Summer is well and truly upon us, and my city is reopening after lockdown, meaning soon I’ll be able to return to my solo-date tradition of sitting on a cocktail bar patio with a good book and not a care in the world. Blissful!
To celebrate, here are the recipes for cocktails I love to sip in summer, incase you, too, are craving refreshing libations. (Be sure to also check out my previous post of cocktail recipes to learn about the Southside, possibly my all-time favorite summer drink.)
Margarita
As a white lady, I won’t claim to be any kind of margarita expert. Really, the thing to do is go to the best Mexican restaurant in your city/town and order their margarita – just the basic/traditional version, nothing fancy. (Try as I might, I can’t seem to make a margarita as delicious as the giant ones served at Toronto’s El Catrin.)
That said, this drink is so classically summery that I appreciate being able to make one at home if I feel like it. Here’s the specs I use…
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz tequila
- 0.75 oz fresh-squeezed lime juice
- 0.75 oz Cointreau
- 0.25 oz agave syrup (or simple syrup if you don’t have it)
Run the juicy part of a lemon slice around the rim of a glass to get it sticky, and then gently roll the lemony rim against a pile of salt on a plate until you get your glass as salt-rimmed as you want it. Then, combine all above ingredients in a cocktail shaker, add ice, and shake until well-chilled. Strain into glass over ice (or sans ice if you prefer).
Black Walnut
This is one of the house drinks at Northwood, a local bar I like very much. I have no idea what their actual recipe is, but this version was devised by my partner Matt when I told them I missed being able to sip this drink. They did a bunch of research on it and messaged with one of our bartender friends to try to figure out an approximation of the Black Walnut as served at Northwood, and I think it tastes very close to the real thing!
Ingredients:
- 2 dashes cardamom bitters
- 2-3 dashes black walnut bitters
- 0.75 oz cinnamon demerara syrup*
- 1 oz fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 2 oz walnut tea-infused rum**
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into glass over a big ice cube. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.
*To make cinnamon demerara syrup: Bring 2 cups of water to a boil on the stovetop, then reduce heat to medium-low and add 1 cup of demerara sugar + a few crumbled cinnamon sticks. Stir continuously until all the sugar is dissolved. For maximum cinnamon flavor, let steep for anywhere from 1 hour to overnight. Then, strain mixture into a bottle.
**To make walnut tea-infused rum: Add ~2 tablespoons of black walnut tea to a bottle of white rum (I like Bacardi’s). Shake vigorously. Let infuse for at least 2 hours, then strain and return to bottle.
Daiquiri #2
This is a fruitier, even more summery take on the classic daiquiri, which traditionally contains just lime juice, rum, and a little sugar. I like this orange-centric version because it reminds me of tropical vacations.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz white rum
- 0.75 oz fresh-squeezed lime juice
- 0.5 oz simple syrup
- 1 teaspoon fresh-squeezed orange juice
- 1 teaspoon curaçao
Add all ingredients to cocktail shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled. Double-strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
Jungle Bird
My spouse introduced me to this formidable drink. It feels like a super grown-up cocktail due to the way it balances sweetness with bitterness so well, especially compared to other fruity drinks.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz dark rum
- 1.5 oz pineapple juice
- 0.75 oz Campari
- 0.5 oz lime juice
- 0.5 oz simple syrup
Add all ingredients to cocktail shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into an old-fashioned glass over a big ice cube. Garnish with a pineapple frond and/or orange slice.
Jasmine
This drink, too, is a nice interplay between sweetness and bitterness. I first had it when my partner and I decided to watch the movie Blue Jasmine together and wanted a thematically appropriate cocktail to sip during the film. Cate Blanchett’s character in that movie, Jasmine, probably would have liked this drink – it’s bright, refined, and a little quirky.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz gin (ideally a London dry gin like Tanqueray or Bombay Sapphire)
- 0.75 oz fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 1 oz Cointreau
- 0.5 oz Campari
Add all ingredients to cocktail shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
What have you been sipping lately?