Three WOTR Summer Drinks
Editor’s note: For the latest offering from our recently launched Molotov Cocktail blog, we humbly submit recipes for three summer drinks, provided for your enjoyment by WOTR contributor John Thorne.
Molotov Cocktail is our drinks blog. It features reviews of spirits, beer, and wine; great cocktail recipes WOTR readers are sure to appreciate; and any other content we think fits. Check back often. And bottoms up!
A strong classic: The Corpse Reviver #2
Ingredients:
- 1 oz good gin (St. George Terroir recommended, or Botanist from the good people at Bruichladdich is also excellent)
- 1 oz Cocchi Americano (a good Italian white wine apéritif)
- 1 oz Combier (an orange liqueur)
- 1 oz fresh lemon juice
- Dash of absinthe (or alternatively, one can rinse the glass, but this can be wasteful)
Notes: Shaken, served up, garnished with an orange slice if you’ve got one handy. A sturdy glass recommended, such as a thick tumbler that is stored in the freezer for chilled drinks. Option to serve on the rocks if you’d like, but certainly not required. A great gin cocktail for people that think they don’t like gin. Even better for people that do like gin. Originally this might have been a “hair of the dog” hangover cure, but it is also an excellent way to begin a humid summer afternoon.
A big flavor: The Blood and Sand
Ingredients:
- 1-2 oz Scotch (Johnnie Walker Red, Black Bottle, or for the committed, Ardbeg 10)
- 1 oz Cocchi di Torino (a stellar vermouth, also excellent in a manhattan)
- 1 oz Cherry Heering
- 1 oz orange juice (freshly squeezed is recommended)
Notes: Shaken, served up, no garnish required. Again, a sturdy glass is recommended, like the one you are storing in the freezer for chilled drinks. Some might say it is sacrilegious to use scotch in a cocktail. Others might say it is an absolutely delicious way to enjoy scotch, especially when it is hot outside. Named after a 1920’s movie about a lustful bullfighter, it is an excellent way to continue one’s humid summer afternoon drinking.
Classic flavors: Bombs over Blagden
Ingredients:
- 1 oz John L. Sullivan Irish Whiskey
- 1 oz Dolin Blanc vermouth
- 3/4 oz Cocchi di Torino vermouth
- 1/4 oz simple syrup
- Bar spoon of St. Elizabeth’s Allspice Dram
- Dash orange bitters
- Splash of club soda
Notes: This is a modified version of a cocktail created by Bryan Tetorakis at DC’s Rogue 24 (located in Blagden Alley). Shaken, served up, with a splash of club soda, no garnish required. This is a great cocktail to enjoy the flavor from good vermouth. Necessitating a larger number of ingredients in fairly exact proportions, this is often best prepared earlier in one’s evening.
Bonus summer drink: Whisk(e)y with whisk(e)y
Ingredients:
- Whisk(e)y, with a little more whisk(e)y
- Splash of water (optional)
Notes: This drink is prepared by pouring some whisk(e)y into a glass and then adding just a little bit more whisk(e)y into the glass, because it is delicious. Sometime a slight splash of water in whisk(e)y opens up more flavor, especially in your higher proof varieties. Also a very good way to deal with humidity in the summer.
John Thorne is a senior consultant at Diligent Innovations, a defense and national security consulting firm in Washington, DC.
Photo credit: Matteo Paciotti
