Summer Cocktails
WITH RECORD-BREAKING HEAT BEARING DOWN ON YOU THIS SUMMER AND THE PANDEMIC KEEPING YOU FROM TAKING THAT SUMMER VACATION, YOU’LL BE SPENDING MORE WEEKENDS AT HOME BY THE POOL. NO SWEAT, WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED WITH A SET OF FRESH AND EASY TO MAKE COCKTAILS THAT PAIR PERFECTLY WITH CIGARS AND SUNNY DAYS.
Zafra Warm & Sunny
The Warm & Sunny is all about combining high quality products in a way that is refreshing but still manages to highlight the smooth, complex characteristic of the Zafra 21 Years. The cocktail was developed by Zafra’s owner Gardner Blandon and was inspired by the tropical vibes of the Caribbean. It is incredibly easy to make and is flexible enough to go well with a wide range of cigars.
The orange peel rim and garnish give the cocktail a wonderful citrus fragrance up front that balances well with the Zafra’s toffee, oak, and spice notes. The ginger ale makes for a perfect effervescent base that adds to the refreshing characteristic of the drink while the maraschino liqueur gives it the finishing touch of earthy, bitter cherry.
Zafra Master Reserve 21 Years
Panama
40% ABV. / 750 ML
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 oz. Zafra Rum 21 Years
- 1 tsp Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
- 5 oz. Fever Tree Premium Ginger Ale
- Orange Peel
Tools
- Rocks glass
- Jigger
- Bar Spoon
Steps
- Place a large ice cube into a rocks glass.
- Measure and pour the Zafra rum and maraschino liqueur over the ice cube.
- Pour the ginger ale in a circular motion. The carbonation in the ginger ale helps bring the rum and liqueur to the top.
- Gently stir with a bar spoon.
- Zest the orange peel into the cocktail.
- Rim the glass with the peel and use as garnish.
Cigar Pairing: Oliva Serie V Melanio
This won’t be the first or last time that we find ourselves smoking an Oliva Serie V Melanio with Zafra 21. They are perfectly matched in body and intensity. Once mixed into the Warm & Sunny, the rum is joined by vibrant citrus and ginger notes that help bring out a rich creaminess in the smoke.
Harry Blu’s Italiano
Although gin’s popularity exploded in England, its origins are Dutch. It even gets its name from the Dutch word for juniper, which is genever. The Dutch loved their gin back in the day. There were hundreds of distilleries in Amsterdam in the 1600s but it was the Brits who fell the hardest for gin before the US took the gin baton and powered the Roaring 20s. Gin’s popularity is alive and well in today’s era of craft cocktails and mixologists.
Harry Blu’s Gin, a new gin distilled in Miami, is the result of founder Harry Blustein’s meticulous tinkering combined with his worldly experiences and tastes. The product honors the gins of the past then takes a hard turn towards the New World. The natural, organic, and kosher ingredients that go into this distillate result in a flavorful and highly aromatic gin that is flexible for mixing, but can easily be enjoyed neat or on the rocks.
Harry Blu’s Gin
Miami
41% ABV. / 750 ML
Ingredients
- 2 oz. Harry Blu’s Gin
- 1/2 oz. St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
- 1/4 oz. basil syrup
- 1 1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice
- 1 fresh basil leaf
- 1 lemon peel
Tools
- Snifter
- Jigger
- Shaker
- Strainer
Steps
- Fill the shaker with ice.
- Measure and pour the Harry Blu’s gin, elderflower liqueur, basil simple syrup, and lemon juice into the shaker.
Optional Step: Make homemade basil simple syrup by mixing equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Once the sugar is completely dissolved, take off of the heat and drop a couple of leaves of fresh basil and let steep. Once the syrup is cooler, remove basil leaves and store. If sealed and refrigerated, homemade simple syrup will keep for about a month.
- Shake vigorously to a froth.
- Place a large ice cube in the glass.
- Pour the contents of the shaker through a strainer and into the glass.
- Activate a basil leaf (to activate simple place the leaf in the palm of your hand and slap it) and float in the cocktail.
- Rim the glass with the lemon peel and use as a garnish.
Cigar Pairing: Undercrown Shade Suprema
The Harry Blu’s Italiano delivers a complex blend of juniper, elderberry, and rose petals complemented by citrus and basil on the nose. The pairing of this flavorful and refreshing drink with the smooth pepper, sweet cedar, and subtle earth of the Undercrown Shade would make the Great Gatsby himself jealous.
Aberfeldy Herbed Honey Smash
Having been introduced in 1999 makes the Aberfeldy 12 a relatively recent arrival to the single malt market. But don’t be mistaken; the distillery is in no way new to this game. Aberfeldy Distillery was opened by John Dewar & Sons, Ltd in 1898 and the whisky produced in Aberfeldy is the principal malt whisky component in the Dewar’s line of blended whiskies. The White Label from Dewar’s is the top-selling blended whisky in the U.S.
To help protect the honeybee population and in turn the environment at large, the distillery created the Barrels and Bees program in 2018 to support local beekeepers and educate bartenders on the use of local honey in their cocktails. The U.S. extension of that initiative, the Gardening Giveback Project, works with beekeepers in eight U.S. cities to foster community garden-style bee sanctuaries, growing flowers, herbs and vegetables in dual purpose: to foster a healthy environment for bees and cultivating ingredients that can be used in cocktails.
Aberfeldy 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch
Highlands, Scotland
40% ABV. / 750 ML
Ingredients
- 2 oz. Aberfeldy 12 year old
- 1 1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice
- 1 oz. honey syrup
- 4 to 6 leaves of fresh mint
Tools
- Rocks glas
- Jigger
- Shaker
- Strainer
Steps
- Fill the shaker with ice.
- Measure and pour the Aberfeldy, lemon juice, and honey syrup into the shaker.
Optional step: Make homemade honey syrup by mixing 2 parts honey to 1 part warm water. Stir thoroughly until the honey is fully liquified. Seal and store for no more than 3 days.
- Shake vigorously to a froth.
- Fill rocks glass with ice.
- Pour the contents of the shaker through a strainer and into the glass.
- Garnish with mint leaves.
Cigar Pairing: Davidoff Nicaragua
Released in 2013, the Davidoff Nicaragua quickly became a favorite among cigar lovers, even garnering the coveted Cigar of the Year spot in the Jan/Feb 2014 issue of this publication. The balanced combination of scotch, lemon and honey in the cocktail make for a perfect accompaniment to the cigar’s smooth, earth, nuts, and pepper.
Zyr Metropolitan Martini
New Jersey -native David Katz, a self-described Russophile since childhood, took college courses in Russia to immerse himself in the language and came back with a new appreciation for Russian vodka and eventually an idea to bring his own Russian vodka to the U.S. market. He studied the vodka market in Russia, compared it to the U.S. vodka market, and found the sweet spot; beautifully packaged, ultra-premium vodka that is super smooth on the palate.
Zyr is produced using a proprietary 9-5-3 formula to ensure the cleanest, smoothest vodka. The water source is filtered 5 times before distillation and the mash is filtered 4 more times giving you 9. The fermented blend of Russian non-GMO winter wheat and rye is distilled 5 times for purity. The team at Zyr tastes the grain alcohol blend for flavor, the water for texture, and the final product for consistency compared to prior batches: 9 filtrations, 5 fermentations, and 3 tastings.
Zyr Vodka
Russia
40% ABV. 1 L
Ingredients
- 2 oz. Zyr Vodka
- 1 oz. Chambord Raspberry Liqueur
- 1 oz. fresh lemon juice
- Orange peel
Tools
- Martini glass
- Jigger
- Shaker
- Strainer
Steps
- Chill the martini glass.
- Fill the shaker with ice.
- Measure and pour the Zyr, Chambord, and lemon juice into the shaker.
- Shake vigorously.
- Pour the contents of the shaker through a strainer and into the glass.
- Garnish with an orange twist.
Cocktail recipe by David Ortiz
Cigar Pairing: Romeo Y Julieta Connecticut Nicaragua
The recently released Romeo y Julieta Connecticut Nicaragua meets the cocktail’s raspberry and lemon tartness with a smooth, clean profile of subtle earth, vanilla cream, soft pepper, and toasted almond. This pairing is an ideal way to start your summer evening.
