Spring and summer bring on obvious changes, and one of the biggies is a swap in what we sip. Drinking salt-rimmed margaritas seems sacrilegious in December...almost as blasphemous as
not drinking one in July. But as you return to your summer of pina coladas and strawberry daiquiris, we think you should add a little fun to your fruit, with a drink that's a little more cool and a little less Carnival Cruise Ship. Here are some winners:
Get your daily dose of pomegranate at Rockit Bar & Grill
Though the name sounds worthy of the coldest month, the Snow Queen Signature cocktail is plenty fruity. With equal parts Britain's Snow Queen vodka and Pama (that's a pomegranate liqueur), you'll be feeling plenty breezy. Mixed with grapefruit juice, sour mix and ginger syrup, the cocktail is (pleasantly) served in a pilsner glass on the rocks with a sugar rim.
De-mint your mojito at RiNo
OK, we know...it's not really a mojito if there isn't mint. But RiNo's Basil Strawberry Mojito sounds pretty herbal all the same. The Cuban classic comes straight from the garden, made with Bacardi, fresh strawberries, basil leaves, lime wedges and simple syrup, topped off with ginger ale. And yes, the basil and strawberries are muddled...gotta stay true to the drink somehow.
Try it fresh-squeezed at Milk and Honey Cafe
For those summer days that call for lazy afternoon drinking, a trip to Milk and Honey is a wise bet. You can count the number of cocktails it offers on one hand, but the few that they do they do well. Grab a seat along the sidewalk and ordered a mimosa. Simple enough, but in this case it's made with fresh-squeezed orange juice. The homemade vibe continues in the summer-only Raspberry Stoli and fresh-squeezed lemonade.
Have a light sipper outdoors at Motel Bar
Since summering in France is out of the question, we'll take Motel's French Lemonade cocktail. The sweet stuff gets dressed up with the addition of gin and Lillet Blanc, a sweetened aperitif containing quinine (making Lillet a famed quinquina). Floating a cucumber slice, you'll find yourself plenty refreshed after sipping a few of these on the 80-seat tree-enclosed beer garden.
Drink South-American-style at n
If you just can let go of that margarita, we're willing to offer a close (but more exciting) substitute. All the rage in Rio, the classic carnival drink starts with muddled lime and sugar. It's topped with ice and cachaca, a sugar cane and molasses-based liquor. We like them best at n (pronounced en-yay), where the bartender packs a pint glass with lime wedges before squashing them down. Now that's fresh lime juice.
More cocktails we'd like a few rounds of:
China Grill Steady yourself before ordering the Tsunami, a 48-ounc, $25 drink for two with Cruzan, Malibu and Bacardi 151 rums, lychee nut puree and OJ.
Mas Who knew rice milk could be so deadly? The Rosa-Rita blends Rosa's Original Horchata, Herradura blanco tequila and Frangelico.
Rhapsody Its Moulin Rouge cocktail sounds like the perfect nightcap after a day at the beach: coconut vodka, pomegranate juice and Creme de Cassis.
SushiSamba Rio Like the watermelon from the picnics of your youth, try the Suika, with shochu, muddled watermelon, orange liqueur, grenadine and lime juice.
Do you know of a summer sipper we're missing? Let us know.
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