The 10 Commandments for Drinking Exceptionally Well This Summer
photograph by bruce peterson / food styling by molly shuster/team
There’s a lot to love about South End newcomer Merrill & Co.—the crunchy tea-brined fried chicken, the stellar shrimp and grits, and one of the finest octopus dishes in town. But the real reason we keep coming back? The restaurant’s icy, spicy Pimm’s Cup slushie. The staff churns the drink in a carefully calibrated frozen-drink machine (nicknamed “Gloria”), but here, bartender Bryn Tattan shares an adapted version of the recipe that can be executed with a standard blender. (You’re welcome.)
Pimm’s Cup Slushie, Blender-Style
Courtesy of Bryn Tattan, Merrill & Co.
Serves Four
1¾ c. Pimm’s No. 1 liqueur
½ c. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
½ c. ginger-mint simple syrup (see below)
½ c. ginger beer or ginger ale
Bunches of fresh mint (for garnish)
Cucumber slices (for garnish)
Ice
Combine Pimm’s, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a blender. Blend on the “ice” setting, and slowly add ice until you reach a slushlike consistency. Divide between four tall, Collins-style glasses, and top off each with ginger beer or ginger ale. Garnish with sprigs of mint and cucumber slices.
Ginger-mint simple syrup
1 c. Demerara sugar1 c. water
1½ c. fresh ginger, chopped
Handful of mint leaves
Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan, and bring to a light boil until sugar fully dissolves. Remove from heat, and drop in a few mint leaves to steep. Once cooled, combine ginger and syrup and purée in a blender or food processor until smooth. Strain the liquid through a chinois, coffee filter, or cheesecloth, and reserve liquid (your syrup!). Refrigerate until ready to use.
Don’t have a blender handy? Shake the Pimm’s, lemon juice, and simple syrup with ice, strain over glasses filled with crushed ice, and garnish accordingly.
Let these two maxims dictate your warm-weather imbibing: 1. Day-drinking is perfectly acceptable (on the weekends, at least) and 2. Pink is a drink, not a color. We tasked Urban Grape’s Hadley Douglas, who carries upward of 140 styles every summer at her South End shop, with devising an all-day-rosé menu plan (using varieties that she stocks at her store).
The popular Italian bitter-orange liqueur Campari and its fruitier, lighter counterpart Aperol are both home-bar essentials, but they’re actually only two of many styles of the apéritif. The next time you find yourself craving a bittersweet libation, try one of these expert-recommended versions instead.
PHOTOGRAPH BY BRUCE PETERSON / STYLING BY MOLLY SHUSTER/TEAM
We’re not alone in craving a classic rum daiquiri as soon as the temperatures rise—the hashtag #DTO (short for Daiquiri Time Out) has been trending within the local bar scene for some time. “It’s probably one of the most underrated cocktails in the world,” says Andrew Deitz, a consultant at the liquor distributor M. S. Walker and the guy who helped coin the phrase a few summers back on Martha’s Vineyard. While the classic ratio for the drink marries two parts rum with one part lime juice and one part simple syrup, Deitz is a bit more particular when it comes to making his own. His suggested variations, at right.
When using white rum Deitz recommends Bacardi Heritage, Ron Matusalem Platino, and Privateer Silver Reserve
1¾ oz. rum
¾ oz. lime juice
½ oz. simple syrup
When using golden or aged rum Deitz recommends Plantation Grande Reserve 5-Year and Berkshire Mountain Distillers Ragged Mountain Rum
2 oz. rum
¾ oz. lime juice
¾ oz. simple syrup
For both daiquiris, shake ingredients with ice and strain into a classic coupe glass (pictured) or a rocks glass.
Order the nightly $5 shot-and-a-beer special at Fenway’s Citizen Public House, and chances are that the shot portion will be a bit, well, jiggly. Over the past five years, bar and beverage manager Joy Richard has been rendering classic cocktails like Aviations, Jack Roses, and whiskey sours in shootable jellied form. Here are some of her favorites to inspire you, and below, her tips for how to do it right.
Joy Richard’s “jell-o”-Shot Methodology
Note: This quantity can be scaled up or down; just be sure to keep components within this ratio.
2 tbsp. powdered gelatin (Richard uses Knox brand)
½ c. cold water
¾ c. boiling water
3 c. pre-batched cocktail (such as a Dark and Stormy, Aviation, or, really, anything at all!)
In a large bowl or Pyrex pitcher, mix the powdered gelatin with the cold water until blended. Slowly whisk in hot water until fully dissolved. Add the pre-batched cocktail blend, and equally distribute among 2-ounce plastic shot glasses. Refrigerate until set.
Richard’s Tips
Viscosity matters
The above proportions are for cocktails of an average viscosity (for example, the classic rum daiquiri pictured at left). For thicker drinks, like piña coladas, Richard suggests reducing the powdered gelatin by a third.
Make it sweet
“You don’t want to make a cloyingly sweet shot, but you want to amp up the sweetness a tad,” Richard says. “It helps to mask the gelatin flavor, and people really expect a Jell-O shot to be sweet.”
