XL Cover Story: Sip Into Summer
The best relief for high temperatures? A long retreat into a coll spot with an even cooler cocktail.
By Sarah Lindner and Jeanne Claire van RyzinPhotos by Deborah Cannon
June 17, 2004
Sure, some like it hot. In the sun, slathered in sunscreen. Skin baked brown. Sweat pouring off them in sheets.
We prefer it cool. Or sweet. Or deep, deep blue. Or with a fresh mint garnish. And definitely served in a dark, air-conditioned bar or a shady restaurant patio with fans and misters.
Now's the time to trade in your oh-so-serious good wine or ultra-dry martini or low-carb beer for the cocktail equivalent of the pink flip-flop, straw hat and yellow polka-dot swimsuit.
Order something just because it's pretty. Like a deep red, icy sangria with a tequila kick topped with an edible orchid. Or a lemony yellow lemondrop martini. Or a frosty cocktail the hue of a cool pool.
We also give you permission to indulge in the summer flavors of childhood. Homemade lemonade -- but with a kick for adults. A slice of cool key lime pie served in a martini glass. A frozen fudge bar laced with vanilla vodka.
Summer is, after all, not the time to be serious.
Scroll for drinks, recipes and where to get them.
Vivo Ria
Vivo Cocina Texicana
2015 Manor Road, 482-0300
$6.50
A 21st-century twist on a centuries-old classic? Or maybe you just can't decide between a margarita and a cool glass of sangria, the Spanish drink made from wine and fruit. Bartender Audra Sharp offers her answer: the Vivo Ria. She makes a margarita "chispa-style," (that is, by hand and with fresh ingredients -- no premade mixes out of a bottle) and tops it with a floater of sangria. For those concerned about the overly sweet sangria often served in this country, have no fear: the Vivo Ria is fresh, and mighty.
Vivo Ria
3 counts tequila
1 count Cointreau
3 counts of an equal mixture of fresh lime juice and simple syrup (recipe below) poured at the same time
Chilled sangria (3 parts red wine, 1 part fruit juice -- orange, cherry or cranberry -- to taste)
In a wide-mouth wine glass filled with ice, mix the margarita by adding the tequila first, then the Cointreau and fresh lime juice and simple syrup. Top with sangria. Garnish with a lime and an edible orchid.
Simple syrup
Combine 2 cups sugar to 1 cup water in a saucepan, heat to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Cool.
Blue Water Martini
Saba Blue Water Cafe
208-D W. Fourth St., 478-7222
$6
A stylish drink for a stylish bar, this martini matches Saba's cool yet tropical vibe. "We decided to create a martini that would represent the Blue Water theme," says Brenner Brown, Saba's general manager. Basic as can be, it's proof of the bracing beauty of simplicity. Warning: may induce obsessive desire for a Caribbean cruise.
Blue Water Martini
2 oz. Skyy Citrus Vodka
1/4 oz. blue curacao
Michelada
1809 Manor Road, 457-9900
$4.95
A tall, cool drink with a (likely) tall tale behind it, the michelada is supposedly named for a Mexican revolutionary general, Don Augusto Michel, who preferred his beer a bit different: with lime, salt and red pepper -- and, depending on which version of the myth you subscribe to, that mix might also include Worcestershire sauce and tomato juice. Whatever. There are lots of different versions of the michelada both in this country and in Mexico, but we favor the one at El Chile, the creation of bartender Israel Prado, for its sheer simplicity. Served in a frosty schooner rimmed with El Chile's secret sweet 'n' sour red chili powder mix, the El Chile michelada is an uncomplicated blend of Mexican lager, lime juice and a dash of Tabasco.
Michelada
20 oz. of Dos Equis lager (or other Mexican lager)
1 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice
Dash of Tabasco
Muddle lemon wedges and mint with wooden spoon or stick in a tall glass. Fill glass with ice. Add Limoncello and vodka. Fill glass to top with lemonade.
In a frosty schooner with a rim of sweet and sour chili powder (the El Chile people call it 'magic dust'), pour in the lime juice and lager and add the Tabasco. Garnish with a fresh lime slice, and dust the top of the cocktail with a little more of the chili powder mix.
Shake, strain and serve in a sugar-rimmed martini glass. Garnish with a lemon wheel.
Hard Lemonade
303 Red River St., 236-9599
$6.50
Tennessee Williams goes Cuban? A concoction by Moonshine bartender Larry Perdido, Hard Lemonade just might be the American Southern cousin to the traditional Cuban mojito. Served in a Mason jar-type glass, the Hard Lemonade gets a touch of elegance from a touch of Limoncello, a lemon liqueur of Italian origin. Fresh mint leaves and lemon wedges as well as homemade lemonade keep the drink a touch tart, not too sweet and a whole lot refreshing.
Hard Lemonade
3 lemon wedges
4 mint leaves
1 oz. Limoncello
1 1/2 oz. shot of vodka
Lemonade, preferably homemade
Key Lime Pie Martini & Tuaca Lemon Drop Martini
98 San Jacinto Blvd., 477-3300
each $7.50
Shoreline Grill has its own take on the season's citrus flavors. The traditional lemondrop martini gets a twist with Tuaca, an Italian liqueur with a brandy base and hints of vanilla and orange. Maybe that's why it tastes remarkably like an actual lemondrop candy. The key lime pie martini began as an attempt at a crème brûlée drink, says John Michael, a bartender and manager at Shoreline. The pastry chef had some key limes, and the drink went in a different direction.
Key Lime Pie Martini
1 1/2 oz. vanilla vodka
1 oz. pineapple juice
1 oz. key lime juice
3/4 oz. simple syrup
Shake with ice and serve in a martini glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.
Tuaca Lemon-Drop Martini
1 oz. vodka
1 oz. Tuaca
1 oz. fresh lemon juice
3/4 oz. simple syrup
The Babe Ruth and the Scarface
918 Congress Ave., 479-7979
Each $8
Farhad Bordbar, manager at the 1920s club -- one of Austin's more popular gay bars -- concocted these chocolatey martinis and christened them, too. The Babe Ruth and the Scarface are popular choices; the Josephine Baker (not pictured) is one of the newer cocktails on the menu, which Bordbar changes out occasionally. When he's experimenting with new martinis, customers serve as the lucky test cases. The drinks that catch on earn a '20s moniker and a spot on the menu. The recipes? Bordbar says the proportions are a trade secret, but the Babe Ruth has Absolut Vanilla, Godiva chocolate liqueur and Kahlua and is served with a cherry served in a cocoa-rimmed glass, according to the bar's Web site. The Scarface has Stoli Vanilla and creme de cacao. Serve in a cocoa-rimmed glass with a cherry. The Josephine Baker has vanilla vodka, Godiva chocolate liqueur and raspberry liqueur. Serve with a fresh strawberry in a cocoa-rimmed martini glass.
Raspberry Mojito
98 San Jacinto Blvd., 478-4500
$8.75
We raved about this drink in the thick of winter as a fun holiday beverage, and we'll rave it about it now, in the summer, as a fun vacation beverage. A drink for all seasons, at the Four Seasons. The bar at the ritzy hotel has been serving the drink since last year, and although we're not sure how Papa Hemingway would feel about it, we know we love it. Raspberries and mint: It's hard to find a more refreshing, or surprising, duo. Happy muddling.
Raspberry Mojito
1 1/2 oz. Mount Gay rum
1 1/2 oz. lime juice
1/4 oz. simple syrup
2 oz. club soda
5 raspberries
5 mint leaves
Pour the simple syrup, mint leaves and raspberry in a highball glass. Muddle well, fill glass with ice. Pour in the rum and lime juice. Top off with club soda. Garnish with lime.
slindner@statesman.com; 912-5905 | jvanryzin@statesman.com; 445-3699
