copyright ©1999-2005
DigsMagazine.com.

ask the bartender :  chill out summer cocktail classics  by Yee-Fan Sun

caipirissima
A variation on the Caipirinha, a popular Brazilian drink made with a local liquor called cachaça that your friendly neighborhood dive of a liquor store is unlikely to stock. The Caipirissima uses the much more widely available rum instead. This is a drink that starts with a seriously strong kick, but mellows out with a deliciously sweet-tart finish.

2 oz. rum
1 Tbsp. simple syrup
1 lime

Roll the lime around on a flat surface; this'll ensure that you extract the maximum amount of juice and oils. Quarter the lime and pop in a short glass, flesh-side up. Add the simple syrup, and use the back of a spoon to squash the syrup into the fruit until you've extracted a good amount of the lime juice (this is known as muddling in barspeak). Add the rum, give the whole thing a good stir. Fill the glass with ice, and give it another quick stir. Garnish with a wedge of lime and start sipping.

Also try: substitute orange for the lime, or a slice of fresh pineapple (cored and diced)

mint julep
2 oz. bourbon
1 Tbsp. simple syrup
few sprigs o' mint

Save one sprig of mint. Toss the remainder in the bottom of a Collins glass or old-fashioned. Add the simple syrup, then muddle the ingredients until the mint starts releasing its juices. Fill the glass with crushed ice, add the bourbon and give it all a stir. Garnish with a mint sprig and enjoy.

tom collins
2 oz. gin
1 oz. lemon juice
1 tsp. simple syrup
soda water
orange slice
maraschino cherry

Fill a tall Collins glass with ice. In a cocktail shaker, shake the gin, lemon juice and simple syrup with plenty of ice. Strain into the glass. Top off with soda, and garnish with an orange slice and cherry.

o

check out these related articles: 
summer sippers | summer coolers | sangria | mojitos | margaritas | lemonade for grownups

or browse the drink recipes!

---------------------------> lounge . nourish . host . laze . home .