Summer Cocktails

The thought might not have occured to you, but next time you’re pondering a choice of summer cocktail, consider the role the Spanish militia might have played in your decision. For it’s possible to directly link Spanish military activity with one of the spirits of the moment – tequila – and also to the creation of one of the world’s most enduring and refreshing cocktails.

Modern-day tequila exists only because the Spanish conquistadors who arrived in Mexico early in the sixteenth century couldn’t stomach the local native mezcal, and chose instead to make one from a particular blue agave plant which grew near the town of Tequila. Furthermore, it was against the Spanish that an unlikely partnership of American and Cuban forces battled in the late nineteenth century, inventing between them the most popular of all Bacardi-based cocktails, the Cuba Libre. Although made elsewhere today, Bacardi actually originates from Cuba, where when mixed with a decent squeeze of lime, it became the principal thirst-quenching beverage for battle-worn Cuban freedom fighters in 1898.

Legend has it that after mixing the Bacardi and lime with a small shot of Coca-Cola, the fashionable new staple beverage enjoyed by their American comrades-in-arms, a crusty Cuban veteran jumped to his feet to declare: ‘Pour Cuba Libre!’ For a Free Cuba!, unwittingly launching a one of the world’s most famous cocktails in the process. It’s difficult to imagine Messrs. Castro and Clinton making a similar toast today.

The modern Cuba Libre, likely to become one of the summer’s biggest hits, is made with a double shot of Bacardi, a small shot of Coke which shouldn’t be over-done, and a big squeeze of lime. It’s a tangy and refreshing drink, the ancestral forebear to the Bacardi and Coke.

While it’s a pleasing change to find something creative you can do with Coke, the next biggest alternative to this ubiquitous mixer in the US is cranberry juice, favoured there because it’s not so sweet and has a refreshing, slightly tart sour taste which doesn’t excessively knock the palate around. Frequently winding up in the same shaker as a nip or two of Bacardi, cranberry juice usually imparts a bright red colour to whatever it’s mixed with.

White rum is a classic base for summer cocktails. Relatively neutral to taste, it lends itself to tangy, citrusy ideas like the ever-popular daiquiri family of cocktails, where it provides a spirity edge to modern fruit liqueurs like the Suntory squadron of Midori, Lena, Mango and Strawberry. Bartenders like the Melbourne Grand Hyatt’s Staris Latkas, manager of the hotel’s Deco Bar, also use fresh fruits such as raspberries and blueberries to give a seasonal edge to the versatile daiquiri concept.

According to Suntory’s Damian White, the change in seasons plays a major role in determining which cocktails come into fashion. Summer tends to draw something of a halt to the consumption of creamy, sweet short cocktails, heralding instead a return to tangy, often quite dry cocktails presented in either long or short glasses. But this summer could well be the biggest season yet for the shaker style cocktail, reflecting a growing trend across both sexes to pour their own shot-size volumes to throw back in a single gulp.

By far the most popular of the shaker cocktails mixed in Australia is the Midori Illusion, based on the classic Japanese Slipper concept, and originally designed to be served in a small martini glass. Suntory was the first company to provide outlets with branded plastic shakers into which bartenders simply pour the requisite ingredients for the cocktail, for the customers to shake themselves and pour into 30 ml shot glasses. Today Galliano now offers similar opportunities with the shaker concept, which is proving especially popular with cocktails like the Freddie Fudpucker, the Barracuda and the Harvey Wallbanger.

If there’s anything bigger than the shaker concept right now, it’s the shooter, an entire cocktail of around three different spirits or liqueurs prepared – and frequently layered with a spoon – into a small shot glass. Incredibly labour-intensive to prepare, especially since some of the recipes are not guaranteed to layer properly, Paul Traynor at Melbourne’s Geebung Polo Club says they’re especially popular at the extremities of the evening. ‘Young people planning a big night will often start with a heart-starting shooter, or else they might try one late at night’, he says.

Something a little different is the South American combination of Frangelico and freshly squeezed lime quarters, christened the ‘Frangelico Zesti’ which, according to Damian White is simply perfect for those long hot crazy hazy days of summer. Look out. Frangelico, which incidentally is Brazil’s best-selling liqueur, also plays a role in the Daffy Fluck, a new variation on the Fluffy Duck invented by Brett Seychell at the Essendon Grand Hotel in Victoria.

Tequila’s salty tang lends itself as a substitute for white rum in a modern variant on the daiquiri theme, plus the entire new modern approach to the margarita concept, which is easily adapted to a range of fresh fruits and fruit liqueurs. Tequila’s somewhat wild image and occasionally well-publicised after-effects are something the beverage will have to overcome, but for the time being, the margarita is one of the most popular drinks you can order.

Recipes:

Their effect might be much the same, but there are two types of cocktail best suited to summer: aperitif cocktails and long drinks. Usually offered in a standard cocktail or martini glass, the aperitif is refreshing, flavoursome and comparatively dry. The acidity of fruit juices frequently counters the sweetness of the liqueurs used in the mix.

Long drinks are presented in tall glassware, frequently dashed over the rocks, often creatively garnished and served with straws. Long, cleansing and refreshing, they’re just the ticket after a hard day’s work reading by the resort pool.

This summer’s best aperitif and long drink cocktails most certainly include:

Cuba Libre

Build into an iced tumbler 60 ml Bacardi, 20 ml Coca-Cola and a big squeeze of lime

Daffy Fluck

Shake and pour 30 ml Frangelico, 30 ml advocaat, 15 ml Suntory Strawberry and 30 ml cream into a long glass and top with lemonade.

Frangelico Zesti

Add two quarters of fresh lime to a shaker of crushed ice, then squeeze the other two lime quarters into the shaker, before adding those quarters. Add 60 ml Frangelico, shake and pour unstrained into a large glass.

Fruit Margarita

Blend together 30 ml tequila, 30 ml of an appropriate fruit liqueur, 45 ml lemon juice, 15 ml lime or sugar syrup and 2-3 pieces of fruit and pour into a large martini glass.

Hartz of Fire

Build 30 ml TQ Hot, 15 ml citrus vodka, 5 ml Midori, 15 ml lime juice, 1 dash Tabasco in highball glass and top with Hartz Lemon Lime Mineral Water.

Hot Passion

Build 30 ml TQ Hot, 150 ml Fruitopia Strawberry Passion Awareness and sink 10 ml Grenadine.

Island Oasis

Blend 30 ml Lena Banana Liqueur, 15 ml Malibu, 60 ml pineapple juice, 10 ml egg white and 2 peach slices, serve into large martini glass and sink 10 ml Midori. Created by David Perry of Crown Casino, Melbourne.

Japanese Slipper

Shake and strain 30 ml Midori, 30 ml Cointreau and 30 ml lemon juice with a small amount of egg white into a martini glass. Garnish with a cherry.

Midori Illusion

30 ml Midori, 15 ml Cointreau, 15 ml vodka, 45 ml lemon juice, 15 ml lime cordial. Shake with ice and strain. By substituting Blue Curacao for some of the Cointreau, the drink assumes a darker colour, suggestive of a higher alcoholic strength. Leigh Collins at the Essendon Grand calls it a ‘Morning Fresh’ look.

Midori Splice

Shake 30 ml Midori, 15 ml Malibu, 15 ml Galliano and 60 ml pineapple juice, then float fresh cream on top.

Opal Nera Splice

Shake 30 ml Opal Nera, 15 ml Malibu, 15 ml Galliano and 60 ml pineapple juice, then float fresh cream on top Please login to post comment