TL;DR: The best BBQ drinks are the ones you can put out and forget about. Cold lager, a jug of Pimm's, canned cocktails, cider on ice, and a decent rosé will keep everyone happy without you spending the afternoon behind a makeshift bar. This guide covers 10 options that take almost no effort and go perfectly with grilled food.
You've bought the burgers. You've cleaned the grill. You've arranged the garden chairs in a way that looks casual but actually took twenty minutes. The last thing you want is to spend the whole afternoon mixing drinks for everyone while your sausages burn.
That's the thing about BBQs. The food is already a job. The drinks shouldn't be one too. You need stuff that's cold, easy to grab, and doesn't require you to stand behind a table squeezing limes for three hours straight.
These 10 options do exactly that. Some you pour from a jug. Some you pull from a cooler. None of them need a cocktail shaker, a muddler, or any of that nonsense. Just good drinks that go with grilled food, served with zero fuss. If you're planning the full spread, our party planning checklist covers everything else.
1. Ice-Cold Lager, the One That Never Fails
Start with what works. A cold lager on a warm day with smoke coming off the grill is about as good as it gets. Nobody's ever been disappointed to find beer at a BBQ.
Buy more than you think you need. A rough guide is three to four bottles per person for an afternoon session, more if it's a scorcher. Get them in the cooler with plenty of ice at least two hours before people arrive so they're properly cold by the time the first guest shows up.
Mix it up with a couple of options. A light lager for easy drinking and something with a bit more character, like a pale ale or a wheat beer, for those who want it. Don't overthink this one. Beer and BBQ have been mates for a long time.
2. Canned Cocktails Straight From the Cooler
This is the one that changed BBQ hosting for good. Ready-to-drink cocktails in cans give your guests a proper mixed drink without you having to make a single thing. You just buy them, chill them, and dump them in the ice bucket.
The RTD category has grown 20% in the UK over the past two years, and it makes complete sense. People want something more interesting than beer but don't want to make it themselves.
Satchmo rum cocktails are spot on for this. The Strawberry Daiquiri and Raspberry Mojito taste like something you'd order at a beach bar, but they come in a can you pull from a bucket of ice. Caribbean rum, proper fruit flavours, and at 16% ABV they've got enough kick that one can goes a long way.
No glass, no mess, no mixing. Perfect for a BBQ where everyone's got a burger in one hand and needs a drink in the other.
3. A Big Jug of Pimm's
If it's sunny enough for a BBQ, it's sunny enough for Pimm's. This is a proper British summer staple and it takes about five minutes to make a full jug.
The ratio is simple: one part Pimm's No. 1 to three parts lemonade. Chuck in some sliced cucumber, strawberries, orange, and a sprig of mint. Fill the jug with ice. Done.
Make it an hour before people arrive so the fruit has time to soak in. One jug usually serves about six glasses, so make two if you're having a bigger crowd. People always drink more Pimm's than they expect to, especially when the sun's out.
4. Cider Over Ice
Cider doesn't get enough credit as a BBQ drink. It's cold, it's fruity, and it goes brilliantly with pork, chicken, and anything with a sweet glaze on it.
Go for a dry or medium cider rather than the super sweet ones. Something like a proper Somerset or Herefordshire cider works well because the tartness cuts through the richness of grilled meat. Serve it over ice in a tall glass if you want to keep things cool longer.
If you want to get a bit fancy without any extra work, pour cider into a jug with sliced apples and a few crushed blackberries. It looks great and tastes even better. Still not playing bartender though. Just pouring.
5. Pre-Made Sangria
Sangria is the ultimate "make it and forget it" BBQ drink. You put it together the night before, stick it in the fridge, and pull it out when people arrive. The longer it sits, the better it tastes.
Red sangria is the classic: a bottle of cheap red wine, a splash of brandy, some orange juice, sliced oranges, apples, and a bit of sugar. But white sangria with peaches and white wine works just as well in hot weather and feels a bit lighter.
Serve it from a big glass dispenser or a clear jug so people can see all the fruit. It looks the part and guests can top themselves up without bothering you. For more party drink ideas like this, we've got a separate guide worth a look.
6. Frozen Slushies (Made in Advance)
If you've got a blender and a freezer, you can have frozen cocktails ready before anyone turns up. Blend your base the morning of the BBQ, pour it into a container, and freeze it. Every hour or so, give it a stir with a fork to break up the ice crystals. By party time, you've got a proper slushie texture.
A simple one: frozen strawberries, lime juice, a splash of rum, and some sugar blended with ice. Pour it into cups straight from the freezer. Or if you want zero effort on the day, pour a can of Satchmo Raspberry Mojito over crushed ice. Same result, none of the blending.
Frozen drinks look impressive but they're honestly one of the laziest things you can serve. That's the whole point.
7. Sparkling Water With Fruit
Not everyone's drinking booze. Some people are driving. Some just don't fancy it. Either way, you need a non-alcoholic option that doesn't feel like an afterthought. Tap water in a glass doesn't cut it.
A big glass dispenser with sparkling water, sliced cucumber, lemon, and a handful of mint leaves looks brilliant on a table and tastes clean and refreshing. Or go tropical with sparkling water, sliced mango, and lime. It takes two minutes to throw together and it means your non-drinking guests have something that actually feels like a proper drink.
This also doubles as a hydration station for everyone. The YMCA recommends keeping water easily available at any outdoor gathering, and making it look good means people will actually drink it.
8. Shandy, the Underrated Legend
Half lager, half lemonade. It's the simplest drink on this list and one of the most refreshing things you can have on a hot afternoon.
Shandies are light enough that you can drink a few without falling asleep in the garden chair, and they go with literally everything off the grill. Pour them yourself or just put out lager and lemonade side by side and let people mix their own.
It's not glamorous. It's not going to win any cocktail awards. But on a 28-degree Saturday afternoon with a burger in your hand, a shandy is hard to beat. Sometimes the simple stuff is the best stuff.
9. Rum Punch in a Drinks Dispenser
If you're going to make one mixed drink for the whole BBQ, make it a punch. One batch, one dispenser, and you're sorted for the rest of the day.
A basic rum punch follows a simple Caribbean formula: one part sour (lime juice), two parts sweet (sugar syrup), three parts strong (rum), four parts weak (fruit juice or water). Mix it in a big dispenser, add plenty of ice, and let people serve themselves.
If you're using Satchmo cans alongside the punch, you've basically got a full rum cocktail menu without touching a shaker. The punch covers the people who want a glass of something, and the cans cover the people who want to grab and go.
10. Rosé, Kept Properly Cold
A cold rosé at a summer BBQ is a crowd-pleaser, especially with lighter grilled food like chicken, fish, or halloumi. The trick is keeping it cold. Rosé that's been sitting in the sun for an hour turns into warm pink disappointment.
Keep the bottles in a bucket of ice and water (not just ice, the water conducts cold better and chills the bottle faster). Or freeze a few grapes and drop them into the glass instead of ice cubes. They keep the wine cold without watering it down.
Don't spend a fortune on the bottle. A decent Provence rosé or a Spanish Garnacha rosé from the supermarket does the job. Save the expensive stuff for when you're not competing with charcoal smoke and burger grease.
Conclusion
The best BBQ drink setup is the one that runs itself. Fill the coolers, set out the jugs, put everything on ice, and then walk away from the drinks table. You've got burgers to flip and people to talk to.
Mix a couple of these options together and you'll cover every taste at the table. Beer for the beer drinkers. Pimm's for the summer crowd. Satchmo cans for anyone who wants a cocktail without the wait. And something fruity and fizzy for the people who aren't drinking.
Stock up on a Satchmo mixed pack before your next BBQ. Caribbean rum cocktails that taste like summer and take zero effort to serve. That's the kind of hosting that actually lets you enjoy your own party.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much drink do you need for a BBQ?
Plan for about three to four drinks per person for an afternoon BBQ. That might be a mix of beers, a couple of glasses from a jug of something, and a soft drink. Buy a bit more than you think you'll need. Running out of drinks is far worse than having leftovers.
What's the easiest drink to serve at a BBQ?
Canned drinks, full stop. Lager, cider, and RTD cocktails all go straight from the cooler to someone's hand with no effort. If you want to serve something mixed, a jug of Pimm's or a batch of sangria made the night before are the next easiest options.
What drinks go best with grilled food?
Lager, cider, and rum cocktails all pair well with BBQ flavours. The smokiness of grilled meat works with the sweetness of rum and fruit-based drinks. Dry cider cuts through rich, fatty meats like pork belly or lamb chops.
Should you serve cocktails at a BBQ?
Yes, but don't stand there making them one by one. Use batch cocktails like punch or sangria, or serve canned RTD cocktails that are already mixed and chilled. This way your guests get something more exciting than beer without you missing your own party.
What non-alcoholic drinks work at a summer BBQ?
Sparkling water with sliced fruit and mint is simple and refreshing. Homemade lemonade in a jug works well too. The trick is making the non-alcoholic option look just as appealing as the boozy stuff so nobody feels like they're stuck with the boring choice.