By Lorin Gaudin

There is nothing quite like a refreshing cocktail on a sultry summer evening. In truth, there is seldom a time when a good cocktail doesn’t hit the spot.

While listening to a CD of some timeless jazz pieces sung by my son’s swim coach (really), the words “classic” and “contemporary” ran around my brain.

As one thought led to another and the sweat trickled down by back, it occurred to me that so much deep thought requires a tall, cool drink. But, what to have? A Classic: a dry martini or Contemporary: a Cosmopolitan? Clearly this was a situation that required some assistance. Mulling it over with a few good friends, we reminisced about some time-honored drinks that have withstood the heat and the test of time - kir, Pimm’s Cup, mint julep, the Mojito, the Sea Breeze and the Dark & Stormy. It was time to take some oldies out of the wet bar for a sip.

Kir is a classic aperitif, and a darned good quaff. The ingredients for this drink couldn’t be simpler - crème de cassis and white wine. This natural affinity was discovered long ago in Burgundy where for ten days in July, blackcurrants are painstakingly picked and also where some mighty fine white wine is produced. Originally called a blanc-cassis (many locals still call it that), the name kir was bestowed in honor of Chanoine Felix Kir, mayor of Dijon, a Resistance leader serving around the end of World War II. Here in the states, many bartenders only know this drink by the name “Chablis Cassis”. Do not make the mistake of making this drink with a sweet white wine. Crème de cassis is already sweet and needs no competition. The perfect kir is a glass of cool, dry white wine, a hearty dash of cassis and a lemon twist (lemon peel).

Call it a gin spritzer if you like, but a Pimm’s Cup is one of the best drinks to easily toss back. Undoubtedly, hardcore gin drinkers maybe skeptical of a gin-based drink that can be sipped all afternoon with nary a totter to one’s walk. However, this awfully English drink has taken root in the former British colony of India and surprisingly, in New Orleans, where one very well-know bar, the Napoleon House, named for a small, but effective French general, has made it an in-house staple.

Created in 1840 in England, Pimm’s still claims to be “made to James Pimm’s original recipe, a closely guarded secret known only to six people.” Could it be that caramel coloring was in use in 1840? Nonetheless, Pimm’s does survive in several versions, the most popular of which is the No. 1 Cup. Nos. 4 and 7 use bases other than gin. This gin and fruit based liqueur is 50 proof, about half as strong as other liqueurs. The New Orleans recipe for this drink is as follows:

In a tall ice-filled glass pour in a 2-3 oz. Shot of Pimm’s No. 1, fill the remainder of the glass with sour mix or slightly sweetened lemonade and top with a splash of 7-Up. The crucial garnish is a slice of cucumber that tempers the slight bitters-like taste of Pimm’s with a fruity/herbaceous and not too sweet flavor.

The Derby is over, but that doesn’t mean that the mint juleps must stop. Oh no. Darryl, a stellar New Orleans bartender, makes possibly the best Mint Julep in the world. He despises making these drinks because they are labor intensive, but when he does, watch out. Don’t think it’s such a big deal? Well, in the middle of dinner service at a posh and very busy restaurant, where you service the bar and the restaurant, mulch mint with simple syrup you’ve made yourself, top with ice, just the right amount of bourbon, a splash of water and garnish with fruit and fresh mint leaves hand-dipped in powdered sugar. Believe me, you forget about the heat pretty quickly when you drink mint juleps. If bourbon gives you the vapors, then think rum. A Mojito is pretty much the rum version of the Mint Julep. Add a squeeze of fresh lime into the works in lieu of the orange-cherry garnish, but definitely keep the sugared mint leaves.

This cocktail may require the drinker to wear color-block paneled chinos, a button down oxford shirt and/or the ability to shag (the dance folks), in order to give it its due. I remember the Sea Breeze being a decidedly preppy drink. Thwarting all those requirements (never having been very preppy), a fair number of these refreshing cocktails have nonetheless passed my lips. Nothing is a better heat buster than vodka and fruit juice. It’s not called a Sea Breeze for nothing. In a tall glass filled with ice add a 2-ounce shot of vodka, about 3 ounces of grapefruit juice and 3 to 4 ounces of cranberry juice. This is another cocktail that goes down a bit too easily and reminds me that I am long past my college partying days.

Bermuda has a national drink called the Dark & Stormy. I think it is named for the mood one is apt to be in after imbibing too many. The combination of the sweetness of dark rum and the zip of ginger evoke a vacation paradise. It is also thirst quenching and quite delicious. After sampling several recipes, the crowd favorite was 2 ounces of excellent quality dark rum and 4 ounces of ginger beer over crushed ice. Garnish with lime. You can find ginger beer in most specialty liquor stores and on line.

Most of these drinks may seem common, even blas”, when compared with cocktails teetering on the cutting edge. Every now and again we must bring out the oldies but goodies in the quest to keep current. Retro is in, even for cocktails, in fact its downright cool.

Filed Under: Food Talk