Though a fair amount of summer is spent nursing ice-cold beers, some days it's worth hauling your butt out of the deck chair long enough to stir up some summer cocktails. The melange of sweet, astringent, citric, and herbaceous found in many cocktails is refreshing on a hot day the way a great food truck taco can be. All of these drinks can be batched for punches and brightened further by topping with sparkling wine or club soda (where it's not already included).

We only list four here, but make sure to check out our Summer Drinks article for 10 additional drink recipes!

1. The Beer Cocktail: Jacob's Ghost White Whiskey

Launched last summer by the folks at Jim Beam, this lightly aged white whiskey lies somewhere between moonshine and, you know, whiskey. So it's got just a hint of color and an earthy/woody overtone to it, perfect for blending into trendy beer cocktails. Use any beer or cider you prefer, but the Hefeweizens are light yet still add complexity. 40% ABV, $22

Ghostly Brew
(Robert Haynes-Peterson)
1 1/2 oz Jacob's Ghost White Whiskey
1 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz agave nectar or simple syrup
1 Pyramid Hefeweizen
1 orange wedge for garnish

In a mixing glass, combine whiskey, lemon juice and agave nectar. Add ice, shake well, and strain into a pint glass half-filled with fresh cubed ice. Add beer to top (or taste). Garnish with an orange wedge.

2. The Newbie: Solbeso

Solbeso: It's rare a new spirits category comes along anymore, and generally when something's made from an unusual ingredient (say, tomatoes or quinoa), you end up with yet another vodka. Solbeso, though, is distilled from the cacao fruit (as in chocolate, not cocaine). Sustainably sourced, it's aromatic and earthy, like some of the funkier rums and cachaças, and in fact works well as a rum substitute, with character. It plays particularly well with character-driven mixers: pineapple, grapefruit, absinthe, thyme. 40% ABV, $40

Sol-Basil Daisy
(Robert Haynes-Peterson)
1 1/2 oz Solbeso cacao spirit
1/2 lime, cut into quarters
2 tsp agave nectar
5 - 6 basil leaves

Quickly slap the basil leaves between your hands. In a mixing glass, combine lime wedges, basil leaves and agave nextar. Muddle well but not too violently. Add Solbeso and ice. Shake well, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a single basil leaf floating in the glass. For added character, rinse the glass with absinthe before pouring the cocktail.

3. The Vodka Cooler: Reyka Vodka

In Iceland, where Summer is welcomed with flair, the Summer Solstice (this year June 21st) is cause for a whole night of partying. Made from a blend of wheat, barley and Arctic glacial spring water filtered through local lava rock, Reyka is single-distilled in copper-lined Carter Head stills. The result is a vodka that actually has some character and, dare we say it? Taste. 40% ABV, $23

Midday Collins
(from Reyka Vodka)
1 oz Reyka Vodka
1 oz Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur
1 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz simple syrup
Club soda to top
1 sprig thyme
1 lime wheel for garnish, frozen

Combine all of the ingredients except thyme in a cocktail shaker. Add ice, shake well and fine-strain into a Collins glass filled with fresh ice. Top with club soda, garnish with thyme sprig and frozen lemon wheel.

4. The Exotic: Nikka Coffey Grain Whisky

Japanese whisky is such a thing right now, it would be a shame to go al summer without sipping something new. In general the category runs a little lighter than Scotch whisky (after which it's modeled) and smoother and fruitier than Irish whiskey. Nikka's Coffey Grain -- launched in the U.S. last fall -- is a grain whiskey that is as full-bodied as a Speyside single malt but with sweet, heady notes of tropical fruits, vanilla and chocolate ("Coffey" refers to the still in which it's made). Though designed to sip neat, it's perfect for a refreshing take on the Japanese go-to: The whisky soda. 45% ABV, $70

Ginger Highball
2 oz Nikka Coffey Grain Whisky
Ginger beer to top
Lime wedge for garnish
Slice of fresh ginger for garnish

In a highball glass filled with fresh cubed ice, add whisky, then ginger beer to top. Stir lightly and serve (straw optional). Garnish with fresh ginger slice and lime wedge.

This article written by Robert Haynes-Peterson was originally published on AskMen.