THE JOURNAL
Photograph courtesy of Neighborhood Restaurant Group
Seven of the finest thirst-quenching cocktails, beers, ciders and wines to see you through the season.
The long, warm days and balmy evenings of summer mean one thing: a cold, refreshing drink that is, more likely than not, boozy. Once upon a time, this meant, largely speaking, rosé or champagne. No longer, however. These days, summer drinks come in a range of shapes, sizes and flavours, from effervescent spritzes to on-trend bitters and bone-dry wines, but it’s vermouth and tequila that are really having their moments in the sun right now.
There are rules to consider when choosing your drink of choice this season. Key requisites are crispness, sophistication and a reviving jolt.
With that in mind, we scouted out stellar bartenders and sommeliers around the world and asked them for their personal favourites this summer. In New York, The Dead Rabbit’s thrillingly creative Ms Jillian Vose quenches her thirst with an aromatic tequila and vermouth combo, while London cocktail maestro Mr Ryan Chetiyawardana drinks a gratifying grapefruit G&T riff. Here, they reveal how we, too, can drink like bar legends.
Guillet Frères Cidre Breton
Mr Noel Venning Co-owner, Bar Three, London
Renowned for his fuss-free approach to drinks, Mr Noel Venning is co-owner of the newly opened Bar Three underneath Blixen in Spitalfields. It’s the second venue from the Venning brothers, who also run the critically acclaimed Three Sheets in Dalston.
Photographs courtesy of Bar Three, London
“I really like Guillet Frères’ Cidre Breton,” says Mr Venning. “It’s a lot drier than most British ciders and truly delicious, definitely a memory of family holidays driving from Manchester to central France and stopping off in Brittany.”
Guillet Frères’ Cidre Breton is available at Bar Three, Three Sheets, beersofeurope.co.uk and amathusdrinks.com.
Empire Estate Dry Riesling
Mr Thomas Pastuszak Wine director, The NoMad Restaurant, New York
Mr Thomas Pastuszak fell in love with wine while studying neurobiology and classical piano at Cornell University. He has since won a whole host of young sommelier accolades.
Photographs courtesy of The NoMad, New York
“When the summer months roll in, my personal wine consumption leans heavily in the direction of crisp, mineral-driven whites,” says Mr Pastuszak. “We’re talking chablis from France, albariño from Spain, vermentinu from Corsica and, my personal favourite, dry riesling from the Finger Lakes in New York State. I love Empire Estate Dry Riesling. I made it as a collaboration and it pays homage to some of my favourite European dry rieslings, while embracing the local Finger Lakes terroir.”
Forbidden Planet
Mr Greg Engert Beer director, Neighborhood Restaurant Group, Washington DC
If beer sorcerer Mr Greg Engert can’t tell you which craft beers are best for the summer then surely no one can. His establishment, ChurchKey in Washington DC, has carefully curated 50 draft lines. He also runs its Belgian-beer-obsessed sister bar The Sovereign and is beer director of the Neighborhood Restaurant Group.
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Photographs courtesy of Neighborhood Restaurant Group
“My preferred summertime drink is Forbidden Planet, a refreshing, low-alcohol offering from our Washington DC brewery Bluejacket,” says Mr Engert. “We designed Forbidden Planet when we opened Bluejacket in the fall of 2013. The idea was to craft a beer that could deliver a hop-forward brew to satisfy more palates than just the hop-obsessed. What resulted is a beautiful blond ale of 4.2 per cent ABV, brewed with pilsner malt and some malted wheat, that’s eminently quenching and crushable. It has robust hop-driven aromas of passionfruit, peach and mango, atop a refreshing base.”
The Nacional
Mr Jesse Vida Bar manager, BlackTail, New York
BlackTail was recently named the Spirited Awards Best New Bar in America. Former hip-hop artist Mr Jesse Vida has honed his bartending skills at some of New York’s leading hangouts, including Dutch Kills, Booker And Dax and Momofuku Ssäm Bar.
**Find out more here **
Photographs courtesy of BlackTail, New York
“For a nice summer cocktail, you can’t go wrong with the Nacional,” says Mr Vida. “The original drink was created at and named after the Hotel Nacional in Havana, Cuba. This Nacional is important to me because it’s the modern adaptation I make at BlackTail and has been a big hit since we opened. I enjoy the bright tropical palate with a crisp citrus and bitter finish at the end.”
Ingredients
225ml lime juice 15ml pineapple juice 15ml yuzu syrup 75ml banana syrup 75ml banana liqueur 75ml Suze Gentiane 75ml apricot eau de vie 75ml Diplomatico Planas Nutmeg, to garnish
Method
Shake all the ingredients together and garnish with nutmeg. Serve with ice.**
Glassware:** punch glass.
Diamond Rickey
Mr Ryan Chetiyawardana Co-founder, Cub, London
“There’s a host of drinks I turn to over the hot months – chilled fino, weird beers, Americanos or my usual scotch and soda and, in fact, highballs in general,” says Mr Ryan Chetiyawardana. “But a friend made me a G&T twist on a hot day we had earlier in the year and I – in a total daze – was really enamoured with it. Asking what it was, he sheepishly revealed it was our own Diamond Rickey. It’s such a perfect summery drink – crisp and aromatic with the right balance of zestiness and bitterness.”
Photographs courtesy of Cub, London
Ingredients
50ml Mr Lyan’s Diamond Rickey (available from masterofmalt.com) 150ml Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic, chilled Grapefruit slice, to garnish Thyme, to garnish Mint, to garnish Rosemary, to garnish
Method
Fill your glass with ice cubes, add the Rickey and top with tonic, then add garnish.
Glassware: tumbler.
The Lambanog Mule
Mr Gabriele Manfredi Head bartender, Oriole, London
Originally from Milan, Mr Gabriele Manfredi first made waves in London working at Artesian Bar at The Langham hotel. He’s now head bartender at the subterranean bar Oriole (number 17 on the World’s 50 Best Bars list) at Smithfield Market, on the edge of the financial Square Mile.
Photographs courtesy of Oriole, London
“We serve this drink at Oriole,” says Mr Manfredi. “Apart from being served in a leather bag, what surprised me most about this drink is that I really don’t like the taste of curry. But combined with all the rest of the ingredients, the result is a perfect summery Moscow mule-style drink. It’s refreshing with hints of spice in the finish.”
Ingredients
50ml gin (we use East India gin) 15ml lemon juice 20ml pineapple (ours is curried pineapple) juice 15ml banana syrup Ginger beer, to top up
Citizen Kane
Ms Jillian Vose Beverage director, The Dead Rabbit, New York
The Dead Rabbit in Lower Manhattan scooped fifth place at the World’s 50 Best Bars awards last year. Its beverage director, Ms Jillian Vose, is no less minted. Last year, she was named one of the 10 Best American Bartenders at the Spirited Awards.
Photographs courtesy of The Dead Rabbit, New York
“My personal favourite for the summer is a drink on our menu called Citizen Kane,” says Ms Vose. “Its very simple flavour pairings create a quite complex-tasting drink. When people think of summer drinks, they’re mostly thinking citrus. But if you’re into martinis and want to try something new for the warmer months, this is your jam.”
Ingredients
1 dash Bittermens Orchard Street Celery Shrub bitters 7.5ml John D Taylor’s Velvet Falernum 25ml Dolin Blanc Vermouth de Chambéry 7.5ml Rhum JM Agricole Blanc 45ml El Tesoro Platinum Tequila, infused with sugar snap peas Lemon oil, to garnish
Method
Stir with ice. Serve with no ice. Garnish with lemon oil.
Glassware: Nick & Nora cocktail glass or 6oz cocktail glass.