The Perfect Movie + Cocktail Pairings For Your Late Summer BBQ

Summer is almost over, but barbeque season is forever! (Well, it’s not forever, but it definitely continues into the early months of autumn, as we find ways to prolong our summer lovin.’)

While the best part of summer BBQs is often the food and the company, winding down a barbeque with a classic summer flick and a paired cocktail is the perfect way to end the festivities.

Everyone loves a good summer hit, but to keep the party going, pairing a cocktail with our favorite summer films is a unique and festive way to make the most memorable summer BBQ and close out the season with a bang. So we’ve compiled a list of our favorite summer flicks and paired them perfectly with the cocktails that will make your final BBQ of the season unforgettable (or perhaps completely forgettable if people drink too many)!

Grease (1978): The Pink Lady

The ultimate summer flick has to be Grease, the 1978 film that took the world by storm (specifically by “lightning”) as the movie musical that had it all: John Travolta’s swiveling hips, Olivia Newton-John’s good to bad girl transformation, teenage pregnancy, the drive-in movies, a high school dance, a car race, and more. As the Pink Ladies and T-Birds rule Rydell High, we know they’re boozing and cruising, so why shouldn’t we? The perfect cocktail to pair is naturally “The Pink Lady,” a strawberry boozy milkshake that will “go together” with Grease like “ramma-lamma-lamma-ka-dingity-da-dinga-dong.”

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Serve in a milkshake glass with whipped cream, strawberries, and sprinkles as garnish.

Wet Hot American Summer (2001): Campfire S’mores Martini

Wet Hot American Summer isn’t just a cult classic — it’s now spawned several Netflix series spin-offs and even catapulted the careers of some of our favorite actors, including Bradley Cooper, Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, Elizabeth Banks, and many more. Always worth a watch, whether it’s summer or not, it’s the perfect way to not only celebrate the season, but to finish it with the film’s nostalgia as campgoers and counselors reckon with the end of summer. Wet Hot American Summer is full of taboos, just like the Campfire S’mores Martini, which mixes the joys of childhood with an adult twist.

1.5 oz vodka

1 oz espresso

1 oz chocolate liqueur (Bailey’s, Mozart, Bols, Godiva, etc.)

Melted dark chocolate or chocolate syrup

Crushed graham crackers

1 large toasted marshmallow

Rim a martini glass using melted dark chocolate or chocolate syrup and then dip the rim into crushed graham cracker bits. In a shaker, combine vodka, espresso, and chocolate liqueur. Strain into the martini glass and top with a toasted marshmallow — the perfect opportunity to toast marshmallows around the firepit and make it boozy!

Jaws (1975): The Shark Bite

Nothing screams summer more than a visit to Amity Island and a dip in its shark-infested waters. As the largest imaginable Great White Shark haunts the island and its inhabitants, taking the lives of many, we just need a strong cocktail to numb the pain of a shark bite. Luckily, this cocktail is dangerous — almost as dangerous as the shark itself. A variation on the Adios Motherf–ker, the Shark Bite is simultaneously delicious and terrifying, just like Jaws. The blue cocktail with drips of red are reminiscent of the shark attacks on Amity Island.

.5 oz vodka

.5 oz rum

.5 oz tequila

.5 oz blue curaçao

1 oz sweet-and-sour mix (sugar, lemon, lime syrup mix)

.25 oz grenadine

Sprite or 7up

Garnish: Cherry, Raspberries

Mix the liquors and sweet-and-sour mix in a shaker. Strain over ice into a pint glass and top with Sprite or 7up. Using a dropper or the back of a cocktail spoon, carefully drop the grenadine over the top of the cocktail, so that it floats, slowly dripping down into the drink. Garnish with a cherry and/or raspberries to propel the look of red bits floating in the blue water.

Aquamarine (2006): Mermaid Mimosas

An underrated teen flick from the mid-aughts, Aquamarine is a must-watch for any gal’s summer fiesta. Featuring the trifecta of JoJo, Sara Paxton, and Emma Roberts, it’s exactly the sort of film we watched as teens that we always wished we could pair with a perfect mermaid-esque drink. Luckily, mermaid mimosas are here to save the day.

1 oz midori

3 oz pineapple juice

1 oz blue curaçao

Bubbly white (prosecco, champagne, cava, or sparkling white wine)

Lime wedge

In a champagne flute, add the midori and pineapple juice. Add your choice of bubbly white until the glass is nearly full and top with blue curaçao to give your mermaid mimosa the perfect aquamarine color. Garnish with a lime wedge (or any fruit of your choice!)

Friday the 13th (1980): Crystal Lake Martini

Jump into the lake and close out the summer with the classic summer horror flick, Friday the 13th. At Camp Crystal Lake, the teens days’ are numbered as Jason Voorhees haunts them alongside his evil mother. Equal parts scary and campy (quite literally), Friday the 13th provides the perfect inspiration for a high-end and delectable cocktail … with a twist.

1.5 oz gin

1 oz melon schnapps

2 oz lemon juice

Garnish: lemon peel, blueberry, dash of salt

Start this cocktail with prepping the garnishes: Cut the lemon peel into the shape of a cat eye (halve the lemon, peel, and cut a hole in the middle). Add the peel and blueberry onto a cocktail pick to create the look of an eye. Then add the gin, schnapps, and lemon juice to a shaker, shake with ice, then strain into a martini glass. Top with the garnish and add a dash of salt and voila! Welcome to Camp Crystal Lake, where somebody is always watching.