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24 cocktails, from the classic Martini, Manhattan, and Margarita to the exotic Royal Blush, El Diablo, and Blood and Sand
Sure, there are those who believe any cocktail is refreshing and suitable for summer. And they have a point. But when you're grilling, or feasting on clams, or kicking back on the sand, some combinations of ingredients do quench the thirst better than others.
First, consider fruit. There's a reason why Gatorade and lemonade are popular in the summer months. They rely on the sweet-and-tart balance that only lemon/lime—and sugar—can provide. This is the formula for a sour (a.k.a. sour mix). Drinks like the Margarita and the Daiquiri have spawned a million cocktails in this category. The Cosmo introduces cranberry to the equation. And if you can't decide what fruit to use, try adding whatever you have lying around to drinks like the Sangria or Pimm's Cup, powered by ginger ale (this drink sometimes even gets a slice of cooling cucumber).
Bubbles are another well-known refresher: Add Champagne (and gin) to sour mix, and you've got a French 75. Employ beer (along with hot sauce), and you've got the makings of a Michelada. Fresh mint, too, can tickle the palate as it refreshes; the success of rum-driven Mojitos and bourbon-bomb Mint Juleps proves the point.
Don't let brown spirits scare you, either: The international boom in cocktails has, in fact, inspired many bartenders to make lively, effervescent drinks with bourbon, rye, and Scotch, and to reinvent classics like the Old Fashioned (big on Mad Men), the Manhattan, and the Blood and Sand.
For our summer cocktail slideshow, we've selected two dozen drinks to help you beat the heat. There's something for everyone: bitter, sweet, salty, sour, up, on the rocks, shaken, stirred, even bubblegum-infused.
Margarita
Epicurious | May 2008
Eben Freeman
Tailor Restaurant: New York City
yield: Serves 1
Eben Freeman, bartender of Tailor Restaurant in New York City, developed this adaptation of a classic cocktail. Reposado tequila, aged in oak for at least two months but less than a year, gives the drink a smooth smokiness. If you prefer a more vegetal flavor, you could substitute blanco (unaged) tequila; it's probably best to steer clear of añejo (aged in oak for at least a year but less than three years), which could darken the hue and add unwanted oak, vanilla, or caramel flavors.
To sweeten his Margarita, Freeman trades the traditional sugar syrup for superfine sugar, which gives the drink a slightly grainy texture. Freeman's final signature touch: Only half the glass gets a salted rim.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
- 1 wedge lime
- 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) fresh lime juice
- 2 heaping teaspoons superfine sugar
- 1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) Cointreau or other triple sec orange liqueur
- 1/4 cup (2 ounces) reposado tequila
- About 2 cups ice cubes
Preparation
Spread salt on small plate. Rub lime wedge halfway around rim of 10-ounce glass (such as double old-fashioned). Dip moistened side of glass in salt to lightly coat. Set aside.
In cocktail shaker, stir together lime juice and sugar until sugar partially dissolves (about 5 seconds). Add Cointreau, tequila, and 1 cup ice cubes. Shake vigorously for 25 seconds, then strain into prepared glass. Fill glass with remaining ice cubes.
MORE COCKTAIL RECIPES
- Mint Julep
- Daiquiri
- Mojito
- Sangria
- Michelada
- Martini
- Manhattan
- Aviation
- French 75
- Pimm's Cup
- Sazerac
- Sidecar
- Royal Blush
- El Diablo
Photography by Elizabeth Perrin
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