What to drink this summer, from Margot Robbie’s new canned cocktail to Botivo

Orange wine? Very 2024. Here’s what you should be swapping out and in this summer, from Margot Robbie and Fever-Tree’s highly quaffable canned cocktail to the alcohol-free aperitif in every chic drinks cabinet right now.

Whispering Angel is one of those brands that has managed to transcend its awful name and enter the upper echelons. It may be good but you can do better. For pretty much the same price, go for Chateau La Coste’s offering. It’s a delicious, organic pale rosé from the chicest hotel in Provence – with a label to match.

Aperol spritzes tend to go downhill when you’re around halfway through the fishbowl glass, all the ice has melted, your paper straw has self-pulped, and the lurid orange liquid tastes more and more like cough syrup. Much more debonaire and European is the Hugo spritz, made with St Germain elderflower liqueur, lime and mint.

Seedlip, respectfully, is not delicious. It is trying too hard to be like spirits, which often don’t taste great. Enter Botivo, the newest alcohol-free aperitif which is a proper drink in its own right. Bittersweet and citrusy, a Botivo and soda rivals any spritz worth its salt. Bonus points for the great bottle design and the wax sealed lid.

For picnics in the park or roadies on the way to a party, stop subjecting yourself to Calpol for adults, sometimes known as a Gordon’s Pink G&T. Margot Robbie’s gin brand Papa Salt has teamed up with Fever Tree to create the canned cocktail of the summer: a gin and blood orange soda that’s delightfully refreshing and not too sweet.

Leave your murky orange wine in 2024 – this summer it’s all about chilled red. Go for a light Beaujolais or Pinot Noir and stick it in the fridge. Independent food and drink marketplace Delli has some great options, including Sandridge Barton’s Red Billy: a low intervention, “experimental” wine made from grapes grown in South Devon, for all you natty wine heads.

Little glass bottles of Cidre Breton are quaffed in their multitudes at The French House in Soho. It’s funky and sweet and very drinkable. If you’re feeling strapped for cash but have been asked to bring a bottle to a party, their litre version is easy on the wallet but will be welcomed by all.

After five honeymoon years, we’ve picpoul’d too close to the sun. I can’t bear to see another bottle of it at a dinner party. There’s a reason the French grape is popular, so this summer I’m plumping for its zesty Portuguese counterpart. Vinho Verde (technically “green wine”) encompasses grapes grown in northern Portugal. Noble Rot’s famous Chin Chin is a Vinho Verde, while Top Cuvée’s crisp house white is made with Arinto grapes from the region and slips down a treat.

Americanos are the flirty cousin of Negronis which make a much better summer companion. The gin is subbed out for soda water, meaning you stay somewhat hydrated, won’t fall over as quickly, and don’t get a deadly hangover.