10 Best Camping Cocktails

Have you ever discovered something and really loved it but also been genuinely sad that you didn’t find out about it years ago?

That’s how I feel about camping cocktails. 

Camping is the perfect time for enjoying a good, stiff drink.

You’re out in the woods, in touch with nature, under the stars, and maybe even sitting by a gorgeous lake. 

The only thing that could make that better is a nice buzz to help you unwind and appreciate nature’s beauty even more. 

Unfortunately, you don’t have a fully stocked kitchen with dozens of bottles of booze, a blender, a stovetop with pans for heating things, and a nice pantry and spice rack from which to pull ingredients.

Thankfully, with these camping cocktails, you can enjoy a delicious mixed drink without those things.

You’ll still need a few things, though, so be sure to pack the right stuff.

Top 10 Campfire Cocktails To Try This Summer

1. Raspberry Lemon Drop Camping Cocktail Recipe

All you’ll need for this 5-minute cocktail is a cocktail shaker and six easy-to-pack ingredients.

Bring along some raspberries, rosemary, brown sugar, vodka, a lemon, and ice. 

With those few things, you can whip up an icy, slushy cocktail that’s tangy, herby, and pretty sour (in a good way). 

If you don’t enjoy the taste of alcohol, this cocktail is a good one to try because it’s hard to taste anything other than the bright taste of the raspberries and lemon. 

2. Black Velvet

The black velvet is smooth, frosty, and bitter, but there’s a hint of light sweetness from the Champagne, as well. 

When it comes to camping cocktails, this one is tough to beat because all you’ll need to pack is a bottle of Guinness beer and a bottle of Champagne. 

Of course, if you want to make quite a few of these drinks, you’ll need to pack multiple bottles of each instead, but still, that’s a short ingredients list, which is super convenient.

You also won’t need any special equipment – just a glass. 

3. Cape Codder

You may have never heard of the Cape Codder, but you’ve undoubtedly heard of the vodka and cranberry, which is the same drink under a different name. 

It features cranberry juice’s sweet and tangy taste, an underlying hint of vodka, and just a spritz of lime juice from the lime garnish. 

Pour it all over ice and stir, and you’ll have one of the world’s most popular drinks ready to go in just 5 minutes or less. 

4. Dark and Stormy

I love this easy-to-make drink so much. It has such a phenomenal, complex taste that’s both refreshing and bold at the same time. 

It also has a gorgeous golden color that’ll look lovely when the moon bounces off it on your next camping trip.

If this is the drink you want to make, pack dark rum, limes, and ginger beer. 

The name of this cocktail may be “dark and stormy,” but it goes down as smooth as silk. 

5. Chelada

If you prefer beer to hard liquor, bring along the ingredients to make a traditional chelada.

It’s basically salty, lime-infused Mexican beer with an Old Bay seasoning “salted” rim.

It’s not fancy, but it’s pretty darned delicious, just the same.

I like to use Dos Equis for the base, but you can use whatever Mexican beer you like best.

6. Make-Ahead Negroni

Of course, another way to ensure you have perfect camping cocktails without having to pack a ton of stuff is to make your cocktails at home and bring them with you on your trip. 

That’s precisely how you can make these delicious sweet and tangy negronis, and all you’ll need is an orange, gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari. Mix everything and store it in a sealed container.

Of course, these are so easy to make, you could just as quickly whip them up on-site while camping, but why pack all those additional containers when you don’t have to do so?!

7. 7&7

I’m not sure that I’ve ever met anyone over the age of 21 who hasn’t tried – or at least heard of – Seagram’s 7&7. 

And while they aren’t my favorite drinks, they are super simple to pull together, making them an excellent choice for a camping cocktail.

All you’ll need is whiskey – traditionally, you’ll use Seagram’s 7 Crown whiskey – and a lemon-lime soda – traditionally 7-UP. (Hence the name, 7&7.)

With such simple, easy-to-pack ingredients, it’s not hard to see why this would be the optimal camping cocktail. 

Just remember, the 7-UP can’t completely mask the whiskey, so you’re going to taste the alcohol in this drink.

If that’s not your thing, maybe consider another option on the list.  

8. Shandy

The shandy is the British equivalent of the chelada. You’ll make it by combining your favorite beer with your favorite lemon-lime soda. 

Since you’re using beer instead of liquor, it’s a much lighter cocktail than some of the others on the list, but that just means you can drink even more of them while camping! 

Most people make the shandy with dark lager, but you can use dark or light, whichever better suits your tastes. 

9. Red Wine Spritzer

All you’ll need to enjoy this gorgeous, maroon-colored cocktail is red wine, Sprite, ice, and about 5 minutes or less to make it. 

It tastes primarily of red wine, though you’ll get a bubbly, zesty twist after adding the Sprite.

It’s such a cool, refreshing drink that you’ll want to make it for several different occasions. 

10. Whiskey Ginger

And finally, we have one last drink for the whiskey lovers out there. This 2-minute, 3-ingredient drink is unbelievably simple to whip up. 

All you’ll need is whiskey, ginger ale, and a lime wedge. Depending on your whiskey brand, this drink can taste a bit like a 7&7.

The ginger ale isn’t as bright and zesty as the 7-UP, though. 

It’s bubbly, has a gorgeous light amber color, and tastes like a lighter, slightly sweeter whiskey with a hint of lime to make it even better.