Summer Cocktails

[Varmint]

Damn! I have tons of homemade limoncello. Why not a limoncello champagne cocktail, with a touch of mint???? Yeah!

[beans]

All the better.

Refreshing and complimentary so as not to the taste buds for the good eats that are on that menu.

[KatieLoeb]

Damn! I have tons of homemade limoncello. Why not a limoncello champagne cocktail, with a touch of mint???? Yeah!

You will let me know how that turned out, wontcha?

[tsquare]

I posted this on the Lillet thread a couple weeks ago:

1oz Vodka

1oz Lillet Blonde

1oz Italian Lemon Soda

Mint Leaf

JAZ suggested Meyer Lemon Juice which worked well until they became unavailable locally.

LUDJA gave it a name: Limone Pavlova or Bolshoi since it has an amalgam of cultural origins

I threw it together for an Easter party and *POOF* I'm all out of Lillet...

Huh, the Seattle Art Museum was/is featuring a drink they call Montmartre (did I spell that right?) It's Absolut, Lillet Blonde, and Sierra Mist - not sure if there is a garnish. Working with what they have. Featured for $2.00.

On the rum note - had a drink called "Painkiller" - dark rum, Malibu rum, pineapple juice and orange juice, ice. It's was very tropical - much lighter that a pina colada.

I'm also a big fan of strawberry dacquiris in the summer - mostly because there is always some point when the strawberries in my yard get ahead of me and I don't feel like freezing them. Blend and pour.

[stephenc]

Enough of these bush-league umbrella drinks!

How about a moscow mule?

Ice

Vodka

Lime

Fill with Ginger beer.

messes you up good!

[stephenc]

For those who can't afford Corona,

---

REDNECK VACATION.

12 oz bottle of Miller High Life or Pabst.

Slice of Lime.

Add the slice of lime to the bottle.

[bbqer]

About a month ago, my wife started egging me on to learn how to make Cosmopolitans at home to have an enjoyable drink where we could have just one after work and feel its soothing effects. I bought myself a cocktail shaker and started experimenting.

I read and tried some different recipes for Cosmos, adjusted proportions and ingredients, and finally settled on one the both of us really enjoy. Don't know whether it's the slightly unconventional proportions or the individual ingredients that hit our taste buds, but this is what I eventually came up with:

2 oz. Ketel One vodka

1/2 oz. Bols Triple Sec

1/2 oz. organic lime juice

2 oz. Ocean Spray cranberry juice

Shake vigorously with ice in cocktail shaker. Strain and pour into classic stemmed cocktail glass. Or, if you've broken too many of these already, a conventional glass will do.

I can't remember the brand name of the organic lime juice now, but it was far tastier than the RealLime brand. Of course, I'm sure fresh squeezed would be better but I have neither the time nor the inclination.

That's my Cosmo and I'm sticking to it.

Edited June 9, 2004 by bbqer (log)

[Willly]

I'll second Limewine's vote for Southsides. I make mine with rum, preferably Goslings, and homemade lemon or limeade over ice. Add a bruised sprig of mint and for me it's summer in a glass.

[Lan4Dawg]

I found fresh key limes at Save Rite yesterday @ 20 for $1.00 so I made a batch of key lime margaritas last evening. They were quite tasty and Fuss said she preferred them to regular lime margaritas. Now I still have some key limes left over and Save Rite still has bunches at that price so.....

I am thinking of key lime daquiris and gimlets.

any other suggestions for cocktails w/ fresh key lime juice?

[johnnyd]

Those little guys have been part of my Caipirinhas and Mojitos lately, nevermind the hassle of de-seeding, the flavour is worth it.

[Susan in FL]

That's my Cosmo and I'm sticking to it.

I love it.

This a mouth watering thread. Mojitos remain my current favorite, but I'm entertaining several others and enjoying them immensely. Key lime Mojitos are a wonderful thing, and Katie has me just about ready to launch my mission for the perfect minted- (or other herbed- simple syrup) drink. Katie or anybody, have you done anything with rosemary? I have huge numbers of huge rosemary bushes.

And, my Cosmo right now is 1 1/2 ounces Stoli Ohranj, 1/2 ounce Cointreau, 1/4 ounce lime juice, 1/4 ounce lemon juice, and 1 ounce of cranberry juice. As for the ice, I, too, like to shake vigorously. Usually I add a twist of lime or lemon, but please tell me... does anybody know what is meant by a flaming of orange oil over top of it?

[KatieLoeb]

That's my Cosmo and I'm sticking to it.

I love it.

This a mouth watering thread. Mojitos remain my current favorite, but I'm entertaining several others and enjoying them immensely. Key lime Mojitos are a wonderful thing, and Katie has me just about ready to launch my mission for the perfect minted- (or other herbed- simple syrup) drink. Katie or anybody, have you done anything with rosemary? I have huge numbers of huge rosemary bushes.

And, my Cosmo right now is 1 1/2 ounces Stoli Ohranj, 1/2 ounce Cointreau, 1/4 ounce lime juice, 1/4 ounce lemon juice, and 1 ounce of cranberry juice. As for the ice, I, too, like to shake vigorously. Usually I add a twist of lime or lemon, but please tell me... does anybody know what is meant by a flaming of orange oil over top of it?

Susan:

I made a batch of Rosemary simple syrup a few nights ago. As I explained upthread, I tried to create an Apple-Rosemary type drink with it last night, but the end result somehow smelled a whole lot better than it tasted. I mixed together:

2 oz. Players Extreme Green Apple Vodka (this is pretty good and has a good clean apple-ey flavor)

1 Tbs. Rosemary simple syrup

2 oz. Sprite

a splash of Sour Mix to take the super sweet edge off

The drink was tasty but after a few sips it was almost icky. I can't explain my distaste for it as it smelled wonderful. I think I need to work on a Rosemary-Grapefruit combination as JAZ suggested. Problem is I'm not terribly fond of grapefruit juice. I only like the Ruby Red, but that would probably be tasty. I'm thinking that maybe the Ocean Spray White Cranberry-Peach juice would be a good foil for either the Rosemary or the Minted simple syrup too.

The other problem is that I think my rosemary syrup might just be too strong. It smells almost "piney" by itself. I definitely was pretty heavy handed with the rosemary leaves (the leaves from about four stalks into two cups of simple syrup) so perhaps I just need to tweak the syrup a bit before I give it another go-round.

Going to try making Ginger syrup next for sure. My mind reels with the possibilities there. I probably won't have time until next week though.

Right now I'm drinking a bourbon, mint syrup and ginger ale on the rocks. Very .

[JAZ]

I found fresh key limes at Save Rite yesterday @ 20 for $1.00 so I made a batch of key lime margaritas last evening. They were quite tasty and Fuss said she preferred them to regular lime margaritas. Now I still have some key limes left over and Save Rite still has bunches at that price so.....

I am thinking of key lime daquiris and gimlets.

any other suggestions for cocktails w/ fresh key lime juice?

Although I love them for the sake of convenience (one of the little guys invariably produces 1/2 ounce of juice), I have to say I can't discern much of a difference in taste -- will this incur the wrath of the Key Lime Lovers?

Yes, they seen a bit more fragrant, but I think that's due to the higher proportion of skin to juice. I use a Mexican style lime press, though, which really wrings out the oils from any lime's peel, so maybe that's why I don't taste much difference.

The lime press also traps almost all the seeds, which is a blessing with these limes.

[Heikki]

I would like to add Suze and tonic in the list of summer cocktails. Some of the tall effervescent drinks very already discussed earlier under this topic, but I would not like to see Suze to go unnoticed. As many of us already know, Suze is known for its pronounced taste of yellow gentian Gentiana lutena. As a drinks and gentian related topic, Lena Struwe of the Rutgers University maintains an interesting page titled Beverages with gentians

Here is a picture from the weekend of first full week in this May. This weekend literally is warmly remembered since thus far it has had the only days in this year when we got temperatures that were over 25 C (or 77 F).

1/3 Suze, 2/3 Tonic, plenty of cold ice and a warm afternoon

[Fixed the image hyperlink]

Edited June 10, 2004 by Heikki (log)

[Ovenfrenzy]

This is the second summer I've ushered in with ginger syrup. I make it with peeled chopped fresh ginger, sugar and water, boiled down a bit until it's pretty sharp. It's not as sweet as a simple syrup. The ginger syrup will get combined with various things for cooling summer drinks, and the favorite one is this- 2 oz vodka, 1 oz Grand Marnier, 1 oz ginger syrup, 4 oz club soda and a wedge of lime. No name for it but it is so refreshing. It was inspired by a bar I went to in the Mission District in San Fransisco called Little Baobab where we had fantastic exotic drinks using ginger, tamerind, and hibiscus syrups.

[Susan in FL]

This is the second summer I've ushered in with ginger syrup. I make it with peeled chopped fresh ginger, sugar and water, boiled down a bit until it's pretty sharp. It's not as sweet as a simple syrup. The ginger syrup will get combined with various things for cooling summer drinks, and the favorite one is this- 2 oz vodka, 1 oz Grand Marnier, 1 oz ginger syrup, 4 oz club soda and a wedge of lime. No name for it but it is so refreshing. It was inspired by a bar I went to in the Mission District in San Fransisco called Little Baobab where we had fantastic exotic drinks using ginger, tamerind, and hibiscus syrups.

That sounds really good to me. Do you use the usual simple syrup water-sugar ratio? Thanks!

[hillvalley]

I invented a Watermellon Colada for a dinner party I had a few years ago.

Frozen watermellon

Creme de coconut (or whatever they put in Pina Coladas)

Mint

Rum or Vodka

Put in a blender until smooth

[Ovenfrenzy]

This is the second summer I've ushered in with ginger syrup. I make it with peeled chopped fresh ginger, sugar and water, boiled down a bit until it's pretty sharp. It's not as sweet as a simple syrup. The ginger syrup will get combined with various things for cooling summer drinks, and the favorite one is this- 2 oz vodka, 1 oz Grand Marnier, 1 oz ginger syrup, 4 oz club soda and a wedge of lime. No name for it but it is so refreshing. It was inspired by a bar I went to in the Mission District in San Fransisco called Little Baobab where we had fantastic exotic drinks using ginger, tamerind, and hibiscus syrups.

That sounds really good to me. Do you use the usual simple syrup water-sugar ratio? Thanks!

I'm never exact about quantities while making this syrup, so it is difficult to say how I make it. But I believe these quantities are pretty close- 12oz ginger, 1 cup sugar, 1 quart water. The resulting syrup was around 3 cups.

[JAZ]

Two great classic summery drinks:

Pimm's, the perfect fruity summery punch-y libation that gives one excuses to put cucumbers into one's drinks. I generally make it by the bowlful by taking a cup of Pimm's, a cup of gin, an orange sliced into wheels, a peeled cucumber sliced into rounds, and two liters of good ginger ale. Place all of the above into a large bowl in which a large hunk of ice is already residing, and you're good for an afternoon on the lawn with a dozen friends.

I had a fabulous variation on the Pimm's Cup at the Starlight Room in the Sir Francis Drake hotel. It was called a Pimm's Rose (I think) and was made with Hendricks gin, Pimms, something else and a splash of cranberry juice. Served tall over ice, with a cucmber garnish -- of course. (Unfortunately, I also had several other fabulous drinks there, and my memory is tainted, so I can't remember all the details.) I have to say, I was uneasy about the cranberry, but it worked.

[evilhomer]

a few summers ago i added a splash of ouzo (though i've since found pastis to be at least equally good if not better) to a gin and tonic, it comes out a whole lot more refreshing if such a thing is possible and the herby spicy character of the alcohols meet up wuite well. This drink deserves a good squeeze of lime.

Negroni's - gin, campari and amaro rabarbaro are good for when you need something bracingly bitter.

If I had juicer I would try and replicate a drink served at fressen in Toronto where they mix Crown Royal with fresh apple ginger juice. With the first apples in late august it's perfect for when the nights just start to get a bit more bite (though that is thankfully still a little ways off)

Kawartha Lakes Brewery in nearby Peterborough makes the only framboise beer that doesn't taste like candy but rather like beer. of course this is arguably not a cocktail, but if we're going to count shandies then so be it.

cheers

[ninadora]

It was inspired by a bar I went to in the Mission District in San Fransisco called Little Baobab where we had fantastic exotic drinks using ginger, tamerind, and hibiscus syrups.

oh wow, that place has the most delicious cocktails I have EVER had....I still talk about it a year later...

I just discovered this thread so I'm a bit late to the party but I wanted to share my favorite summer cocktail, its perfect for a party--its a rip on a drink I had at Schiller's Liquor Bar in Manhattan.

Mango Proseco Cocktail

1- 1 1/2 oz. mango juice (you can adjust the amount depending on the quality of your juice and how sweet/dry/tart you like it)

splash of fresh lemon (or lime) juice approx. 1/2 lemon

1 oz vodka (I used absolut citron, but that was all i had, not necessary)

add to ice filled cocktail shaker, shake with all your might, the concept is that shards of ice will break off of the cubes... hard! (a silver cocktail shaker helps I've heard)

strain into martini glass and fill to top with chilled proseco

if you've shaken hard enough to get those beautiful ice shards you will get almost a prosecco/mango sorbet feeling with those first beautiful sips... its a great drink regardless, not too sweet, and very refreshing, and potent! it also is quite elegant without costing a fortune because one bottle of proseco will make many cocktails, I make a pitcher of the first three ingredients to take outside with me, and put the proseco in lots of ice and water, and you can make them to order.

Edited June 25, 2004 by ninadora (log)

[beans]

Here's an interesting list of summer beverages from a Forbes.com article written by Nick Passmore, featured on MSN/MSNBC.

I'm sort of surprised that legendary master mixologist of the Hemingway at the Ritz in Paris, Colin Field, is using packets of Equal to sweeten up drinks.

Cheers!

[beans]

More on Summer drinks from the Naple Daily News.

[Varmint]

As I posted on this thread,

My current drink of the summer is to muddle some mint at the bottom of a tall glass (pint-sized) and add some ice. Add a couple ounces of agave tequila, about 4 ounces of fresh lemonade, and then about 8 ounces of Blenheim's hot. Damn, that's a fine summer drink.

[beans]

Another article on some delicious, classics for summertime fun.

Cheers!