New Cocktails For June 6, 2013
With the heat beginning to settle upon us, now is the perfect time to relax and go out for a drink (or a few) with friends. Tired of your regular gin and tonic or your go-to cosmopolitan? The summer season is looking to provide new and exciting additions to your drink palate.
1. Beer cocktails: Taking a hint from our fellow drinkers down under, the craft beer trend has started to launch in the US. Even restaurant chain, Red Robin, has jumped on board, creating the Coors Light® Can-Crafted™ Cocktail and the Blue Moon® Can-Crafted™ Cocktail. Your favorite craft beer and liquor? What more could you ask for?
Coors Light® Can-Crafted™ Cocktail – A mixture of Coors Light®, ginger liqueur and lemonade topped with fresh squeezed lemon
Blue Moon® Can-Crafted™ Cocktail – A refreshing combination of Blue Moon® Belgian White, SVEDKA® Clementine vodka, orange juice and fresh lime juice
2. Low alcohol/non-alcoholic drinks: I doubt this trend will take of in the college drinking scene, but among health-conscious individuals, this seems to be a popular choice.
Women's Day created a well-rounded list of refreshing cocktails delicious with a little alcohol, or completely dry.
3. Locally-sourced cocktail ingredients: According to the National Restaurant Association's Alcohol 2013 Bartender Survey, the locally grown produce will be the number 1 ingredient or garnish on cocktails this year.
Beacon Hill Hotel & Bistro has constructed a cocktail that could easily be made from your home, and topped with fresh strawberries and thymore from your garden or local farmer's market.
The Berry Fizz
2.5 oz of strawberry gin
5 oz of thyme simple syrup
Splash of sparkling wine
4. Culinary cocktails: Diverging from the typical idea of a cocktail, this year, the savory and chef-created cocktails will be making a larger appearance on the drink scene. Chefs across the country are stepping up their game to take a bite out of this trend.
Owner and bartender of PX in Alexandria, Virginia, Todd Thrasher knows exactly how to pair the kitchen with the bar, even infusing an arrange of native tobacco into a bourbon drink.
JEEPNEY, a New York City Filipino gastro pub, takes this trend one step further in their novel drink, the Halo Halo (recipe below).
1. In the bowl: Pulang Kaong(Sugar palm fruit), Nata de Coco(Coconut Gelatin), Sweet red beans, Pandan Gelatin(extract of a tropical plant found in SE Asia), Langka(Jackfruit from the Philippines), Saba(baby Banana from the Philippines), Macapuno(shaved young coconut)
2.Cover with shaved ice. Pour our milk mix over(Sweetened Evaporated Milk, Coconut Milk)
3.Top w Leche Flan
4 Add 1 scoop of Ube ice cream(purple yam)
5. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of Pinipig(Rice Krispies)
Maybe your aren't as apt in the kitchen as the professionals, or you'd just rather see the masters of the cocktail craft at their finest. Don't worry, this summer there will be plenty of events where you can sip a beer cocktail or a drink created with freshly harvested ingredients.
EVENTS:
What: 5th Annual SF Chefs Food, Wine, & Spirtis Festival: A food, wine, & spirits festival celebrating Northern California's culinary bounty
When: Sunday, July 28 – Sunday, August 4, 2013
Web: Click here for the website
Where: Union Square and venues throughout New York City
Cost: $35-$175; purchase tickets here
What: Tales of the Cocktail
When: July 17th-21st
Web: http://www.talesofthecocktail.com
Where: New Orleans
Cost: $40-$80; purchase tickets here
What: 2013 Annual Summer Cocktail Party
When: Tuesday, June 25, 2013, 6-9 PM
Web: Click here for the website
Where: 311 W. 57 Street (btwn 8th & 9th Ave.), NYC
Cost: $50 advance, $40 nonprofit/student, $55 at the door; events@aaldef.org.