Jim Meehan’s Three Best Cocktails for a Summer Party
There’s never been a better time to master a few basics of cocktail making.
(Bloomberg) -- It’s the summer of gin, haven’t you heard? With so many new brands available, and bartenders celebrating the clear liquor’s mixable qualities, there’s never been a better time to master a few basics of the genre. No matter if you’re throwing a party during the day, the evening, or late at night—or one that lasts through all three—these three simple solutions will serve you, and your guests, as long as you like.
Daytime: Serve a spritz
The Neo-Venetian
2 oz. Aperol
1 oz. chilled prosecco
1 oz. chilled club soda
½ oz. San Pellegrino Aranciata or other sparkling citrus drink
Add ingredients in order to a chilled rocks glass. Add ice. Garnish with half an orange wheel. Drink all day.
Evening: mix & match G&Ts
Plymouth Gin & Tonic
2 oz. Plymouth gin
4 oz. chilled East Imperial Burma tonic water
Use a chilled Collins glass, ice, and a lime wedge for this highball, a mix of juniper-forward gin and citrus-y tonic.
Hendrick’s Gin & Tonic
2 oz. Hendrick’s gin
4 oz. chilled Fentimans Botanical tonic water
Replace lime with cucumber here, and garnish with a dried rose. (Hendrick’s is distilled with both.) The result is a cooling, sweet, and floral mix.
Fords Gin & Tonic
2 oz. Fords gin
4 oz. chilled Fever Tree Mediterranean tonic water
Use a chilled red wine glass and garnish with a lemon wheel. You’ll enjoy the earthy, herbal aromas almost as much as the lightly spicy flavor.
After Dark: Liven up your Negroni
Stoplight
1½ oz. Tanqueray 10 gin
1 oz. Dolin dry vermouth
¾ oz. Campari
¼ oz. Strega
This Negroni riff is named for the colors of a traffic light—the red Campari, yellow Strega, and green Tanqueray bottle—you’ll see while mixing it. Stir with ice and strain into a chilled coupe, twist a lemon peel over the surface, and garnish with a cucumber wheel.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Gaddy at jgaddy@bloomberg.net, Chris Rovzar
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