Photography by Melissa Oholendt | Mixed by Ian Lowther | Styled by Emma Cutler and Hayley Saunders
The Classic Martini
Makes 1 drink
65 milliliters Beefeater Gin
25 milliliters Dolin dry vermouth
6 milliliters Bittercube orange bitters
ice
lemon coin
Combine gin, vermouth and bitters over ice in a mixing pitcher, stirring to dilute. Strain into a martini glass and serve with a lemon coin.
PEDER SCHWEIGERT, General Manager at Marvel Bar
Minneapolis
“I am always impressed with a simple drink that is greater than the sum of its parts. The martini is clean and bracing — a refined elegance that is appropriate for any occasion. A martini before dinner makes any meal more complete, almost as crucial as good conversation.”
Godspeed Us to Sea
Makes 1 drink
6 cups sugar
1 ripe pineapple
4 ½ ounces Hamilton 151 overproof rum
1 ½ ounces Plantation Grande Reserve aged rum
1/8 ounce St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
1 ¼ ounces lemon juice
ice
mint sprig
pineapple slice
To make pineapple syrup, add sugar to 6 cups hot water and stir until dissolved. Core, peel and cube pineapple. Add to simple syrup and let sit 24 hours. Strain pineapple out of syrup. Add 4 ounces overproof rum, which helps syrup last longer. Store in a glass container refrigerated up to 2 weeks.
Combine remaining 1/2 ounce overproof rum, aged rum, allspice dram, lemon juice and 3⁄4 ounce pineapple syrup in a shaker with ice and shake 15 to 20 seconds. Pour into a 16-ounce glass (tiki mug preferred!) and garnish with a mint sprig and a pineapple slice.
TOM DUFEK, Director of Beverage and Operations at Merchant
Madison, Wisconsin
“I love just about anything with rum and pineapple, so this drink already has a leg up on others. Pineapple and allspice is a classic combination that transports me elsewhere and keeps my toes figuratively in the sand. As the snow starts to melt and we start to thaw out, these sorts of drinks help get me out of the winter funk.”
Dirty Lorraine
Makes 1 drink
1 cup sugar
2 large sprigs tarragon
2 ounces Proof Minions gin
4 ounces fresh grapefruit juice
½ ounce fresh lime juice
ice
coarse sea salt
grapefruit wedge
To make tarragon syrup, combine sugar with 1 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Add tarragon and steep 20 minutes. Strain into a glass container and refrigerate up to 2 weeks.
Combine gin, grapefruit juice, lime juice and 1 ounce tarragon syrup in a shaker with ice. Shake to blend and chill. Strain into a glass with fresh ice using a Hawthorne strainer in combination with a fine strainer to catch any grapefruit pulp. Garnish with a half salted rim and a grapefruit wedge.
ANDREA ANDERSON, Principal Bartender at Proof Artisan Distillers
Fargo, North Dakota
“I like my cocktails easy enough for everyone to make with flavors that anyone can enjoy. This drink nails it. It’s the perfect alliance of simple and complex. It’s sweet and tangy, earthy and bright — summer in a glass!”
The Best of Both Worlds
Makes 1 drink
55 cups Tanqueray No. Ten gin
½ cup Cascade hops
½ cup Centennial hops
ice
10 mint sprigs
4 cups sugar
¾ ounce lemon juice
1 egg white
soda water
lemon zest
To make hopped infused Tanqueray No. Ten, combine gin and hops in a pitcher. Let sit 24 to 48 hours. Strain through cheesecloth into a glass container and store refrigerated up to 2 weeks.
To make mint syrup, bring 4 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Have an ice bath ready. Submerge mint in boiling water 20 seconds then plunge into ice bath and let sit 1 minute. Meanwhile, add sugar to pan, stirring until dissolved. Remove from heat. Combine simple syrup and mint leaves in a blender and blend on high 1 minute. Strain through cheesecloth into a glass container and store refrigerated up to 2 weeks.
In a shaker with no ice, combine 2 ounces hopped infused gin, 3⁄4 ounce mint syrup, lemon juice and egg white. Dry shake and strain into a collins glass with ice. Top with soda water and garnish with lemon zest.
CHRISTOPHER MARTIN, Bar Manager at Mondo’s ReUnion Brewery
Coralville, Iowa
“Since I started working here, I’ve learned a whole lot about the brewing process and what we put in our beers. So why not put that same stuff in our cocktails? With the infused hops, you get a lot of citrus and earthy aromas that complement the freshness of the gin and pair well with lemon and mint. There’s almost nothing better than sipping on a fruity citrus beer in the springtime — except for a clean, refreshing cocktail.”
