Summer coolers that are good for you.
When the temperature hits 90 degrees and above, all I want is to find a cool place to sip an ice-cold beverage. It is easy to fall back on old classics when it’s hot out — a margarita, a spritzer, or a mojito can cut the heat no problem, but sometimes it’s nice to shake up the routine and enjoy something new and interesting. Fortunately, your friendly neighborhood drinks-know-it-all has some ideas to help you cool down.
Electro-what?
It’s easy to become dehydrated while you’re out enjoying a summer’s day. When you’re drinking cocktails in the sun, it’s easy to forget the water. While highballs and other cocktails with more water than spirits can help you stay hydrated, you sometimes need the big guns: electrolytes.
Electrolytes are minerals such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium that help maintain fluid balance in your body. Most people think electrolytes are found only in hydration supplements such as sports drinks; however, several fruits can aid hydration. One cup of mangos can provide 7 percent of your daily potassium needs. Watermelons are 92 percent water, plus some of that all-important potassium. Adding more fruit to your cocktails is a great way to lower the amount of spirits needed in a drink, which helps save money and keep away those summertime hangovers.
Mango Watermelon Spiked Agua Fresca
(Serves 4)
2 cups ripe watermelon, diced
2 cups ripe mango, diced
3 cups water, divided
4 ounces fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon sugar
4 ounces blanco tequila
Watermelon rind and mint, to garnish
Blend fruit and sugar with 1½ cups of water until smooth. Strain into pitcher. Add remaining water and tequila and stir. Chill and serve over ice. Garnish with watermelon rind and mint.
Summer Scotch
I know many of you have a hard time with the smoky spirits; Scotch whisky, in particular, can be a lot to take for people new to the bold flavor of smoke. Underneath all that smoke is generally a delicious, soft, and malty whisky that is just begging to be loved. When it’s warm out and I’m enjoying a delicious plate of barbecue, my palate craves Scotch cocktails.
They are a great way to complement a meal with rich, smoky flavors of barbecued chicken, chorizo, or brisket. You may not realize how delicious smoke can be with flavors such as citrus and pineapple. I always remind people that if it is a flavor they like in barbecue, it will probably make an excellent Scotch cocktail. While Scotch whisky may not be for everyone, who doesn’t love barbecue?
Smoky The Pineapple Daiquiri
(Serves 1)
2 ounces Ardbeg (10-year) Single Malt Scotch Whisky
½ ounce pineapple juice
½ ounce lime juice
¾ ounce simple syrup
Combine all ingredients and shake with ice. Strain into cocktail glass and garnish with the fragrance of your barbecued chicken coming off the grill.
Just a Little Bit Salty
My final tip this summer has to do with the simplest adjustment you can make to create better-tasting drinks that offer a kiss of refreshing energy to your home cocktails. It’s our old friend sodium chloride, or what we call salt. Just the right amount of salt added to citrus-based cocktails makes the difference between tart and refreshing. I recommend making a four-to-one water:salt saline solution and keeping it around to help season your cocktails. When you add salt to a cocktail, you help activate the imbibers’ salivary glands, making them crave another sip. A few saline drops can bring the contrast needed to make a drink taste more exciting and complex.
Salted Lemonade
(Serves 1)
4 ounces lemon juice
3 ounces simple syrup
Pinch of Maldon sea salt
Splash of soda water
Mint for garnish
Shake lemon juice, simple syrup, and salt together with ice. Pour entire contents into your serving glass. Top with soda water and garnish with mint.
Michael C. Moberly is a spirits educator and creative consultant. His 14 years in the industry have been spent learning, loving, and imbibing with some of its best minds, both locally and nationally. He also is good at wearing hats.
