The 2026 Belmont Stakes is set for Saturday, June 6, 2026, at Saratoga Race Course. NYRA lists the 2026 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival as June 3 through June 7, with the Belmont Stakes itself on Saturday, June 6.

That matters for the drinks. Belmont is still a Triple Crown race-day moment, but in 2026 it also has a Saratoga-in-June mood: warm weather, New York summer energy, food trucks, hospitality tents, cold glasses, and drinks that can sit beside a watch party without feeling heavy.

The anchor is the Belmont Jewel, the official Belmont Stakes cocktail. NYRA’s current home recipe is bourbon, lemonade, pomegranate juice, and a lemon twist. From there, a good home menu can add one historical Belmont drink, one gin highball, one spritz, one iced tea drink, and one alcohol-free option that still feels like it belongs on the table.

Belmont Stakes drinks with bourbon lemonade, pomegranate cocktails, gin highballs, spritz glasses, iced tea, citrus, mint, and white roses on a summer race-day table
Start with the Belmont Jewel, then build a cold New York summer drink menu around citrus, tea, pomegranate, bubbles, and fresh ice.

At a Glance

DetailInfo
Best forBelmont Stakes 2026, race-day watch parties, early June gatherings
Event dateSaturday, June 6, 2026
Location contextSaratoga Race Course, New York
Signature drinkBelmont Jewel
Main flavorsBourbon, lemonade, pomegranate, citrus, tea, bubbles
Make-aheadTea, lemonade, juices, citrus wheels, simple syrup
Serve withFresh ice, lemon twists, mint, white roses nearby

1. Official Belmont Jewel

The Belmont Jewel is the drink to make first because it is the official Belmont Stakes cocktail. NYRA’s recipe is direct: 1 1/2 ounces bourbon, 2 ounces lemonade, 1 ounce pomegranate juice, and a lemon twist. Shake it cold, then pour it over fresh ice.

The flavor works because it is not trying to be a julep. Bourbon gives it warmth, lemonade keeps it bright, and pomegranate gives it the deep red race-day color without needing artificial syrup.

For one drink, shake 1 1/2 ounces bourbon, 2 ounces lemonade, and 1 ounce pomegranate juice with ice. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice and garnish with a lemon twist.

Official Belmont Jewel cocktail with bourbon, lemonade, pomegranate juice, ice, and a lemon twist on a summer race-day table
The official Belmont Jewel is bourbon, lemonade, pomegranate, and lemon. Keep it cold and simple.

2. Belmont Jewel Pitcher

For a home watch party, the Belmont Jewel is easy to scale because the ratio stays clear: 3 parts bourbon, 4 parts lemonade, and 2 parts pomegranate juice. Do not shake the whole pitcher with ice unless you are serving immediately. Chill the mix first, then pour over fresh ice glass by glass.

For 8 drinks, stir 12 ounces bourbon, 16 ounces lemonade, and 8 ounces pomegranate juice in a pitcher. Chill for at least 1 hour. To serve, pour 4 1/2 ounces over ice and garnish with lemon.

This is the best choice if people are arriving at different times. It gives you the official flavor without making you stand at the bar all afternoon.

Pitcher of Belmont Jewel cocktails with bourbon lemonade pomegranate juice, lemon twists, ice, and glasses ready for a race-day party
Batch the Jewel before guests arrive, then pour it over fresh ice so it does not taste watered down.

3. Belmont Breeze

Before the Belmont Jewel, the Belmont Breeze was part of the race’s official cocktail history. It is usually credited to Dale DeGroff and is more complex than the Jewel: whiskey, sherry, lemon, simple syrup, orange juice, cranberry juice, soda, and mint.

It is not the current official drink, but it is useful on a 2026 menu because it gives you a vintage Belmont option for guests who like a longer, fruitier whiskey drink.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 ounces of a good American blended whiskey
  • 3/4 ounces cream sherry
  • 1/2 ounce of fresh lemon juice
  • 1 ounce of simple syrup
  • 1 1/2 ounces fresh orange juice
  • 1 1/2 ounces cranberry juice
  • 1 ounce lemon-lime soda
  • 1 ounce Club Soda
  • Mint sprig and lemon wedge, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Shake the first six ingredients with ice, then pour in the lemon-lime soda and club soda.
  2. Garnish with a mint sprig and a lemon wedge.
Belmont Breeze cocktail with whiskey, sherry, citrus juices, cranberry, soda, mint, and strawberry in a tall glass
The Belmont Breeze is the historical pick: longer, fruitier, and more layered than the Jewel.

4. Pomegranate Gin Collins

A Tom Collins is a classic gin, lemon, sugar, and soda drink. For Belmont, the easy move is to keep the Collins structure and borrow the Jewel’s pomegranate note. That gives gin drinkers something bright, tall, and cold without drifting away from the day’s signature flavor.

Ingredients

  • 2 oz gin
  • 1 oz lemon juice
  • 1 oz pomegranate juice
  • 1/2 oz simple syrup
  • Club soda
  • Pomegranate seeds (for garnish)
  • Lemon (wheel, for garnish)

Instructions

  1. Fill a Collins glass with ice to chill it.
  2. In a cocktail shaker, pour in the gin, fresh lemon juice, and pomegranate juice, then add the simple syrup. Drop in ice.
  3. Shake vigorously for about 15 seconds until well chilled.
  4. Strain into the chilled Collins glass over the ice.
  5. Top off with club soda, filling the glass.
  6. Drop in a few pomegranate seeds and add a lemon wheel.
  7. Stir gently and serve right away.

This is the drink to make when someone wants gin but not a bitter aperitivo spritz.

Pomegranate gin Collins with gin, lemon, pomegranate juice, soda water, ice, and lemon garnish in a tall glass
A Collins keeps the gin option familiar while pomegranate ties it back to the Belmont Jewel.

5. Saratoga Spritz

The spritz belongs on a summer racing table because it is low effort, cold, and lighter than a shaken cocktail. The classic Aperol Spritz formula is prosecco, Aperol, soda water, and orange. Use that structure here.

Ingredients

  • 3 ounces prosecco
  • 2 ounces Aperol
  • 1 ounce club soda
  • Garnish: orange slice

Instructions

  1. Pour the prosecco, Aperol and club soda into a wine glass filled with ice and stir.
  2. Garnish with an orange slice.
Saratoga spritz with prosecco, Aperol, soda water, orange, pomegranate accent, and ice in a wine glass
A spritz keeps the table light and sparkling, especially for an early June afternoon.

6. Bourbon Sweet Tea Lemonade

Iced tea makes sense for a hot race-day spread because it can be made ahead and served all afternoon. A half tea, half lemonade drink is widely known as an Arnold Palmer. Add bourbon by the glass and it becomes a simple summer cocktail that still sits close to the Belmont Jewel’s bourbon-lemonade lane.

Ingredients

  • 2 oz bourbon
  • 3 oz sweet tea
  • 2 oz fresh lemonade
  • ¼ oz simple syrup (optional, adjust to taste)
  • Ice (for shaking and serving)
  • Lemon wheel (for garnish)
  • Fresh mint sprig (for garnish)

Instructions

  1. Fill a shaker with ice.
  2. Pour in 2 oz bourbon, 3 oz sweet tea, 2 oz lemonade, and if you like, ¼ oz simple syrup.
  3. Strain into a tall glass or mason jar with fresh ice.
  4. Garnish with a lemon wheel and mint sprig.
Bourbon sweet tea lemonade with iced tea, lemonade, bourbon, lemon, mint, and ice in a tall glass
Tea and lemonade are practical for a long afternoon. Bourbon turns the glass into a race-day cocktail.

7. Alcohol-Free Pomegranate Arnold Palmer

The alcohol-free option should not feel like a leftover. Use the same Belmont logic: tea, lemon, pomegranate, and fresh ice. It gives non-drinkers the color and ceremony of the Jewel without bourbon.

Ingredients

  • 8 cups water
  • 4 English Breakfast tea bags
  • ½ cup lemon juice
  • 1 cup pomegranate juice
  • 7-8 tbsps pomegranate molasses
  • additional simple syrup or agave, to taste
  • mint, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Bring 8 cups of water up to a boil. Drop in the tea bags and let them steep 4 to 6 minutes. Pull out the tea bags and cool the tea completely in the fridge.
  2. Pour the cooled tea into a pitcher and add the lemon and pomegranate juices along with the pomegranate molasses. Taste it and add simple syrup or agave to taste, if you like.
  3. To serve, muddle a bit of mint in the glass before adding ice and pour the Arnold Palmer right over.

Makes 1 big pitcher.

Alcohol-free pomegranate Arnold Palmer with iced tea, lemonade, pomegranate juice, lemon, mint, and fresh ice
The alcohol-free glass should still look intentional: tea, lemonade, pomegranate, citrus, and plenty of ice.

How to Build the Menu

For a small Belmont watch party, make three drinks:

  • Official: Belmont Jewel
  • Light: Saratoga Spritz
  • Alcohol-free: Pomegranate Arnold Palmer

For a bigger table, add the Belmont Breeze and Bourbon Sweet Tea Lemonade. Keep gin on hand for the Pomegranate Gin Collins if you know you have gin drinkers.

Prep the lemonade, tea, juices, and citrus the day before. Chill everything. Do not add soda water, prosecco, or lemon-lime soda until serving.