Summer Cocktails (Part One)

Well, we’re having our first real taste of summer here in NY. It’s hot and sticky, the kind of weather that makes you want to sit in front of an air conditioner and move as little as possible. Something cold and refreshing to drink? Of course!

Summer is a time for tall drinks, packed with ice as a foil to the heat. Here’s a couple old favorites we’ll be relying on to keep us cool this summer…

El Diablo

1 ½ oz. blanco tequila

½ oz. freshly squeezed lime juice

¾ oz. crème de cassis

ginger beer or ginger ale

Shake first three ingredients with ice and strain into an ice filled highball or Collins glass. Top with ginger beer, stir gently, and garnish with a lime wedge.

This drink was a big hit with Tara’s family at the lake house last summer. This year I’ll be making them by the pitcher, which should work out to around 8 oz. of lime juice, 12 oz. crème de cassis and a fifth of tequila, stirred in a pitcher and set out for everyone to serve themselves, topping each drink off with ginger beer or ginger ale individually to taste.

Mai Tai

Adapted from Mr. Boston Platinum Edition

1 oz. gold rum

1 oz. white rum

½ oz. orgeat

½ oz. orange curaçao

½ oz. fresh-squeezed lime juice

½ - 1 oz. dark rum

Shake all except the dark rum with ice, strain into an ice-filled rocks glass or ceramic tiki mug. Float the dark rum on top, and garnish with a cherry, citrus wedges, a mint sprig, a couple of plastic monkeys… Whatever appeals to you!

My “house” rums for the Mai Tai were, for a long time, Appleton Estate gold and Cruzan white, with a float of Gosling’s Black Seal. Recently, I swapped Gosling’s gold in for the Appleton, and while I think the Appleton is a better rum, the sharper, less refined Gosling’s works really well in this drink. Also, when I ran out of Cruzan, I subbed Oronoco white rum for our last round of Mai Tais, and while delicious, I think the Oronoco might be better saved for drinks that allow it to stand out a bit more (the Oronoco is a fantastic spirit; one of the few white rums that works sipped neat as well as it does mixed). Play around with a variety of rums and find out what works best for you.

The mai tai is one of those drinks that everyone has heard of, but few have had made properly. The original Trader Vic recipe calls for ingredients no longer available, but this recipe is a good place to start that uses easily available ingredients, maintains the integrity of the drink, and provides plenty of room to tailor the cocktail to your individual preferences.

I’ll be posting more summer cocktails as the hot months drag on. If you have any summer favorites of your own, leave a note in the comments.

Blood Orange Experiment

I was in the local Asian supermarket yesterday, and along with the lemons and limes I was there for I picked up a few blood oranges, figuring that with the weather getting warmer I might play around with some summer-type drinks. Here’s what I came up with…

Blood Island
1 ½ oz. freshly-squeezed blood orange juice
½ oz. freshly-squeezed lime juice
1 ½ oz. white rum (Oronoco)
1 oz. triple sec (Patron Citronge)
1 oz. dark rum (Gosling Black Seal)

Shake all but the dark rum with ice and pour, ice and all, into a chilled goblet. Float dark rum on top and serve with sip straws.

It’s boozy and tart, sweet enough to be refreshing on a hot day but not cloying. It also has 3 ½ oz. of 80-proof liquor in it, and it can have even more alcohol if you choose an overproof rum for the float, so it packs a wallop… Plus, the color is great thanks to the blood oranges – with an appropriately over-the-top garnish it would look like most people’s idea of a tropical drink. I’m thinking a blood orange wheel and mint sprig, with a plastic monkey or two. The name is a nod to the Eddie Romero movies that I hold dear to my heart (Brides of Blood, Mad Doctor of Blood Island, Beast of Blood, etc.).

I don’t try to create new drinks all that often, and when I do they tend to be along the lines of this one – simple adjustments to classic recipes. The Blood Island is just a 3:2:1 sour with added juice and a dark rum float. I’d be interested to hear what you think in the comments.

The Embassy Cocktail

I found this one over at Dr. Bamboo’s blog, and thought it was tasty enough to reproduce here. I like drinks that use equal amounts of each ingredient, especially later in the evening...

The Embassy

¾ oz. brandy
¾ oz. Cointreau
¾ oz. Jamaican rum
¾ oz. lime juice
dash of Angostura bitters

Shake and strain, garnish with a lime twist.

The Embassy follows the standard 2:1:1 sour template, only it uses two base spirits instead of one, and adds a dash of bitters. This is a good one – tart and refreshing, with a nice boozy kick and a pleasant spicy undertone courtesy of the bitters.