Summertime and the drinkin’ is easy. All around town, bars and restaurants have lightened up their cocktail offerings to fit the season. And while it might not be the hottest summer on record in Cincinnati, we still prefer different drinks this time of year than in cooler months, according to many bartenders and restaurant owners.
“People want light, cool and fruity — and they want to be able to taste the fruit,” says Suzanne McGarry, owner of Bistro Grace in Northside and overseer of its cocktail list. “We try to keep our drinks to four ingredients or less, and then often add some sparkle with club soda or prosecco, which makes them lighter.”
Bistro Grace’s summer drinks include a Rhubarb Rumbler ($9), with housemade rhubarb syrup, citron vodka, fresh lemon and club soda; and sparkling sangria ($8 glass; $20 carafe) consisting of strawberry purée, cucumber juice, rum, fresh lemon and prosecco.
At Metropole, a team of bartenders and managers creates a seasonal cocktail list four times a year. In summer, they lean toward the lighter spirits — gin, vodka, some tequilas — and always strive for drinks that pair well with the restaurant’s food. The current list includes Pinkerton ($8) — gin with housemade watermelon shrub, served up with a salt rim — and Hey Melissa ($9), a drink with vodka, Dolin Blanc, grapefruit juice, tarragon and pomegranate bitters on the rocks.
Salazar also focuses on white liquors along with citrus, herbal and light vegetable flavors. Similar to their food menu, drink ingredients are seasonal and preferably local.
For instance, you can try the elaborate-sounding Herbie Hancock ($12), with house-infused cilantro vodka, cucumber juice, St. Germain liqueur, triple sec and lime, served in a flute glass and topped with sparkling wine. Or order the Jalisco Spice ($11), blanco tequila mixed with lime juice, agave, chili simple syrup, on the rocks and topped with Royal Jamaican ginger beer and a Peychaud’s bitters float.
While many bartenders prefer the white liquors in summer, our city’s bourbon bars also find ways to make that spirit work. At The Littlefield in Northside, the Summertime Smash ($11) muddles peach with mint, adds bourbon and tops with prosecco, served on the rocks in a copper cup. And look for an Orange Crush ($9) at the downtown bourbon-centric Horse and Barrel bar, with Bulleit rye, Tres Leches liqueur and orange juice, along with a couple other ingredients.
Local bartenders might also riff on what’s popular this summer in Europe, such as Aperol Spritz, a drink that originated in northern Italy, where the orange-tinted herbal liqueur Aperol is made. It has become ubiquitous in the pubs of London and sidewalk cafés of Paris. Served over ice in a stemmed balloon wine glass, the refreshing drink is two parts Aperol, three parts prosecco and one part club soda, garnished with an orange slice or twist.
Another lighter summer drink turning up on cocktail lists abroad is the Americano. Served tall over ice, it’s basically a Negroni that substitutes club soda for gin: Campari, sweet vermouth and club soda.
Molly Wellmann is head bartender for Wellmann Brands and most often can be found at Japp’s in OTR. She said they get quite a few orders for Campari or Aperol sparklers in the summer, although the drinks aren’t on the menu. Wellmann favors classic cocktails that date back to the late 1800s, one of which is the Porch Swing ($8), with bourbon, housemade raspberry syrup, a little rosewater and half a glass of iced tea — on ice, of course.
Also “made for summer,” according to Wellmann, is a Gin Rickey ($8) — simply half a lime, squeezed, and then dropped into a tall glass with gin, club soda and plenty of ice.
Darren Parr, bar manager at Otto’s in Covington, said he too gets inspiration from classic cocktails as well as from seasonal foods. A drink on his summer list is Bayou Tonic Water ($9), a creative twist on standard gin and tonic. He stirs Hendrick’s gin into muddled cucumber, basil and lime, adds sea salt and cracked black pepper, strains into an ice-filled glass and tops with Fever-Tree tonic water.
Cocktail fans might also be interested in a series of classes offered at Metropole. Dubbed Sunday School, the once-a-month demos continue through December and are taught by former Metropole bartender Catherine Manabat. She will cover topics such as Tiki Cocktails (July 28) and Beer and Wine Cocktails (August 30). For more information, call 513-578-6660. ©
