Boozing In The Summer Heat - Find. Eat. Drink.
Summer Drinks, Cocktails, Ades, Lemonade, Honey, Fruit, Sherry Cobbler, What to drink in the summer, Best Summer Cocktails, Summer Drinking, Gentian Aperitifs, Tequila, Mezcal, Rum, Cachaca, Caipirinha, Pineapple Mint Caipirinha, Low Alcohol, Medium Alcohol, Boozy, Pimm’s Cup, Pimms, Summer Drinking, Boozing in the Heat, What to drink in Summer, Summer Evening Drinks, Drink What The Pros Drink, Bartenders’ Cocktail Recipes,
The lazy days of summer call for easy-breezy, refreshing cocktails. Start your afternoon with a lower proof cocktail and as the sun sets, move onto an aperitif. With the long hot nights, ratchet up a notch with more spiritous, fruit-focused cocktails.
July 1, 2014
Boozing in the Summer Heat
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“Lower Alcohol” Cocktails
As the thermostat rises, you may notice the alcohol level dropping in your cocktails. This isn’t a bad thing. Lower alcohol cocktails can be the ideal way to start an evening or even continue a relaxing afternoon and they won’t cause you to go off the rails. For these types of cocktails bartenders use sherries, vermouths, and lighter aperitifs like the French-imported Suze. Restaurants that don’t have a full liquor license, like New York’s Northern Spy Food Co. and Navy keep these cocktails on their list and restaurants / bars that do have a full license, like the newly-opened Bacchanal, are expanding their menus to include more aperitif-based cocktails.
Suze & Tonic
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Different styles of sherries often make an appearance in summer cocktails. Fino provides a salty back note to the vermouth-focused cocktail The Lab 220 (get the recipe) and Amontillado provides a richness and acidity that balances with the fruit in the Sherry Cobbler (get the recipe). If you are a Gin and Tonic lover, try Suze and Tonic. Suze is a French herbal aperitif that is lower in alcohol than gin. If you are looking for something a little more spiritous, try using Suze in a White Negroni with gin, Suze, and Dolin Blanc.
The In Particular Cocktail from Bartender Adam Bernbach
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A “Little Bit More” Alcohol Cocktails
Turning up the alcohol volume a bit, these summer quaffers use wine or aperitif wines as a base:
Bartender Adam Bernbach created the In Particular cocktail that goes heavy on Manzanilla sherry and Cocchi Americano, but adds a touch of alcohol to the spine and more flavor with Yellow Chartreuse and gin. (Get the recipe.)
The Alphonse from chef Tony Maws’ Craigie on Main is another cocktail starting predominantly with Cocchi Americano, but rounds out with rosé wine, gin, sweet vermouth, cynar and bitters. Bartender Ted Gallagher describes the cocktail as a contemplative, but light aperitif. (Get the recipe.)
Cobblers are a refreshing summer drink because they unite fruit and alcohol with lots of crushed ice. Bartender Neal Bodenheimer’s bar Bellocq in New Orleans focuses on cobblers. He loves making a cobbler with Salers Gentiane, a dash of sugar and a bit of grapefruit peel. For something a little more dark and intense, try his Boothby Cobbler #1 with sweet vermouth, bourbon, bitters, grapes, and sparkling wine. (Get the recipe.)
When the sun shines, the bottles of Campari and Aperol come out to play. Miami bartender Ryan Goodspeed of Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink created The Cabarete cocktail, bringing together a range of bitter, sweet, and bubbles with Aperol, St. Germain, Champagne, watermelon and orange bitters. (Get the recipe.)
The Pimm’s Cup
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To sip along with your summer sports, like Wimbledon in London, what’s more British than a Pimm’s Cup? The simple recipe of Pimm’s, your soda of choice (whether it’s a spicy ginger ale or a sugary citrus soda) garnished with cucumber slices, a sprig of mint, an orange or lemon slice, and a strawberry will put a smile on your face. (Get the classic recipe or try a ginger liqueur alternative with Domaine de Canton.)
Pineapple Mint Caipirinha
Photograph courtesy of Leblon Cachaça
“More Spirited” Cocktails
If you like something more boozy during the summer months, go for a Margarita.The margarita with its high citrus content is always refreshing. 115 Crown in New Haven uses bartender / tonic producer Brooks Reitz’s Jack Rudy Tonic Syrup in their Jack Rudy Margarita (Get the recipe).
Bartender Sother Teague of Amor y Amargo created what he calls “a great summer sipper” in the Di Pompelmo, which means “Of The Grapefruit.” It’s a tequila cocktail with grapefruit and bitter components combined with Citron Sauvage, Cocchi Americano, Aperol, and grapefruit bitters. (Get the recipe.)
Cachaça is having its moment this summer with the World Cup taking place in Brazil. While they can be quite strong, the Pineapple and Mint Caipirinha is a sweeter version that goes down almost too quickly. If you are outside barbecuing, grill slices of pineapple. Put them all in a bowl and use the grilled pineapple and leftover juice in your Caipirinha. (Get the recipe.)
More Cocktail Recipes
Try many more cocktail recipes from bartenders around the world.
