You say it to yourself every year.
You’re going to make the most of the summer. You’re going to try new things. You’re going to go to new bars and restaurants. You’re going to take a vacation to a place you’ve never been before. You’re going to ask your cute neighbor over for a drink. And you’re going to make something else besides the same old summer cocktails you always make.
But every summer ends like the last.
You go to the same old bars. You go on a vacation to the same place you always go to. Your cute neighbor begins a new relationship with somebody who isn’t you. And all you mix from May through September are Gin and Tonics, Mojitos, and Margaritas.
Changing what you’ve accustomed yourself to isn’t easy. But if you can’t change it this summer, then maybe you aren’t ever going to.
Your journey begins with one cocktail. Or maybe two. How about three?
A Summer Cocktail Guide Queen’s Park Stinger
Dave Cornils, Bar Manager
Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge, 1579 S. Ninth St.
“Summer is a great time for fresh mint—and while most people might mix their mint in a Mojito, the Queen’s Park Swizzle is my go-to,” says Cornils. Along with mint, all you need is rum, lime juice, rich simple syrup, and a healthy amount of Trinidad’s most famous export, Angostura bitters.
“This classic cocktail originated at the Queen’s Park Hotel in Trinidad,” he continues. “A Demerara Rum from Trinidad or nearby Guyana is best for this drink, but El Dorado, Angostura, or any good, aged rum will suffice.
“What sets this and other swizzle-style cocktails apart is the way they’re prepared—by using a swizzle stick to churn and chill the ingredients with crushed or cracked ice. (If you don’t have a proper swizzle stick, you can use a bar spoon as a substitute.) Swizzled cocktails only really work with crushed or cracked ice, which you can make at home with ice cubes from your freezer, a clean dry towel, and a kitchen mallet.
“Swizzles are traditionally built in the glass in which they’re being served. Which is another reason why Queen’s Park Swizzle is such a great at-home cocktail. Nobody ever complains about there being too few dishes to wash!”
Ingredients
2 oz. Aged Demerara Rum
1 oz. Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
1⁄2 oz. Rich Simple Syrup
10-12 Fresh Mint Leaves, plus a few more for garnish
Angostura Aromatic Bitters
Method
● Place the mint leaves in a tall glass and gently muddle them, pushing them up the sides of
the glass to fill it with minty aromatics.
● Add the rum, lime, simple syrup, and a dash or two of Angostura bitters.
● Fill the glass with crushed or cracked ice.
● Use your swizzle stick (or bar spoon) to gently swizzle the ingredients—gently twirling the stick between the palms of your hands—until the glass begins to frost up.
● If needed, top with more ice.
● Complete the drink with a few more dashes of Angostura bitters as a float, along with a big bouquet of fresh mint as garnish.
The Scarlet Ibis
Ira Koplowitz, Co-founder; and Brandon Reyes, Research and Development Manager
Bittercube Bar & Bizarre, 4828 W. Lisbon Ave.
“Here’s a recipe for a simple Daiquiri variation we call The Scarlet Ibis, named after one of the national birds of Trinidad and Tobago,” explains Reyes. “The Alchermes Liqueur adds tropical spice and floral aromatics to compliment a robust Trinidad Rum, as well as creating the striking color of the cocktails namesake.”
Ingredients
3⁄4 oz. Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
1⁄2 oz. Demerara or Turbinado Sugar Syrup
1 1⁄4 oz. Scarlet Ibis Rum (or your favorite Trinidad Rum)
3⁄4 oz. Heirloom Alchermes Liqueur1 Dropper Bittercube Blackstrap Bitters Glass: Coupe or Nick & NoraGarnish: Black Cherry & Lime Flag
Method
● Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker.
● Add ice and shake with a fluid motion until chilled.
● Strain into Coupe or Nick & Nora glass.
● Garnish with a lime wheel wrapped and skewered around a black cherry.
Ray-bujito
Jim Meehan, acclaimed mixologist and author of Meehan’s Bartender Manual and The PDT Cocktail Book: The Complete Bartender’s Guide.
Meehan began his bartending career while he was a student at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. “I know this is a little bit of a curveball, but I love this drink,” he says. “It’s served at the LAX American Express Centurion Lounge, which I write the cocktail menu for. The classic Sevillian Rebujito—a Manzanilla and soda garnished with mint leaves—benefits greatly when mixed with a bracing, herbal tonic such as Dr. Brown’s Cel-Ray Soda.”
Ingredients
3 oz. Dr. Brown’s Cel-Ray Soda
2 oz. Manzanilla Sherry
Method
● Build in a chilled Collins glass then fill with ice.
● Garnish with a rib of celery
