In August, you want something that’ll help you beat the heat while also trying something different than the refreshing thirst-quenchers you’ve been drinking since Memorial Day. Whether you’re looking for a way to use your last-call summer fruits or want to start a slow transition into fall’s dark spirits, these are the cocktails for you.
Boat House Punch
Ingredients
4 lemons, peeled
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1 liter dry gin
750 mL Aperol
12 ounces St-Germain
12 ounces grapefruit juice, freshly squeezed
12 ounces lemon juice, freshly squeezed
12 ounces orange juice, freshly squeezed
750 mL sparkling rosé
Garnish: orange wheels
Instructions
Muddle the lemon peels (save lemons for juicing) with the sugar in a bowl until the sugar looks slightly moistened.
Cover and let sit for at least one hour, or overnight, so the sugar can absorb the lemon oils.
Add the gin, Aperol, St-Germain, grapefruit juice, lemon juice and orange juice to a large pitcher or punch bowl. Add the lemon-sugar mixture, and let sit for 15 minutes.
Remove the lemon peels, drop in a large ice block, and add the sparkling rosé.
Garnish the pitcher and individual punch cups with orange wheels.
Click here to view the original recipe.
Painkiller
Ingredients
2 ounces El Dorado 15-year-old rum
1 1/2 ounces pineapple juice
1 ounce orange juice, freshly squeezed
1 ounce Coco Lopez coconut cream
Garnish: nutmeg, freshly grated
Instructions
Add the rum, pineapple juice, orange juice and coconut cream into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled.
Pour the contents, including the ice, into a Tiki mug, and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.
Click here to view the original recipe.
Undead Gentleman
Ingredients
Absinthe blanc, to rinse
1 1/2 ounces blended aged rum (such as Appleton Estate Reserve or The Real McCoy five-year-old)
1 ounce black blended overproof rum (such as Hamilton 151)
1/2 ounce grapefruit juice (white or pink), freshly squeezed
1/2 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
1/2 ounce John D. Taylor’s Velvet falernum
1/2 ounce Smuggler’s Cove cinnamon syrup*
1 dash Angostura bitters
Garnish: lime twist
Garnish: grapefruit twist
Instructions
Rinse a chilled cocktail coupe with absinthe blanc.
Add the rums, juices, falernum, cinnamon syrup and bitters into a shaker with cracked or cubed ice and shake until well-chilled.
Double-strain into the prepared glass.
Garnish with intertwined lime and grapefruit twists.
Click here to view the original recipe.
Calafia
Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces Cimarron blanco tequila
1/2 ounce El Silencio espadin mezcal
1 1/2 ounces fennel juice (juice of fennel bulbs)
1/2 ounce agave syrup
1/2 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
Club soda, to top
Garnish: fennel fronds
Garnish: fennel pollen
Instructions
Add the blanco tequila, espadin mezcal, fennel juice, agave syrup and lime juice into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled.
Double-strain into a Collins glass over fresh ice.
Top with club soda.
Garnish with fennel fronds and fennel pollen.
Click here to view the original recipe.
Summer Rye
Ingredients
1 1/2 ounce Sazerac rye whiskey
3/4 ounce St-Germain elderflower liqueur
1/4 ounce simple syrup
3/4 ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 ounce Fuji apple juice
Champagne, chilled, to top (approximately 3/4 ounce)
Garnish: apple cubes
Instructions
Add the rye whiskey, elderflower liqueur, simple syrup, lemon juice and Fuji apple juice to a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled.
Double-strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice.
Top with the Champagne.
Garnish with diced apple cubes.
Click here to view the original recipe.
Summer Tonic
Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces Mount Gay rum
1 ounce Bordiga Bitter Rosso amaro
1/2 ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed
4 ounces Fever-Tree aromatic tonic water, chilled, to top
Garnish: rosemary sprig
Instructions
Fill a large snifter with ice, then add the rum, amaro and lemon juice.
Top with the tonic water and stir briefly and gently to combine.
Garnish with a rosemary sprig.
Click here to view the original recipe.