Mint Shiso Tisane

With hints of fennel and also a spicy note, like cinnamon, shiso adds complexity to the classic, cooling mint tea.

Strawberry Sake Cocktail

One sip of this drink and there's no question what season it is—it's time to take advantage of as many strawberries as you can. This cocktail, with its sweet, refreshing flavor is the perfect way to enjoy one of summer's most iconic fruits.

Cucumber Gin Fizz

This drink balances soothing, cool flavors with just enough bright notes.

Cucumber Gimlet

Like a spiked spa drink, this cocktail is refreshing and delicate—just lightly herbal from the muddled rosemary and gin.

Monkey See Monkey Do

This gin cocktail from Matthew Biancaniello of the Library Bar in Los Angeles is vividly peachy.

Drinking in Season: Sake Melon Slush

Looking for a way to mix things up in the cocktail department, I paired fruity shaved ice with cool sake to create a delicious, boozy granita. I used a cantaloupe because of its sweet and musky flavor and added a little fresh ginger and lime juice to jazz it up.

Watermelon-Mint Shrub with Watermelon Spoom

Shrubs have been gaining in popularity lately. An old-timey way of preserving, they generally involve fruit, sugar and vinegar, and make quite a refreshing beverage if well-balanced.

Strawberry-Mint Sparkler

Juicy summer strawberries are combined with tart lime juice and bright mint in this sweet and sour effervescent vodka cocktail. It's light, not too sugary, and eminently day-drinkable.

Cucumber and Basil Slush

With temperatures rising into the 90s and above, everyone is looking for a way to cool off. One of my favorite ways is with an icy beverage known as the slush—a simple combination of ice and liquid in a blender. Since the temperature is dramatic, I figured even the slush needed to be taken up a notch by using the classic, cool flavor combination of cucumber and lime, brightened up with fresh basil leaves.

Pomelo and Basil Cocktail

I like to pair pomelo with herbal flavors, especially basil. The slight sweetness of both the pomelo and basil work really well together, but they're both able to hold their own and bring depth to a cocktail