It’s hot out. And when it’s hot out, there’s nothing better than staying cool with a refreshing cocktail. While there’s no doubt that frozen tiki cocktails like the Piña Colada or Missionary’s Downfall are as cooling as it gets, most of us don’t bring a blender to the beach. Below are four of my favorite cocktails that will keep you cool without requiring an electrical outlet.
Originally made at Shoomaker’s in Washington, DC by Democratic lobbyist Col. Joe Rickey in 1883, the Gin Rickey is the official, native cocktail of our nation’s capital. It’s my favorite summer cooler, as the crisp line and gin combination has the effect of air conditioning in a glass.
Gin Rickey
2 oz gin
Juice of half a lime
Soda water
Juice half a lime into a wine glass and drop the lime shell into it. Add gin and ice, top with soda water.
The Ridgely is a creation of a family friend, but is one of the first rum cocktails that I ever fell in love with. Tart and crisp, it’ll cool your core when you’re lying poolside.
The Ridgely
2 oz dark rum (Mount Gay works best)
Juice of half a lime
Tonic water
Ginger Ale
Add rum and lime juice to an ice-filled highball glass. Top with equal parts tonic water and ginger ale. Garnish with a lime wedge.
The Dark ‘n’ Stormy is a quintessential rum highball. Made with rich, dark Bermudan rum and spicy ginger beer, it is both refreshing and flavorful. Goslings Black Seal Rum is required to make it a real Dark ‘n’ Stormy. My favorite ginger beer brands are Regatta and Goslings ginger beer.
Dark ‘n’ Stormy
2 oz Goslings Black Seal Rum
Ginger Beer
Lime
In an ice-filled highball glass, fill with ginger beer and top with 2 ounces of Goslings. Squeeze in a lime wedge and enjoy.
Finally, to change things up, I recommend trying a whiskey-based highball, a Horse’s Neck with a Kick:
Horses Neck with a Kick
2 oz bourbon or scotch
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Ginger ale
Spiral lemon peel
Peel a lemon in one-piece spiral and extend this into a Collins glass. Add ice, bourbon and bitters and top with ginger ale.
All of these drinks are refreshing quaffs that are perfect for outdoor summer drinking. You don’t need a blender to stay cool, but as you can see plenty of ginger ale, ginger beer, club soda, and tonic water will help your cause.
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These cocktails look great. Is it happy hour yet?
Review by Roger for Rating: I’m on my second batch and on the way to bomceing a real brewmeister. I’ll just post some observations on the process as I’ve experienced it:* turns out that for me at least 7 days is overly enthusiastic I’m resigned to brewing for 3 weeks and finishing off in the bottles for 2 weeks even with the simpler beers.* DO NOT stir up the dead yeast in the bottom of the keg this will result in poor tasting beer even after it settles out.* be very careful with keeping things sterile I use a small filter mask during the critical stages* I clean off the keg spigot with the cleaner provided so I can rest the bottle opening on it and try to prevent air getting into the beer at bottling time I then hold the closed bottle horizontally and roll it till the sugar dissolves.* I’d recommend the 2 liter soda bottles free and less effort than the quart size. I use the green ones.* I’ve seen some decent beer and some off tasting beer. These simpler beers with the booster are really a light beer and they might have a sort of yeasty taste at times and they are different. Will be trying the more advanced beers and the cider without the booster soon.* The brewing process is not all HAPPY HAPPY there are details to watch and chances you take and if you catch yourself always watching the keg bubble you have issues best to get it going and forget it till bottling time. It’s a lot easier to just go buy some beer but life isn’t meant to be easy is it? The process is something like gardening you need to respect it and enjoy it for what it is. Harvest time is just the bonus.
Cheer!
I love a good ole Gin Rickey. YUM
It is so hot outside- drinking is all I want to do today.
I think its time for one of those.
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HAPPY HOUR has arrived, time to have a Dark and Stormy and follow Free Agency
I feel like the Redskins have given me a “Horse Kick in the Neck”