Today we’re doing something fun: joining an internet cocktail party with a bunch of other bloggers. You can see all of our creations by searching the hashtag #drinkthesummer, and find links to all the party recipes (boozy and non-boozy) if you scroll to the bottom of the post. — Kasey
“The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.” -not Mark Twain
High rents, hipsters, techies, gentrification, traffic, muni, and “summer” weather. These are common topics for complaint in San Francisco. One thing we can’t complain about is our access to great drinks to help us look past our issues. With Fogust almost over, warm September days are just around the corner. The occasional appearance of sunlight recently got me thinking about summer cocktails for San Franciscans and everyone else.
There’s nothing like a light and refreshing gin cocktail on a warm summer day. For those of you who live outside of San Francisco, I’ve created a floral spin on the classic sour recipe (spirit, citrus juice, sweetener) which is highlighted by St. Germain’s Elderflower liqueur. The Elderflower Cooler almost goes down a little too easily, so drinkers beware.
For those of us living under Karl the Fog, I figured that we needed something a little stronger to warm us up. To do so I reached for one of my favorite, locally produced spirits from Alameda — St. George Spirits’ Absinthe Verte — to create the Absinthe Cooler. This isn’t like the neon green stuff you drank in college or in Amsterdam when you were 22. It’s made from wormwood, fennel, star anise, mint, tarragon, basil, lemon balm, hyssop, meadowsweet, and stinging nettles. It plays surprisingly well with the elderflower and cucumber! You’ll forget all about the cold San Francisco summer in no time.
GLASS
RECIPE
Elderflower Cooler
1.5 gin (I recommend Plymouth English Gin)
.5 St. Germain Elderflower liqueur
.5 dry vermouth (I recommend Dolin)
.5 lemon juice
1 barspoon honey syrup (1 part honey : 1 part boiling water — let cool)
Optional absinthe rinse (I recommend St. George)
Cucumber garnish
Add all liquids to your favorite cocktail shaker. Fill with ice and shake until chilled, approximately 15 seconds. If you’re a fan of absinthe, rinse the glass like this. Using a vegetable peeler, peel a long slice of the cucumber lengthwise like this. Place the garnish around the outside of the glass. Fill the glass with ice and double strain through a fine mesh strainer into the glass.
GLASS
RECIPE
Absinthe Cooler
1.5 oz absinthe (I strongly recommend St. George)
.75 oz St. Germain Elderflower liqueur
.25 oz honey syrup (1 part honey : 1 part boiling water — let cool)
.5 oz lemon juice
4 muddled slices of cucumber
Cucumber garnish
Muddle the cucumber slices inside of a cocktail shaker with a muddler. Add the rest of the liquid ingredients to the shaker and fill with ice. Shake for about 15-20 seconds to dilute and combine all ingredients. Fill the glass with crushed ice. Double strain through a fine mesh strainer into the glass to keep out the pulp of the cucumber and lemon juice. Using a vegetable peeler, peel a long slice of the cucumber lengthwise like this. Thread the cucumber through a cocktail pick to form waves. Rest the garnish on the edge of the glass and serve.
Photography and styling by Hannah Levy.
Check out all the other #drinkthesummer posts around the internet today!
BOOZY
With Food + Love | Basil Fig Vodka Smash
A Little Saffron | Beach Bum’s Rum
A Thought For Food | Tarragon Tequlia Swizzle
Downshiftology | Limoncello Prosecco with Blueberries and Thyme
Heart of a Baker | Green Tea Mint Cooler
Hungry Girl por Vida | Whisky Peach Alexander
The Green Life | Spiced Plum, Fig & Kombucha Cocktail
Hummingbird High | Watermelon and Mint Agua Fresca
Floating Kitchen | Peach Sun Tea and Bourbon Cocktail
Beard and Bonnet | Melon Mojito
EGD | Backyard Peach Sweet Tea
Appeasing a Food Geek | Basil and Black Pepper Gin Sour
Vegetarian Ventures | Garden Tonic Punch
Nosh and Nourish | Mango Margaritas with Chile Lime Salted Rims
Domesticate ME! | Watermelon-Basil Mezcal Margarita
The Foodie Nurse | Husk Cherry Margarita
my name is yeh | Choose Your Own Adventure Bloody Marys
Sevengrams | Cucumber, Gin and Chartreuse Cocktail
Wicked Spatula | Coconut Gin and Tonic
Eat Boutique | Sbagliatos and Homemade Sweet Vermouth
Nutritionist in the Kitch | Healthy Muddled Blackberry Pina Coladas
Chocolate + Marrow | Pequito Verdecito
The Solstice Table | Jalapeno Watermelon Cooler
HonestlyYUM | Watermelon, Fresh Herbs, & Sotol Cocktail
Seasonal Cravings | Strawberry Lime Gin Rickey
Salted Plains | Frozen Honeydew Daiquiris
The Broken Bread | Honeydew-Ginger Apricot Mojitos
Fix Feast Flair | Ginger-Berry Splash Cocktail
Foolproof Living | Blueberry, Dark Cherry and Calvados Cocktail
Dessert for Two | Salty Melon Slush
NOT BOOZY
Heartbeet Kitchen | Salty Watermelon Shrub Elixir
TENDING the TABLE | Raspberry and Fig Hibiscus Cooler
Snixy Kitchen | Lavender Earl Gray Blackberry Ice Cream Floats
The Bojon Gourmet | Vanilla Rooibos Peach Ice Cream Floats
Gratitude and Greens | Hong Kong Style Crushed Watermelon Ice
My Heart Beets | Spiced Pistachio Shake
rooting the sun | Strawberry Fennel Soda
The Modern Proper | Vanilla Bean Plum Shrub
Feed Me Phoebe | Watermelon-Cucumber Kombucha Coolers
Gourmande in the Kitchen | Stone Fruit Thyme Shrub Soda
dolly and oatmeal | Cold-Brewed Shiso & Hibiscus Tea Iced Latte
happy hearted kitchen | Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho with Fennel, Orange + Cardamom
I am a Food Blog | Cherry Vanilla Sodas
Tasty Yummies | Fig Vanilla Bean Almond Milk
Let’s talk evergreen | Iced Earl Grey Yuanyang With a Hint of Rose
Kale & Caramel | Emerald Beaut Green Spritzer
Earthy Feast | Watermelon Hibiscus Agua Fresca
Now, Forager | Sparkling Plumcot and Purple Basil Shrubs
The Pig & Quill | Brown Sugar Blueberry Pie Shakes
Well and Full | Peach Bubble Tea
Sweetish Co | The Best Frozen Hot Chocolate
holly & flora | Spiced Pineapple Shrub Sparklers with Black Tea + Coconut
