By Emily Schultz
Emily Schultz is a social media manager for brands in the food space, who eats and drinks her way through Portland, ME (where she’s living right now!) and beyond. Her all time favorite season is summer, so we asked her how she’s getting the party started. Looking for the perfect beverage recipes and playlist recommendations for hot days relaxing on the patio? Read on...
I love how long the days are in the summer, when the morning moves to the afternoon, golden hour into nighttime. Whether you’re in a backyard with friends, the beach with family, or a picnic with acquaintances, music and easy cocktails will make the party last. So I put together three cocktail recipes that I love and will definitely be making for all of my summer hangs this year.
Negroni Spritziato
Pair it with Italian tunes like Adriano Celentano
Have you ever had a negroni sbagliato? It replaces the gin for prosecco in a classic negroni and it’s fab. But I am a gin lover, which means I always have gin on my bar and seltzer in my fridge. That’s why I took inspo from this drink, but changed it up a little and swapped soda water for the vermouth. It’s refreshing and perfect for when 4 pm suddenly turns into 7:30 pm.
• Stemmed wine glass filled with ice
• 2 oz gin
• 2 oz Campari
• Soda Water
• Lemon peel
Add gin and campari to your wine glass filled with ice. Top the glass with soda water and give it a stir. Peel a 1" piece of lemon peel (with a vegetable peeler!) and expel the oils into the drink. Garnish with the lemon peel by dropping it into your drink and enjoy!
Will’s Iced Coffee
Best served with a pair of sunnies and the most recent Top 40 playlist
My boyfriend Will doesn’t drink caffeine, but his favorite afternoon drink looks like your locally roasted, cold brewed coffee (check out Rwanda Bean, Tandem Coffee Roasters, or Burundi Coffee Star when you’re in Portland!)
• Big cup (like a mason jar or old container) filled all the way with ice
• 2-4 oz of Cynar (it depends on how big your glass is and what your vibe is)
• Soda water
• Castlevetrano olives
Add your Cynar to the glass, and fill the rest of the way with soda water. Give it a stir to incorporate and add as many olives as your heart desires.
Paloma-Ish Mezcal and Soda
Pair this with a little Earth, Wind, and Fire for a refreshing drink and boogie.
A paloma is a refreshing and delicious drink that consists of grapefruit and tequila as its main flavor profiles. I am a true sucker for grapefruit in my drinks, but don’t always have access to fresh grapefruit juice. You know what the deli around the corner from my apartment always does have? Grapefruit soda.
• Water glass full of ice
• 2 oz mezcal
• Grapefruit seltzer
• Grapefruit wedge
• Salt, sugar, and chile powder (for the rim)
Slide your grapefruit around part of the rim of your glass, and dip the now-wet spot into the salt mixture. (Save your grapefruit!) Fill your water glass with ice (it’s really hard to create the rim if the cup has the ice in it, so don’t start with the ice!) and add your mezcal. Top the drink with grapefruit soda, and add your grapefruit wedge right into the drink.