The last few days may not have felt like the beginning of summer, but the warming spell early next week promises to have you seeking refreshment. Here are four spots to seek shelter from the heat (or at the very least enjoy them in short sleeves). Click through for recipes in case sweltering temperatures have you immobilized at home:
Anything off the "Remedies" menu at Ice Cream Bar
A drink with plenty of ice on a warm day is an easy choice, but even better are the soda fountain style drinks from Ice Cream Bar that combine sorbet or ice cream with port, beer, or sparkling wine. The Dublin Honey (Guinness, caramelized honey ice cream, Valrhona chocolate syrup, Graham's 10 year old tawny port) is rich and chocolaty, perfect for those looking for dessert and drink. An even better way to beat the heat is the Sunday Morning (seasonal fresh fruit sorbet, Mumm Napa Brut Prestige sparkling wine) that gives the mimosa a soda fountain twist and comes with the baby bottle of sparkling wine.
See also: Meet Your New Favorite Summer Drink: The NASCAR Spritz
Drink of the Week: Shrub Runner at Serpentine
That's Amaro: San Francisco Gets Its Own Custom Blends
For a warm day in the East Bay, few other bars boasts better back patio with such deliciously appropriate drinks as Comal. The SPF 2020 (Matusalem Rum, strawberry, blood orange, cinnamon-clove ancho pepper dram) is so refreshing, bar manager Matthew Campbell named it after the amount of sun protection the cocktail would provide. Even better, it's stumbling distance from Berkeley BART.
Aside from a mint julep, American whiskey doesn't necessarily sound like a warm-weather drink, but the Old Scout Cocktail (Old Scout 7 year-old Bourbon, Salers Gentiane Aperitif, yellow chartreuse, Angostura, celery bitters, mint) plays off of the herbaceous qualities the spirit gets from the oak barrel aging. The drink was developed by Neil Roche, former resident of New Orleans where they know a thing or two about dealing with summer sun. Served on the rocks, the cocktail is a perfect aperitif to cool off before dinner.
On hot days, the French like to cool off in the late afternoon with an ice-cold glass of anisette mixed with water. Anisette is an anise seed-based liquor developed by the French as an absinthe substitute, with a strong licorice taste. Here the Absinthe Frappé (absinthe, aloe liquor, lime, mint, soda) plays off that, along with the classic absinthe drink for which it is named, but has the cooling mint turned up, and the licorice taste turned down. A great drink for a hot day.
Follow @thevillagedrunk
Comments are closed.
