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The Weekender: Boston's Saturday Morning Newsletter
Here & Now staffers share the cocktails and mocktails they're sipping on this summer
Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR's Saturday morning newsletter, The Weekender. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here.
Summer is in full swing, and that means drinks on an outdoor porch or patio are in order. But what makes the perfect summer drink? Some folks like an ice-cold glass of lemonade or sweet tea. Others prefer a tropical, refreshing cocktail.
Here & Now listener Glenn Carson said he enjoys a Tom Collins (gin, lemon juice, sugar and club soda) served up in a tall glass. Another listener, Suzanne VanderBorgt, prefers to skip the spirit and drink just tonic water with ice.
If you’re looking for a tasty drink to keep you cool in the hot sun, mixologists Hannah Chamberlain and Tiffanie Barriere have some ideas.
Barriere said a cooler full of wine can liven up any summer outing. And in a cocktail, she said she likes to highlight Southern flavors.
“A lovely spiked lemonade, a fruit lemonade, even a lovely sangria, is really nice,” Barriere said. “You want to batch those great flavors so we can continue to be barefoot and sit on that porch and have some fun.”
Chamberlain said she steers clear of anything too boozy in the summer (she strongly believes a martini should be served ice cold, and that won’t hold up in the heat).
“One thing that I really look for is something that's icy, refreshing,” Chamberlain said. “I love things like spritzes, like juleps, anything like that that's going to keep you nice and cool.”
Aperol and Hugo spritzes are on summer cocktail menus everywhere, but Chamberlain offers a twist on the classic: a drink she calls “the cheers-leader,” which combines the floral and fruity flavors of elderflower and honeydew. You can find that recipe here.
When it comes to what these two mixologists are sipping on, Chamberlain said she goes for a Caipirinha — cachaça, sugar and muddled lime — because it’s refreshing and citrus-forward. Barriere said she could “drink champagne all summer.”
And for the Here & Now staff? There’s some range.
- Todd Mundt, senior managing editor: “The classic daiquiri is so simple and perfect for summer. Tart, with a little sweetness, ice-cold and refreshing. It awakens the palate, which makes it a fantastic choice as your first — or only cocktail — on a warm evening before dinner. And just three ingredients — a quality rum, lime juice, a little simple syrup — to round it out.”
- Micaela Rodríguez, senior editor: “Mexican Coke, ice, two shots of espresso, maraschino cherry and some vanilla syrup (or a vanilla cold foam).”
- Cikũ Theuri, senior editor: “I’m basic for this, but there’s nothing like an Aperol spritz.”
- Thomas Danielian, producer: “My favorite summer drink is the porn star martini (1 ounce vanilla vodka, 1 ounce passion fruit liqueur, 1 ounce passionfruit juice, 0.5 ounce lime juice). Shake over ice, strain into a glass and top up with sparkling wine. The bubbles and the ice-cold vanilla vodka cool me down and quench my thirst, even on the hottest of days. The passion fruit gives it an exotic feel, and it was created by a legendary Ghanaian barman in London, where it’s super popular, so it reminds me of home!”
- Kalyani Saxena, associate producer: “I love me a lemonade! Pink specifically.”
As for me, instead of the classic Aperol spritz, I love a beer cocktail, specifically a spaghett. Take a few sips of a Miller High Life (the champagne of beers), then add in Aperol and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Make sure you use a bottle of High Life, not a can. It tastes better that way, and you get to see the gorgeous orange color of the cocktail!
P.S.— What are you drinking this weekend to stay cool? Let us know by replying to this email.
