Summer is finally here… in true celebratory fashion Manayunk drink specials would like you give you an advantage in enjoying persephone’s return. Below is a short list of the best summer cocktails, how to make them, and a few words/ helpful hints to go with each one.

Margarita

This cocktail has been through a lot of changes through the years. Hard to get really wrong, but ever elusive in its perfect form, this could be argued to be the best-known cocktail of the post-modern era. Originally it was said to be made with damiana (an aphrodisiac) as a main ingredient. Damiana was soon replaced by cointreau leading to the golden era of the Margarita (when the cocktail was still standardized with fresh ingredients)… Alas, it was not to last. The margarita was killed by its own popularity in the 80’s and 90’s when turn-n-burn bartenders decided to start skipping the second most important ingredient (Fresh squeezed lime) with ultra sweet sour mix. Though sour mix, and frozen margaritas are still overly prevalent, the current “cocktail renaissance” is breathing new life into one of the greatest drinks ever. MDS is providing two recipes below- a proper cocktail for the enthusiast, and a lazy-day/higher-quality recipe for those that would like to use less energy but still be rewarded with a good drink.

A “Tequila makes women’s clothes fall off” Margarita

2-3oz White Tequila*

1oz Cointreau/ Grand Marnier/ Triple Sec

1 Fresh Squeezed lime

splash of simple syrup to taste

*Two notes here (first, Remember everyone has different tastes, use more or less Tequila according to how well a person’s palate has developed with tequila, Second, and Diageo won’t like this, Jose Cuervo gold not a good choice for your Margarita. ‘Cuervo is a great Tequila for many things (four horsemen) but a margarita isn’t it)

“A Long Day of Work” Margarita

3oz White Tequila

1 ½ oz Triple Sec

“Simply Limeade” to taste*

*Simply Limeade is a great little product. It is not from concentrate, uses only fresh ingredients, and has a pretty good sweetness-lime mix going. A Great substitute when you don’t feel like squeezing 10 limes for a pitcher of margaritas.

Daiquiri

No cocktail has ever gone through a sex-change like the Daiquiri. It was a drink that Hemmingway used to rock as he would shoot 300 lbs. man-eating tigers on safari (Hemmingway called the Daiquiri his favorite drink at one point)… however thanks to a bunch of women in the 70’s who had to have everything blended, the Daiquiri was sentenced to John Bobbitt treatment. So in 2010, unless I am hanging out at The Rum Bar (2005 Walnut Street), I can’t order a Daiquiri without putting on a skirt first. It is a shame too. The Daiquiri is an awesome summer cocktail (hence being on this list) and also one of the manliest drinks you can get.

3oz Light Rum

½ a lime squeezed

splash of simple syrup to taste

Mint Julep

Why is there 4 hours of coverage before the Kentucky Derby which lasts a whole 3 minutes? Answer: Mint Juleps. That is how good this drink is.

Muddle mint in the bottom of a glass (how much mint? A lot)

Then add:

crushed ice

3-4oz Bourbon

splash of simple syrup

San Clemente

Recipe created by Jon Paul Uritis.  This recipe will surprise you with the way that the ingredients come together. Ingredients combine the best of Philadelphia and California. Based on a Traditional Sidecar and a recipe by Sorrento Grille (CA).

3oz Bluecoat Gin (Philadelphia distilling company)

1/2 Fresh Squeezed Lemon

Blue Agave nectar to taste

Shake with crushed ice, and serve up

Irish Wake

Made famous by McGuire’s Irish pub (FL). Do yourself a favor and cut yourself off after one. Serve in a 32oz mason jar.

1 1/2 ounces of Bacardi Light Rum
1 1/2 ounces of Bacardi Gold Rum
1 1/2 ounces of Blue Curacao Liquor
Fresh squeezed Orange Juice to the top of mason jar
1 ounce of Bacardi 151

Caipirinha

Brazil’s national cocktail. Made with cachaça, a liquor that is distilled from sugar cane. No matter what you read on the internet, there is no substitution for cachaça, it has a taste all of its own. This drink is particularly hard to make because the ingredients are so simple. My recommendation is to buy a bottle of cachaça and practice all different ways of making a Caipirinha. Find a sense of balance between the ingredients. The ingredients in a Caipirinha are: cachaça, lime, and sugar.

Below is the best account of how I would make a Caipirinha… like I said every drink maker will have a unique experience with the cocktail and its ingredients

Take a glass (smaller than a pint glass) and fill it with ice. Add a dash granular sugar on top of the ice. The granular  will be for texture more than sweetness. Pour 3oz of cachaça over the ice/sugar. Squeeze half of a lime into the glass. Slice the other half of lime into 3 slices. Squeeze the slices then drop them into the glass. Add a splash of simple syrup (for sweetness). Shake all ingredients together and pour all contents into the original glass for consumption.

Mojito

The Grandaddy of summer cocktails.

Muddle 5-10 mint leaves in the bottom of a glass.

add splash of simple syrup

fill glass with ice

add 3oz White rum

squeeze 1/2 a lime into the glass, then slice, squeeze and add the other half into the glass.

Top with soda water.

Enjoy the summer.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 3rd, 2010 at 2:50 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.