Editor’s note: These cocktail recipes were collected as part of various features over a number of years. Drinks may not still be available at the bars and restaurants listed below, but the recipes are as refreshing as ever.
Summer Spirit
Stay cool with this zesty twist on the traditional gimlet
Here’s a cool fact: The inside of a cucumber can be up to 20 degrees colder than the outside air temperature (hence the phrase “cool as a cucumber”). And in the midst of one of our notoriously scorching summers, who couldn’t use a little refresher? Next time you’re entertaining on the porch or backyard, surprise your guests with this heat-quenching concoction.
Cucumber Gimlet
Courtesy of Ocean Prime
1.5 oz. Bombay Sapphire gin
1 oz. fresh lime juice
1 oz. simple syrup
4-5 cucumber slices
Fill a highball glass with ice. Add cucumber slices, fresh lime juice and simple syrup to a shaker. Muddle with 3 ice cubes until cucumber is dissolved. Add gin and enough ice to fill shaker halfway. Shake gently, then strain into iced glass.
Ocean Prime
(813) 490-5288
2205 N. Westshore Blvd.
ocean-prime.com
Signature Libation
1/2 ounce Cruzan coconut rum
1/2 ounce Cruzan mango rum
1/2 ounce Cruzan pineapple rum
2 ounces orange juice
2 ounces pineapple juice
2 ounces cranberry juice
A splash of grenadine
Fill a mug or glass with ice and combine rums and juices. Stir well. Top with a splash of grenadine and garnish with a lime wheel and an orange slice.
Recipe courtesy of:
Rumba Island Bar & Grill
1800 Gulf to Bay Blvd.
Clearwater, FL 33765
(727) 446-7027
baystarrestaurantgroup.com/rumbaisland
Libby’s Temptation
1½ ounces Goslings Dark Rum
½ ounce Goslings ginger beer
The juice of a freshly squeezed lime, to taste
Pour rum over ice, add ginger beer and lime to taste and stir.
Recipe courtesy of:
Libby’s Cafe & Bar
1917 S. Osprey Ave.
Sarasota, FL 34239
(941) 487-7300
libbyscafebar.com
El Santo
1½ ounces Tequila Ocho Plata
¾ ounces passion fruit juice
¾ ounces PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur
½ lemon, squeezed
¼ ounces simple syrup (or to taste)
Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Mix well. Serve in a martini glass, straight up. Sugar rim to taste.
Recipe courtesy of:
Red Mesa Cantina
128 3rd St. South
St. Petersburg, FL, 33701
(727) 896-6372
redmesacantina.com
“Joy” Margarita
Mixologist: Dallas Owens
Passionate, restaurateur, risk-taker and culinary adventurer
Agave nectar, fresh lime juice and Milagro Reposado tequila make up this natural, no-sour-mix concoction. Named after one of the restaurant’s managers, the “Joy” Margarita oozes summer and has only been on the menu for about three months.
Pair with: any sushi roll, fire-roasted shrimp
Round two: Moscow Mule or Manhattan
Grille 54
11935 Sheldon Road
(813) 920-0054
eatthegrille.com
The Girl Next Door
Mixologist: Ryan Brown
Alcohol aficionado and promising up-and-comer to the Tampa drink scene
Tall, sexy and approachable—that’s how bartender Ryan Brown describes The Girl Next Door, one of his recent drink concoctions. The light, refreshing cocktail is anchored by Chilean pisco and lime juice and served shaken and strained over crushed ice. Last, but not least, it’s topped with a splash of ruby port wine.
Pairs with: Grilled shrimp tacos, braised pork belly, Stinky Bunz
Round two: Bramble or an Old Fashioned
Anise Global Gastrobar
777 N. Ashley Dr.
aniseglobal.com
I-75
Mixologist: Kamran Miv
Manager, bar director, liquid curator and bitters evangelist
A classic cocktail with Florida spin, the I-75 is a champagne-and-gin-collaboration is made using gin from a St. Augustine distillery and flavored with an orange blossom syrup. Be on the lookout for two newcomers to the summer cocktail menu: Son of the War Eagle and Weekend in Matamoros.
Pairs with: Poached shrimp
Fodder & Shine
5910 N. Florida Ave.
(813) 225-4272
fodderandshine.com
