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It\u2019s so important to stay hydrated in the summer. If the only way to achieve this is to drink too much and then spend the next day guzzling water to try to wash your headache away, then so be it! Therefore, in the name of health, and because Eve Tushnet\u2019s post about ice cream sodas <\/a>reminded me about drinking, here are a few of our favorite summer drinks:<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n 1. THE ANGRY PIRATE<\/strong><\/p>\n Sometimes known, by people who actually know the names of drinks, as DARK AND STORMY. (Also occasionally called STORMY NIGHT, which is actually a different drink, which please don\u2019t drink. It sounds revolting<\/a>.) Call it what you like, and keep on protesting that you\u2019re truly, truly not trying to be cute, it\u2019s just that your mind is going, and what\u2019s so funny about that? Either way, it\u2019s easy to make and very refreshing.<\/p>\n The recipe: We use Gosling\u2019s Black Seal rum, but I imagine it would be fine with other brands of dark rum. And yes, we make it with ginger ale if we can\u2019t find ginger beer, and we somehow manage to muscle our ways to the bottom of the glass.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n 2. MOJITO<\/strong><\/p>\n Now that the craze is over and people have stopped going all \u201cOooh, mojito, mojito!\u201d all the time, you can safely drink this lovely concoction just because it\u2019s great, and not because you need to use those mason jars with pictures of mustaches on them that you bought on clearance at the G.D. Hipster Warehouse.<\/p>\n This one is a teensy bit more complicated, so it\u2019s best to make a whole pitcher of it ahead of time.\u00a0I have a round-bottomed, thick glass pitcher with a cobalt blue rim that makes me feel SO FANCY, and it\u2019s perfect for a big batch of mojitos. Last time we used it, I didn\u2019t even notice that the soles of my Tevas were puffing up like Mickey Mouse shoes because my feet were too close to the campfire. That\u2019s how good mojitos are!<\/em> And there\u2019s so much green crap floating around in there, is practically a salad.<\/p>\n The recipe (this will make two drinks \u2013 expand as needed) UPDATE: Matt Yonke makes this suggestion, and he\u2019s totally right: ***<\/p>\n 3. GIN AND TONIC<\/strong><\/p>\n This is not really a summer drink, it\u2019s just a drink for the ages. Winter, spring, summer, or fall, all you have to do is get most of it in the glass and you\u2019re set. So accommodating.<\/p>\n The recipe: My research:\u00a0Terroir<\/a> is the finest gin experience my mouth has ever known.\u00a0Tanqueray is great if we have the cash. Bombay costs about the same as Tanqueray and is fine, maybe a teensy bit less smooth. \u00a0New Amsterdam is drinkable, and even comes in a surprisingly glass bottle. Seagrams, you might as well start throwing up now before you even get to the cash register.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n 4. WHISKEY SOUR<\/strong><\/p>\n You don\u2019t hear much about whiskey sours anymore. There\u2019s no reason for this, especially if you have someone in the house who doesn\u2019t really like whiskey, but on the other hand, the kids are in bed. You can get complicated with egg whites and sugared glass rims, but really you just need to make a bit of strong lemonade and throw some whiskey in there. \u00a0A maraschino cherry will just slow you down.<\/p>\n Now hear this: Wild Turkey tastes fine. It really does!<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n 5. THE SECOND CHILDHOOD<\/strong><\/p>\n The recipe: What, you\u2019re too sophisticated? Shut up, I\u2019ll make you another.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n FOR THE KIDDIES:<\/p>\n 6. EGG CREAM<\/strong><\/p>\n An essential part of my rich Brooklyn heritage. Possibly an acquired taste because it\u2019s not terribly sweet, but it\u2019s deeply refreshing.<\/p>\n The recicpe: ***
\nPut ice in glass. Pour in two oz. dark rum, 3 oz. ginger beer, and the juice of maybe half a lime, and stir.<\/p>\n
\nIn a shaker, lightly muddle about 15 mint leaves. Add about an ounce-and-a-half of simple syrup, the same amount of lime juice, and\u00a0three ounces of white rum and three ounces of club soda. Dump in some ice and shake. Pour unstrained into glasses. Garnish with a lime wedge and another mint sprig if you like.<\/p>\n
\n\u00a0\u201cI highly recommend mixing all the ingredients BUT the soda first, then top each drink with soda and stir lightly. You\u2019re bashing up all the carbonation if you shake it with the others.<\/span>
That\u2019s super essential if you\u2019re making a pitcher since you don\u2019t want to be drinking hours old, flat club soda at the end of the pitcher. Fresh soda in every drink makes all the difference.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\nCome on, you can figure this out.<\/p>\n
\nFill up a blender with ice cubes, chop \u2019em up somewhat, then fill it up again with whatever kind of ice cream you like, plus a few generous glugs of Kahlua, and blend again until the ice is in little nubbins. Find a big cup and a big straw.<\/p>\n
\nIn a tall glass, pour an inch or so of milk or cream. Squirt in a ton of chocolate syrup and mix, until it\u2019s so sweet you\u2019d never drink it on its own. Fill up the rest of the glass with plain seltzer (pour slowly, over a spoon if necessary, because it works up a huge head). Gulp gulp gulp. Resume complaining, \u201cOy, was I toisty!\u201d\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n
\nI\u2019ll let the master have the final word:<\/p>\n