Summer Guide 2017 

Page 13 of 15

Sips for Summa-time Refreshment
Step away from the Lime-A-Rita.
By Darby Doyle

Whether day-drinking, porch-sippin' at twilight or lazing around camp after a long hike, the key to summertime refreshments is to keep it simple. Here are easy-peasy spins on classic cocktails—you know, for that time when all you've got on hand is a half-full bottle of gin (or vodka, or bourbon ...). Bartender Daniel Flavin at Lake Effect recently reminded me that the simpler the cocktail, the more the ingredients will shine through. "My biggest tip for home bartenders," he says, "is to use fresh ice and fresh-squeezed juice."

IF YOU LOVE BOURBON
Try the Kentucky classic Brown Derby. In this case, shaken and strained into a coupe, but equally delicious poured over crushed ice for long-haul sipping, julep style.

What you'll need:
2 ounces Sugar House Distillery Bourbon
1 ounce grapefruit juice
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey dissolved into
1 teaspoon warm water
Shake all ingredients with ice, strain into a coupe. Garnish with a grapefruit twist and dust off the searsucker.

IF RUM IS MORE YOUR THING
Tart, sweet and refreshing, a Daiquiri's my go-to treat to beat summer heat.

What you'll need:
2 ounces Distillery 36 Brigham Rum
1 ounce fresh lime juice
½ ounce simple syrup (or a few drops agave syrup)
Shake all ingredients with ice, strain into a coupe. Garnish with a lime wedge and let the world spin away.

ARE YOU A GIN MAN??
Named after the French WWI artillery gun of the same moniker the French 75 packs a wallop. Usually served in a tall Champagne glass, this cocktail is equally satisfying poured over cracked ice in a tall Collins glass—bendy straw optional.

What you'll need:
1 ½ ounces Beehive Gin
¾ ounce lemon juice
½ ounce simple syrup
2-3 ounces dry Champagne
Shake gin, lemon juice and simple syrup with ice, strain into a Champagne flute or ice-filled Collins glass. Top almost to the rim with Champagne. Garnish with a fancy-schmancy long lemon twist.

IF TEQUILA IS YOUR JAM
Right now: Throw out that nasty bottle of premade high-fructose corn syrup Margarita mixer that's been shoved to the back of the cupboard. Trust me, you'll never buy that shit again once you've made this cocktail using fresh lime juice and agave syrup, as the deity of your choice no doubt intended. Your decision to salt or not to salt.

What you'll need:
2 ounces tequila blanco (either Vida or New World Distillery Agave Spirit rock)
¾ ounce Cointreau
1 ounce lime juice
¼ ounce agave nectar
Rim half of a double rocks glass or margarita coupe with lime juice and kosher salt. Shake all ingredients with ice, then strain over fresh ice into the rimmed glass. Garnish with a generous lime quarter wedge and get ready to party.

FOR VODKA AFICIONADOS
Moscow Mules are everywhere for a reason. They're crisp, refreshing, sweet and go down oooooh-so-easy. Keep it local using any one of several Utah vodkas: Beehive Organic, Five Wives, Sugar House Distillery, Salt City Vodka, Kid Curry Vodka or for a big-ass splurge, High West 7000.

What you'll need:
2 ounces vodka
½ ounce lime juice, plus the lime half shell
2-3 ounces Garwood's Ginger Beer
Short shake the vodka, lime shell and lime juice with a few ice cubes to combine. Strain into a highball glass filled with cracked ice or that copper mule mug you got for Christmas. Top with ginger
beer. Garnish with a lime wedge and a sprig of mint. Serve with a straw, kick your feet up and pat yourself in the back—you're a grown-up now.