This is the standard, and very agreeable, recipe for most popular summer drinks. But this year, under the tutelage of T.J. Siegal, a bartender at New York City's Alto restaurant, I am adding "bitter" into the mix.
Siegal's take on a cocktail he calls "old and esoteric." It sounds to me as if it originated in the '30s or '40s, when the term "air mail" had an sense of glamour to it. The first sip tastes simple. But hold it in your mouth for a few seconds and a whole host of intense, complex flavors reveal themselves.
The Goods:
1. Air Mail
chilled wine glass
2 ounces Mount Gay Special Reserve White Rum
1 ounce fresh lime juice
3/4 ounces honey syrup*
2 to 3 ounces well chilled sparkling wine, such as Prosecco
Add the rum, lime juice and honey syrup to a shaker filled with ice. Shake well. Pour into wine glass and top with sparkling wine.
*Honey syrup dissolves more quickly and is easier to pour than pure honey. To make Siegal's, combine five parts inexpensive honey with two parts very hot water in a small bottle. Seal, and shake vigorously. Let cool.
2. The Bikini Martini
The name--not to mention the vivid blue color--makes this a summer cocktail winner. It tastes delicious too.
The Goods:
3 ounces Bombay Sapphire gin
squeeze of fresh lime juice
2 tbsp Blue Curacoa
1 tbsp peach schnapps
1 tsp confectioners' sugar or one packet of Equal
lemon zest
Fill a martini glass with ice and water to chill it. Half-fill a martini shaker with ice and add the gin, lime juice, Curacao, schnapps and sugar. Shake well for at least 30 seconds.
Pour out ice and water from martini glass, and poor in the mixture through a strainer. Garnish with lemon zest.
3. Campari Smash
The appealing contrast between the tangy bitterness of the Campari and the sweetness of the limoncello make this Siegal original a perfect summer refresher.
The Goods:
4 lemon wedges, seeds removed if possible
1 1/4 ounces Campari
3/4 ounces limoncello
Muddle the lemons in a shaker. Add Campari and limoncello. Shake lightly. Serve in a rocks glass.
4. La Chic Martinique
Rhum agricole, from the French West Indies, is made from cane sugar rather than molasses, the basis of regular rum. It has a highly distinctive, aromatic, verdant flavor. This is an adaptation of a cocktail created by Brian Van Flandern of New York's Per Se restaurant for a Rhum Clement cocktail competition.
The Goods:
1 ounce vodka
1 ounce Rhum Clement VSOP Rum
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup or 1/2 packet Equal
soda water to taste
twist of lime peel
chilled martini glass
Shake the first four ingredients vigorously over ice. Add a splash of soda and shake gently until it foams. Pour into martini glass. Float the twist of lime peel on the surface.
5. Cucumber Mojito Crush
Replacing some of the mint with cucumber adds a whole extra dimension to this cool Cuban favorite.
The Goods:
1 1/2 ounces 10 Cane Rum
4 slices peeled seedless cucumber
6 to 8 mint leaves
1/2 lime, cut into wedges
1 packet Equal
chilled ginger ale
In a tall glass, muddle together the cucumber, limes, mint and Equal. Add to cocktail shaker filled with ice. Add rum and shake. Fill glass with crushed ice, return mixture to glass and top with ginger ale. Garnish with a slice of cucumber.
6. English Harbor Rum and Soda
One of my favorite summer drinks is one of the simplest--it consists of an aged rum poured into a tall glass of crushed ice and topped with a splash of soda. Here, the softer, creamy Antiguan rum, laced with subtle hints of vanilla, chocolate and coffee, makes for a delectable change from the usual, assertive dark rums.
The Goods:
3 ounces English Harbor Five-Year-Old Antigua Rum
soda to taste
wedge of lime
Fill a rocks or highball glass with ice. Add rum. Add soda to taste and stir. Garnish with lime.
7. Gin and Tonic
The English classic was exported around the world during the days of Empire and has been improved by such marvels of modern technology as the plentiful supply of ice.
The Goods:
2 ounces of well-chilled super-premium 47% gin
2 or 3 ounces of fresh tonic (I prefer Schweppes)
wedge of lemon or lime
Add gin to a highball glass filled with ice. Add tonic to taste. Squeeze the lime or, if you want to be really Brit, lemon, into the drink. Drop in the wedge.
8. Pimm's Cup
This classic English summer drink is becoming increasingly popular on both sides of the Atlantic.
The Goods:
1 1/2 ounces of Pimm's Number One
4 to 5 ounces of 7-Up or Sprite
wedge of lemon
sprig of borage or, if unavailable, slice of cucumber
Ideally you should combine all the ingredients, in these proportions, in a large pitcher, and then pour it into highball glasses filled with ice.
9. Zenzero
It's the subtle hint of ginger--and you should use a light hand when adding it, as less is definitely better than more--that, with the honey, gives Siegal's invention its distinctive and refreshing flavor.
The Goods:
1/4 ounce fresh ginger
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
3/4 ounce honey syrup
2 ounces El Tesoro Platinum Tequila
well-chilled martini glass
Muddle together the ginger and lemon juice. Pour into a shaker filled with ice. Add tequila and honey syrup. Shake well and pour into the martini glass.
10. The Zuidam Crush
I first encountered this drink at a party to promote Zuidam Gin. It was served without the soda, and while I liked the fresh orange flavor, I found it heavy and too strong. So I had the bartender add some soda. This now appears to have become the official version, and I am expecting my first royalty check shortly.
The Goods:
3 ounces Zuidam Dry Gin
1 1/2 ounces Patron Citronage
splash Club Soda
slice of fresh orange
Muddle orange in a rocks glass. Add ice. Add gin, Citronage and soda to taste. This works equally well as a short or long drink. Stir.
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