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It’s Getting Hot Out There
Don’t know a Blue Lagoon from a Palm Beach Sunburn? Take the plunge with these sure-to-please summer drinks.
By Anthony Dias Blue
This summer, just when you thought it was safe to return to your erstwhile habits of poolside Pinot Grigio and backyard low-calorie beer, word is out that creative mixed drinks are all the vogue. Like you’re surprised? Cocktails have been hot for several seasons, but this year bartenders from coast to coast, continent to continent, are stumbling over themselves to wow patrons with even more complex concoctions that are as racy and finely honed as a triple-fin surfboard.
In the spirits business, where trends come ashore faster than waves at Waikiki, there’s incessant buzz this summer about the heady Brazilian sugarcane-based spirit called cachaça (pronounced kah-SHA-sa), which seems poised to be the Next Big Deal. Spirits producers are also sending totally tubular new concepts our way this season — pear vodka, biscotti liqueur, lime-laced gin — and their beautifully packaged bottles will put a shine on your bar even before you twist the cap. Once opened, these products will inspire mixologists to push the cocktail envelope to its warm-weather max.
So put down that beer can and dust off your cocktail shaker. It’s going to be a long, hot summer.
Blue Lagoon made with Havana Club Rum
This famed Cuban rum brand is available now in the United States, albeit in an edition made in Puerto Rico by Bacardi. While teams of attorneys slug out trademark issues, this Havana Club serves up ripe herbal notes that work magic in island-inspired cocktails. Calling all castaways.
2 ounces Havana Club Rum
½ ounce blue curaçao
½ ounce lemon juice
1 teaspoon blueberry syrup
1 scoop crushed ice
Club soda
Fresh blueberries for garnish (optional)
Mix the first five ingredients in a shaker. Pour the mixture into a tall chilled
collins glass and top off with club soda. Garnish with a few blueberries.
Papaya Crush made with Leblon Cachaça
Brazilians consume more than a billion liters of cachaça each year, with more than 4,000 different versions available in Brazil. A few, including dense, leafy Leblon, are bringing a bossa nova beat to this summer’s cocktails. This creamy fruit-driven concoction is ideal for sipping on any beach, from Rio to the Riviera.
2 ounces Leblon Cachaça
2 ounces papaya nectar
¾ ounce coconut cream
Juice of ¼ lime
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with crushed ice. Shake well and strain into a chilled highball glass.
Cabo Cooler made with Don Julio Tequila Blanco
Cabo San Lucas, on the southern tip of Baja California, has become my new Mexican refuge. I escape there as often as possible — AA to San Jose del Cabo makes it convenient — and I make sure to stock up on plenty of good silver tequila, such as classic Don Julio, for use in blended refreshers like this one. Strolling mariachis standing by.
1¾ ounces Don Julio Tequila Blanco
2 to 3 ounces grapefruit juice
1 teaspoon almond extract
Dash lime juice
Dash triple sec
1 scoop crushed ice
Mint sprigs for garnish
Blend all ingredients except the mint in a blender. Pour into a chilled wine glass and garnish with mint sprigs.
 Mumbai Madness made with Tanqueray Rangpur Gin
This richly aromatic new gin from Tanqueray is distilled with exotic Rangpur limes from India as well as bay leaf and ginger, among other components. The cocktail plays on Rangpur’s citrusy theme by incorporating lemon and an orange garnish.
Bollywood movie marathon, anyone?
3 ounces Rangpur Gin
1 ounce lemon juice
¼ ounce grenadine
Tonic water
Orange slice for garnish
Ice cubes
Place the first three ingredients in a shaker with half the ice and shake well. Strain into an ice-filled collins glass. Top off the glass with tonic water and garnish with an orange slice.
Palm Beach Sunburn made with Pinky Vokda
This new vodka from Sweden gets its pink tinge from rose petals, while the silky texture delivers notes of licorice and spice, making this a super vodka for complex cocktails. This one is essentially a Yankee Cape Codder jazzed up with Campari for a trip south. Sunscreen recommended.
1½ ounces Pinky Vodka
3 ounces cranberry juice
Juice of ½ fresh lime
½ ounce simple syrup
½ ounce Campari
1 scoop crushed ice
Maraschino cherry for garnish
In a shaker, combine all of the ingredients. Mix well and strain into a chilled double Old-Fashioned glass. Garnish with a Maraschino cherry.
 Monte Carlo made with Grey Goose La Poire Vodka
Grey Goose brings us the first U.S. super premium pear-flavored vodka, a lovely spirit that exudes as much class as a private baccarat salon. This cocktail marries La Poire’s exquisite white fruit flavors with sexy blackberry and the spritz of champagne for a shimmering drink that adds intrigue to any summer night. Tuxedo suggested.
2 ounces Grey Goose La Poire Vodka
¼ ounce Noilly Prat or other dry
white vermouth
¼ ounce blackberry liqueur
Champagne or other sparkling wine
Fresh blackberries for garnish (optional)
Shake the first three ingredients with ice and strain into a martini glass. Top off with the champagne and garnish with blackberries.
Lake Como Float made with Faretti Biscotti Liqueur
Faretti has somehow managed to distill the almondy essence of authentic Italian brick-oven-baked biscotti into this new liqueur, and it’s fabulous. The only thing more delicious than drinking it alone is blending it with gelato for a cool, velvety confection that’s halfway between a cocktail and a dessert. La dolce vita just got a lot sweeter.
1½ ounces Faretti Biscotti Liqueur
1 scoop Italian-style vanilla bean gelato (or vanilla ice cream)
Crushed biscotti
Blend the Faretti Biscotti Liqueur with the gelato until thoroughly mixed and creamy in texture. Pour the blend into an open-mouthed champagne coupe and sprinkle the crushed biscotti on top. Serve with a straw.
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