Is it summer yet? This cocktail from Byblos is just what the doctor ordered for the city’s worst humidity, but there’s nothing wrong with getting a head start. With cold-pressed cucumber and plenty of fresh mint, this lime-infused cocktail is topped off with heaps of crushed ice, Mojito-style. It tastes so clean and fresh, it might even count as clean eating. We’ll drink to that.
Gin Sour No. 5
The Calvin Bar
The world is divided into two kinds of people: those who love a frothy egg white in their cocktails, and those who do not. Just a tip: if you fall into the latter camp, you can skip to the next one. The Gin Sour No. 5 is an incredibly decadent drink with slightly sweet, sour and herbal notes (from the dry vermouth and sage bitters). The flavours are nicely balanced, but it’s the texture from the egg white that really pushes this one over the edge.
Like the Scots Do it Better, this offering from Beaumont Kitchen styles itself as a gin-lovers’ take on the Old Fashioned. It’s served in an ultra-classy crystal rocks glass with an orange twist, Don Draper-style. Make no mistake, though: this drink will take you back into Betty’s world, when department store shopping was an all-day event with plenty of relaxation built in. With distinctly floral notes of elderflower and lavender, plus a hint of cucumber, the Dillon’s 22 Old Fashioned is like aromatherapy in a glass. Well played, Saks…
Try this on for size: gin, grapefruit bitters, hints of Luxardo Maraschino and Cointreau... If it sounds a little like a gin-based Old Fashioned, you’re on the right track. This is a proper grown up drink, the kind your boss would probably order to celebrate closing a big deal. The spicy Botanist Gin, a Scottish spirit from the famed whisky-producing region of Islay, really shines in this drink; as the ice melts, notes of green tea and basil come through, accentuating the gin’s signature botanicals.
Who doesn’t love a cocktail that qualifies for happy hour? At Luma, 4pm-8pm is called Magic Hour, and it’s the best time to try a Bottomless Havana. With tart pineapple juice, flowery chamomile syrup and a dash of spicy cinnamon, it’s complex—but still dangerously easy to drink. Now if only it could be truly bottomless…
Who would’ve guessed: if you want cucumber done right, go to a steakhouse. Made with Hendrick’s gin (naturally), this sour gets a little elderflower sweetness from St. Germain and a dash of complexity from the lavender bitters. It’s all shaken up with lime and a frothy egg white for that distinctive sour texture, and garnished with one heckuva cucumber slice.
