Summer's coming, what's your Cocktail?

[Only Mostly Dead]

So what do you drink when you want a little taste of summer?

I believe I've just mixed my drink for the coming hot summer months:

Midnight Rum and Coke:
Doorly's XO Rum (http://www.doorlysrum.com/) - 1 part
Vanilla Coke Zero - 2 part

The rum is much darker than I'm used to, and I can't imagine going back. I can still smell the cane in it, imparting a nice sweetness. Actually tried a sip of the rum alone, which I could never do with the cheap stuff, and it tastes good, sweet. The coke's vanilla punches up the flavor of the rum even more. The taste is dark, sweet, sensual. Yum.

[silenus]

Our standard Summer cocktail is very prosaic: Vodka and lemonade.

[pulykamell]

My standbys are gin and tonic (pretty much the only time I drink gin or tonic) and margarita in 2:1:1 (tequila, cointreau, lime juice) proportions, over ice.

[ultrafilter]

Whisky, neat.

[Queen Bruin]

G&T, please!

(My last final gets handed in Friday afternoon. It's all lounge chair action all weekend after that!)

[Hunter Hawk]

A French 75:

2 oz. Plymouth gin
1 oz. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Enough simple syrup

Shake & strain into an 8-oz. flute.

Fill with champagne (it will take about 4 oz.)

Twist of lemon.

Optional: Add a dash of bitters.

[Siam Sam]

Beer.

Of course, the height of OUR summer is April. Getting into the rainy season now.

[Indygrrl]

Summer makes me yearn for margaritas, on the rocks, with salt.

[BlakeTyner]

I've developed a real taste lately for Jack and Coke...it's just so nice in the evening when the heat and humidity are finally starting to fade away.

Runner up goes to a Mint Julep, which I was only introduced to about a year ago.

[Quiddity Glomfuster]

It's got to be Captain Morgan's amber rum with Pepsi (Coke's too sweet) and ice.

Very occasionally, Southern Comfort & gingerale over ice.

[bob_loblaw]

if i'm out with friends, getting a drunk on, you'll prolly find me with a vodka-soda, perhaps with a splash of barlime... though from time to time, i'll go for rye & ginger, or rye & water.

if it's beers, i'm likely in for one of the local(ish) craft-brewed specialties... a klb raspberry wheat, or amsterdam nut brown, for example; though if mass-market is the only option, i'll be the one drinking fiddy, ex, or mo-dry (in order of preference.)

[pprgrl]

I was screwing around yesterday and I came up with one I thought would be disgusting - Bourbon and grapefruit juice. Actually, it was quite tasty and I ended up having a couple. I think this is going to be my mixed drink o' choice this summer. I googled it, and the only thing I see it called on the cocktail sites is a flatlander's folly. Has anyone else heard of another name for this drink?

[Khadaji]

Beer! But then, that is my winter drink as well.

[delphica]

Our standard Summer cocktail is very prosaic: Vodka and lemonade.

I love this, and if you're not opposed to flavored vodkas, someone recently introduced me to using the Stoli blueberry flavor in the lemonade which I consider a very nice little twist for a great summer drink.

[Anaamika]

My god, you people.

Sangria
White Russians
Grasshoppers

Yum! But then again they are all foofy drinks on the Dope! ;)

[silenus]

Great suggestion, delphica. I'll be sure to pass it on to the wife, who is in charge of our vodka supply.

Anaamika, what recipe do you use for your sangria? We usually just dump a bunch of sliced fruit into a cheap red wine and call it good.

[Ike Witt]

A nice Mojito is a great drink on a hot Saturday afternoon.

A Peru Libre is a good secondary choice. Could do a Pisco Sour as well, but there are in the same family as the Mojito.

I also want to make a few vodka infusions this summer as well.

[Duke of Rat]

Tequila and ginger ale, lighter than a Margarita.

Gin and 7 Up, crisp and refreshing.

Beer.

[Anaamika]

Anaamika, what recipe do you use for your sangria? We usually just dump a bunch of sliced fruit into a cheap red wine and call it good.


One cup water
one cup sugar
One orange
One lemon
One lime
One cup red wine (adjust to taste)
Club Soda

Slice fruit, place in bowl. Heat sugar and water to boiling, stirring all the while. Pour over fruit, cover. Let chill minimum four hours, better if overnight.
Remove one cup of the sugar water and pour into pitcher. (You can use the remainder for next time). Put all fruit into pitcher. Add desired red wine.
Add club soda to taste, add ice. Stir and chill.

And you have a beautiful blushing sangria, that tastes delicious.

My red wine is cheap, too - I usually buy the huge jugs of Carlo Rossi. I can usually use it two summers, and it isn't enough wine in there to change the taste much.

[Bridget Burke]

A new favorite: The Paloma. Among several recipes, this one's easy:
Fill tall glass with ice
Add fresh lime juice to taste
Add tequila shot
Fill with Grapefruit Soda
(Not quite as strong as A Properly Made Margarita.)

G&T is classic.

[silenus]

My red wine is cheap, too - I usually buy the huge jugs of Carlo Rossi.

That's exactly the jug that's sitting on the countertop right now. Thanks. :D

[Rhiannon8404]

Beer! But then, that is my winter drink as well.
Yeah, that would pretty much sum it up for me, too.

[Chez Guevara]

1 measure of Pimm's No.1 Cup with 2 measures of lemonade.

Throw in 2 strawberries halved. Add 1 slice each of orange, lemon and lime, all cut in half. Squeeze some of each citrus fruit juice into the mix. Add 2 sprigs of mint and 2 ice cubes.

Straw & umbrella optional.

[Qazzz]

Vodka gimlet on the rocks!

[Broken Wind]

G&T (preferably with Tanqueray). Add a slice of lemon and summer ensues.

[Jodi]

Cold Corona with lime
Frozen margarita, no salt
Mojito

NOT that Southern staple, the mint julep. My God, does anyone like those things?

[Balance]

Margaritas, mostly--my special recipe, with a touch of honey, and little or no salt unless I've been working/playing out in the heat.

Also, grasshoppers, made with good vanilla ice cream. (And don't give me any crap about "girly" drinks. I sip tequila. :p )

[usar_jag]

This summer it's all about vodka and cranberry juice (with a nice wedge of lime)--because I hate my liver, but love my prostate!

[BaneSidhe]

When I was able to drink (can't now), my summer drink of choice was Mimosas tied with Stoli, iced & straight. Nowdays it's Southern style sweet tea.

[DustyButt]

Whisky, neat.

Welp. I second that.

While the rest of you are busy mixin', blendin', scrapin', and shakin'...
I'll be drinking my spring/summer/fall/winter drink whilst I chomp on a Cohiba and peep at the ladies through my shades.

[pulykamell]

Welp. I second that.

While the rest of you are busy mixin', blendin', scrapin', and shakin'...
I'll be drinking my spring/summer/fall/winter drink whilst I chomp on a Cohiba and peep at the ladies through my shades.

I might also have said whiskey or beer, but perhaps I read the topic title too literally and assumed only cocktails were requested.

Otherwise, my usual drink in the summer is a crisp IPA, usually Alpha King or Two-Hearted Ale (although Bell's is currently not distributed in Illinois).

One more I forgot to mention, although this is also not a cocktail: Pernod and water (in 1:5 proportions) over ice. If I can't find Pernod, ouzo will do. Something about ice-cold anise-flavored water says summer to me.

[tdn]

With a nice seafood dinner? I tend to see the world in black and white. Weiss or stout.

At other times? Dark rum, coconut rum, and pineapple juice.

Or scotch.

[OneCentStamp]

Usually my only nod to summer is switching from dark, heavy beers to lighter, crisper ones. In terms of cocktails, a plain ol' daiquiri (rum, rum, Triple Sec, lime) on the rocks is nice. Mojitos are fine too, but I can't handle too many drinks heavy on the sugar or simple syrup.

[Only Mostly Dead]

I might also have said whiskey or beer, but perhaps I read the topic title too literally and assumed only cocktails were requested.
And indeed, I meant it literally. I'll gladly take a good beer (or after mowing the lawn, even a bad one) any day, but it's seasonal cocktails that interest me right now.

Broken Wind, you can keep your Tanq (far too sharp an alcoholic bite), make my G&T with nice, smooth Sapphire.

[Proudest Monkey]

Vodka gimlet on the rocks!

Mmmmm . . . I am with you! My husband makes great ones--Rose's Lime Juice only, of course.

But I can't really call that my summer drink since I pretty much have them year-round. So I'll chime in on gin and tonic. Preferably with a premium gin, but also drinkable with Gordon's or Gilbey's. Yes, I like drinks with only two ingredients. :cool:

And thanks all for the other hot weather suggestions. I just hit summer vacation today (teacher here) and have lots of warm evenings to try some new and delicious creations.

[OpalCat]

I call this a "back porch":

Vodka (watermelon flavored if you have it)
Watermelon Pucker
Sprite/7-Up/Sierra Mist or equivalent.

Over ice.

Yummy and refreshing.

[Ukulele Ike]

It's 64 in Brooklyn now and I'm freezing, so I'm thinking about a nice martini or old-fashioned when I start preparing dinner.

But a few days ago, when it was muggy and 90 degrees, I had me a frosty Tom Collins -- juice of one lemon in the bottom of a 16 oz tall glass; tablespoon of sugar, stir to dissolve; throw in half the spent lemon and fill with ice cubes; a good three ounces of Gordon's gin; stir to chill and fill to the brim with seltzer.

The key, I decided, was not to be stingy with the sugar. This drink should be sweet-sour, a good fizzy lemonade with lots of gin. Collinses I've made in the past have been too damn sour.

[John Mace]

Summertime? When I'm not drinking beer or wine, it's usually a mojito. Pain in the ass to make, but they sure are good. I once made so many for guests I had over that I complained of "mojito elbo" the next day. :)

[pulykamell]

Broken Wind, you can keep your Tanq (far too sharp an alcoholic bite), make my G&T with nice, smooth Sapphire.

Which is exactly what I'm drinking at this moment. :)

I just realized another drink I enjoy with gin is gin & grapefruit, which basically is a greyhound with gin instead of vodka, or a salty dog without the salt. I'm not sure if it has a proper name other than gin & grapefruit, though.

[I'm No Saint]

Beer. More specifically, Sam Adams Summer Ale or Modelo Especial with a wedge of lime.

[blondebear]

I haven't seen the "Ice Pick" mentioned yet: vodka and iced tea.

[silenus]

Just a comment: Beer is not a cocktail. Nor is bourbon neat, which is what I'm drinking right now. A cocktail is a mixed drink of at least 2 ingredients. Everybody knows that we beer drinkers swill suds all summer long. I think what the OP wants are mixed drink preferences for hotter weather.







(Or I've got my head up my ass as usual.)

[Siam Sam]

Yes, I know beer is not a cocktail. But I was using poetic license. :D

Wait! I know! How about a nice old-fashioned boilermaker? That has beer in it.

Mmmmm, beer.

[blondebear]

How about a red beer?

[blondebear]

How about a red beer?

Served with celery and sipped through a straw....ugh.....

[blondebear]

:smack:

[delphica]

Great suggestion, delphica. I'll be sure to pass it on to the wife, who is in charge of our vodka supply.


If you're entertaining, you can also pick up a bag of those frozen blueberries, and then garnish each cocktail with them -- they melt and you can fish them out and eat them later.

[Queen Bruin]

Broken Wind, you can keep your Tanq (far too sharp an alcoholic bite), make my G&T with nice, smooth Sapphire.
Starting tomorrow at approximately 2PM Pacific Time, that's how I'll be making them all summer long. Or until I run out of Sapphire (not any time soon, I bought a 1.75L bottle and I'm the only gin drinker).

[Captain_C]

Earlier tonight I mixed up:

4 shots of mango rum
2 bananas
12 ice cubes
2 cups milk
a good heaping of Hershey's syrup


Outstanding I say! Weeeee

[gouda]

Caipirojska..

Crush several mint leaves, some sugar and a few slices of lime. Add lots of ice. Pour in Vodka. Stir. Drink. Aaahh. :cool:

[bbs2k]

Summer's coming? Who cares? 1/3 Whiskey + 2/3 Coke 365.25 days a year.

[BluePitbull]

Long Island Ice Tea.
Mostly it is just beer

[OneCentStamp]

Caipirojska..

Crush several mint leaves, some sugar and a few slices of lime. Add lots of ice. Pour in Vodka. Stir. Drink. Aaahh. :cool:
Heh, sounds very close to a mojito, only with vodka instead of rum. I'll need to try this.

[delsol]

The Mojito! Nothing screams summer like a nice refreshing mojito. Extra, mint please.

[silenus]

I love this, and if you're not opposed to flavored vodkas, someone recently introduced me to using the Stoli blueberry flavor in the lemonade which I consider a very nice little twist for a great summer drink.

I mis-remembered this suggestion and bought Stoli Raspberry instead. Wow! It turns cheap lemonade into a quite nice way to pass the afternoon. Thanks for the tip.

[photopat]

Margarita, Mojito or Vodka lemonade. Any one of which puts me in a good mood after work on Friday.

[Ukulele Ike]

For those who don't know what blondebear is talking about.....

Red Beer is a delicious, nutritious 50-50 mixture of ice-cold cheap beer and ice-cold V-8 juice.

Don't be grossed out until you taste it. For some reason, is seems colder and more refreshing than plain old cold beer.

Blondebear must be from St. Louis. I learned about Red Beer from my St. Louis brother-in-law. Who touted it as a hangover cure.

[silenus]

I first encountered red beer on the farm in Kansas, many years ago. It was gross then and it's gross now!

[Starving Artist]

Cuban Breeze (among others). Researched the recipe after hearing mention of it in a Donald Fagen song.

1 oz. Vodka (I don't use a premium vodka as for my money one can't tell the difference in a mixed drink)
1 oz. Creme de Almond (Yummy stuff...a cross between Robitussin and maraschino cherry juice...really.)
6 oz. Pineapple juice

Stir everything together and serve on the rocks. A great summertime drink!

[Rubystreak]

You can do a lot with a mojito, like add coconut milk, or mago puree, to give it a more fruity taste. It's not a classic mojito (and it's impossible to improve on perfection), but it does change things up.

I also like gin and Sprite with half a lime squeezed into the bottom of the glass and just a teaspoon of sugar to give it that fizzy head. I also like a gin & tonic with lime tonic, half a squeezed lime, and some sugar. I'm so going to try the G&T with grapefruit soda instead of tonic.

One I just read about recently and want to try is a watermelon margarita-- throw some seedless watermelon in a blender, then mix with lemon/lime soda and tequila. Could be tinkered with, and lime juice used instead of the soda, but I like watermelon and tequila, so it could be awesome.

[Ukulele Ike]

I first encountered red beer on the farm in Kansas, many years ago. It was gross then and it's gross now!
Ha HAH! Given all the vitamins of eight separate vegetables in every glass of my beer, I shall BURY you!

[Queen Bruin]

I love this, and if you're not opposed to flavored vodkas, someone recently introduced me to using the Stoli blueberry flavor in the lemonade which I consider a very nice little twist for a great summer drink.
I had plain vodka in the fridge so I made it with that, lemonade, and about 7 fresh strawberries - all blended. It's a new standard already. One of my friends used the same idea except with blueberry Stoli and said it was fantastic. So thank you!

Now, if I only knew what to do with the green apple vodka someone "gifted" me with...(more like a mathom)

[photopat]

For those who don't know what blondebear is talking about.....

Red Beer is a delicious, nutritious 50-50 mixture of ice-cold cheap beer and ice-cold V-8 juice.

Don't be grossed out until you taste it. For some reason, is seems colder and more refreshing than plain old cold beer.

Blondebear must be from St. Louis. I learned about Red Beer from my St. Louis brother-in-law. Who touted it as a hangover cure.

My father is in the Isaac Walton League in Des Moines and every time I visit and join him there for dinner, people drink red beer by the gallon in the bar.

Blech.

[Jodi]

For those who don't know what blondebear is talking about.....

Red Beer is a delicious, nutritious 50-50 mixture of ice-cold cheap beer and ice-cold V-8 juice.

I hate to quibble, but in my neck of the woods red beer is beer and tomato juice, not necessarily V-8. My father drinks red beer by the quart, I assume adding tomato juice to kill the taste of the Bud Lite.

Actually, it was in your neck of the woods that I was introduced to an appalling variant: the Clamato Beer, which is beer and clamato juice. (FYI for those who don't know, and I didn't, "clamato juice" is tomato juice with, yes, clam juice added to it.) It's like liquid horror.

[gigi]

Anaamika, what recipe do you use for your sangria? We usually just dump a bunch of sliced fruit into a cheap red wine and call it good.
My mom uses fresh-squeezed orange juice, red wine (jug, box, whatever) and her secret ingredient is...brandy!

My summertime drink would be Campari and tonic. It's my father's pick for summer and he used t make me one too.

[Scubaqueen]

A French 75:

2 oz. Plymouth gin
1 oz. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Enough simple syrup
Shake & strain into an 8-oz. flute.
Fill with champagne (it will take about 4 oz.)
Twist of lemon.
Optional: Add a dash of bitters.


my gawd. so you're the other french 75 drinker! :D no bitters for me, tho. ick.

i also partial to g & t, altho i prefer tanqueray and tanqueray 10 to sapphire.
extra lime, please.

beer: blue moon w/an extra-big orange wedge. yum...

this summer i'm going to learn how to make a decent martini. so far, it isn't going well at all. :p

evidently, i have no talent for them.

[silenus]

this summer i'm going to learn how to make a decent martini. so far, it isn't going well at all. :p

evidently, i have no talent for them.

Let me teach you how to make my wife's favorite martini:

2 jiggers ice-cold Ketel One vodka
1/2 jigger Noilly Prat white vermouth
one splash olive juice

Combine in shaker with fresh ice, lots. Shake until your fingers freeze. Pour into chilled martini glass. Garnish with three olives stuffed with bleu cheese or jalapeños.

[Queen Bruin]

I make martinis 3 or 4 parts gin (I prefer Plymouth or Sapphire for martinis, but Boodles is a superior G&T gin IMO) to one part Noilly Prat. Per the excellent advice offered me in a long ago thread I started, I actually make them in bulk, then store in a glass bottle in the freezer. There's a bottle of Noilly Prat in the fridge door, and quite a different one in my freezer. Pour into a chilled glass, add olives to your taste, and down the hatch. That way you always have the proportion right, and only have to adjust for quantity. ;)

[Mikemike2]

Our version of the Sombreros we loved so much in Mexico:

Blend Vodka, sugar, vanilla extract, cream and ice.

Gently pour over coffee liqueur in a martini glass.

[Hunter Hawk]

BTW, another thing you can try is making a margarita with gin instead of tequila and adding a dash or two of bitters (this is a modified Pegu Club).

I tend to use a lower proportion of gin than tequila so it comes out sweeter; otherwise, I think it ends up with too much of a medicinal taste.

[Scubaqueen]

Let me teach you how to make my wife's favorite martini:

2 jiggers ice-cold Ketel One vodka
1/2 jigger Noilly Prat white vermouth
one splash olive juice

Combine in shaker with fresh ice, lots. Shake until your fingers freeze. Pour into chilled martini glass. Garnish with three olives stuffed with bleu cheese or jalapeños.


hmm. i may have just spotted the glitch: my gin (don't care for vodka) and vermouth aren't residing in the fridge.

:eek:

are these cardinal sins one and two in making The Perfect Martini?

[silenus]

Are these cardinal sins one and two in making The Perfect Martini?

In my book, yes. In other books.....yes. :D


The base liquor should be kept in the freezer. We have found that a fifth of Ketel One fits quite nicely in the upper part of the ice cube tray rack. The key to a truly great martini is that it be served freezing cold. Some may consider it heresy, but you also can make a martini too dry. If all you want is gin on the rocks, fine. But don't call it a martini. I also recommend the "dirty" variation, that is, adding a splash of juice from the olive jar. It gives the drink a bit more depth of flavor.

Also, if you own any of those 16 oz. giant martini glasses, throw them out or relegate them to serving shrimp cocktails. A proper martini is served in a much smaller glass, so you can finish it before it gets warm.

[Scubaqueen]

In my book, yes. In other books.....yes. :D


The base liquor should be kept in the freezer. We have found that a fifth of Ketel One fits quite nicely in the upper part of the ice cube tray rack. The key to a truly great martini is that it be served freezing cold. Some may consider it heresy, but you also can make a martini too dry. If all you want is gin on the rocks, fine. But don't call it a martini. I also recommend the "dirty" variation, that is, adding a splash of juice from the olive jar. It gives the drink a bit more depth of flavor.

Also, if you own any of those 16 oz. giant martini glasses, throw them out or relegate them to serving shrimp cocktails. A proper martini is served in a much smaller glass, so you can finish it before it gets warm.

uh-oh. :smack:

most humble apologies to the martini experts here. you can sure tell i don't have much experience with them!

i'll ice down the appropriate ingredients and report back either success or failure at a later date. uh, do i need to use a real martini glass?

because i don't own one. :p

[Queen Bruin]

Champagne glasses work fine for martinis as well. Some use cordial glasses I believe.

[silenus]

Proper glassware adds to the experience, but don't let that stand in the way. But you really need something stemmed so that your hand doesn't warm up the drink.