A lot of articles on cocktails have been flitting across my newsfeed as we approach the first weekend of summer. The New York Times did a recent round up of their favorites, and even helps you create your own to suit your mood and occasion. (No choice of bourbon in their pull-down list, however—a definite oversight in my view.)

By this point in my food writing career I’ve shaken up a goodly number of luscious libations myself over the years based on fresh seasonal ingredients from my local farmers market. I pull them all together in today’s slide show for your viewing pleasure and drinking inspiration. From berries to herbs, vodka to tequila, I hope you find something here that you like; there’s even two non-alcoholic cocktails in there, too. The links to the drinks are at the bottom of the post, where you can find the recipe and learn the story behind each cocktail’s creation.

• Strawberry Bourbon Lemonade
• The Savage (Strawberry Basil Margarita Martini)
• Watermelon Margarita (video)
• Strawberry Caipirinha
• Cucumber Basil Sparkler (non-alcoholic)
• White Wine Sangria with Stone Fruit and Berries
• Strawberry Margarita
• Blackberry Margatini (video)
• Strawberry Mojito
• Cucumber Basil Gimlet
• Bloody Mary (video) (never the same once you’ve made homemade veggie juice!)
• Raspberry Gimlet
• Herb-Infused Strawberry Martini
• Cucumber Lime Sparkler

Here’s to a wonderful summer!

And cheers to you—thanks for reading!