a watermelon, which isn't as hard as it seems, combine the rest of the ingredients evenly for a party-favorite classic.

The Summer Plum Smash

What You'll Need:

Gin

Plum liqueur

Sugar cane cubes

Small summer plums (pits removed)

Small sprigs of fresh thyme (plus 2 for garnishing)

Lastly, the Summer Plum Smash is the perfect surprise for friends on the lookout for a heavier drink that leans on the sophisticated side. Just add two sugar cane cubes, four plums and four thyme sprigs into a shaker and shake until they dissolve. Then add two shots of gin, two shots of the plum liqueur and ice, then shake it all for about 15 solid seconds. Strain, and then you got yourself a drink for two.