Summer Guide
A look at what's hot in the beehive state
By Scott Renshaw @scottrenshaw, Benjamin Wood @BjaminWood, Rebecca Chavez-Houck, Kathleen Curry & Geoff Griffin, Megan Wagstaff, Matt Pacenza, Aimee L. Cook, Erin Moore @errrands_, Darby Doyle @abourbongal, Mika Lee and Cait LeePage 8 of 9
Summer Sippin'
Drinks to pair with your summer cookouts.
story & photos By Darby Doyle
Booze and barbecue go hand in hand, whether you're flipping burgers on the grill clutching a koozie-cocooned brew or sitting back, sipping whiskey and shooting the breeze with friends for hours while the smoker does its lip-smacking meaty magic. Here are two beverages that celebrate the complexity of flames and smoke as an ingredient while allowing the method and activity to reign supreme.
Grilled Pineapple-Mint Smash
Smashes are a fruit-forward and herbaceous drink within the category of juleps, served over lots of crushed or pebble ice. Very simply, it's a suit-yourself kind of cocktail: Pick a fresh fruit, spirit base, herbs and lots of ice, and top with a little something fizzy, like soda. Simple to make and easy to batch for a crowd, smashes are best when made with juicy fruit and fresh herbs in season (mint is typical, but give rosemary or basil a try). Even better, throwing whatever fruit you've picked up at the farmers market on the grill further caramelizes the fruit's natural sugars, releases juices and adds a nice smoky surprise element to this refreshing drink.
Ingredients
¼ cup chopped grilled pineapple*
Handful of fresh mint
1 ½ ounces white rum
¼ ounce dry curacao
2-3 dashes habanero-lime bitters
Splash of lemon soda (such as San Pellegrino limonata)
To prepare one drink: Drop pineapple and a few mint leaves into a julep cup or double Old Fashioned glass and crush with a muddler. Add rum and curacao. Pack the glass with crushed or pebble ice to the top, gently stir to redistribute the crushed fruit evenly and add a splash of lemon soda to fill the glass. Garnish with mint sprig and grilled pineapple spear.
*Grill pineapple spears over medium flames, turning to get even grill marks on all sides. Remove from grill, and set aside to cool before using.
Spicy Mezcal Paloma
Distinctively smoky mezcal can be legally made anywhere in Mexico; though, in practice, it's concentrated in eight of Mexico's 31 states, and almost the entire category is produced in and around Oaxaca. With the craft of mezcal-making stretching back hundreds of years, artisanal producers still use recipes developed by their ancestors over many generations. The smoky profile comes from the agave hearts (piñas) being roasted in wood-fired earthen pits for many days before being mashed into pulp by stone wheels, fermented and distilled. One of Mexico's classic tequila-grapefruit highballs, the Paloma, is an almost-perfect summer sipper with a great sweet-tart balance. Here, it gets a smoky kick from a generous dose of mezcal for the agave spirit and spice via jalapeño. The cocktail is delightful when served in a traditional salt-rimmed clay cantarito cup.
Ingredients
1 ½ ounces mezcal
½ ounce tequila blanco
3 ounces fresh grapefruit juice
1 teaspoon agave nectar
2-3 dashes grapefruit bitters
2-3 rounds (to taste) fresh jalapeño
To prepare one drink: To a cocktail shaker, add jalapeño slices, agave and bitters; crush with a muddler. Add ice, mezcal, tequila and grapefruit juice; shake well. Rub the rim of a clay cantarito cup or double Old Fashioned glass with the cut side of a grapefruit, and dip it in coarse-grained salt to coat. Strain the drink into the cup over fresh ice. Garnish with grapefruit zest and a jalapeño wheel.
This is an excerpt of an article that appeared in Devour Utah.
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