Klein’s Cocktails: 4 Ice-cold Remedies for the Weekend Heat

Unless you’re a seasoned mixologist advocating the New York Sour, drinking whiskey this hot temperatures just isn’t going to cut it. There’s a time and a place for everything, and right now we’re in serious need of some chilled liquid courage. Whether you’re a melting bucket of Hawaiian Tropic lounging lake-side this weekend, or retreating to the basement where the AC blows fresh, you’re going to want some well-prepared rum, tequila, or gin. Or vodka, if you’re into that sort of thing. For me, I like to stick to the formers.

Here are 4 classic and refreshing recipes that you can make at home, including my beloved Bees Knees.

1. Paloma

Named after the Spanish for ‘dove’, this fruity cocktail is a favourite in Mexico and provides some thirst-quenching bite.

Ingredients

• 4 oz. pink grapefruit juice
• 2 oz. blanco tequila
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp of agave syrup or clear honey

How to prepare

Fill a cocktail shaker with a handful of ice. Add the tequila, grapefruit juice, lime juice and agave syrup or honey. Shake well until chilled then strain into coupe glass. Top up with soda water, lightly stir and garnish with salt.

2. Bees Knees

Created in the roaring ’20s, this prohibition-era cocktail is slang for “the best.” As a gin lover, this simple refreshment is one of my go-to’s all year round. It’s especially good for hotter-than-average temperatures thanks to with its lemon components.

Ingredients

• 2 oz. gin
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1 oz. honey syrup

How to prepare

Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake hard for 10 to 12 seconds and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon peel or lemon wheel.

3. Margarita

No summer drinking list would be complete without the classic margarita. Consisting of tequila, orange liqueur, and lime juice, all good margaritas are served with a bit of salt and garnished with lime.

See Also

The Klein’s Journal Guide to London’s Chiltern Street

Ingredients

• 2 oz. tequila
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 0.5 oz. Cointreau
• 0.5 oz. agave syrup

How to prepare

Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker or blender with lots of ice. Shake or blend until chilled. Pour into a glass and garnish with lime.

4. Painkiller

The Painkiller originated in the 1970s at the Soggy Dollar Bar in the British Virgin Islands. It’s a a twist on the Pina Colada made with dark rum, pineapple juice, orange juice, and cream of coconut.

Ingredients

• 4 oz. pineapple juice
• 2 oz. rum
• 1 oz. orange juice, freshly squeezed
• 1 oz. cream of coconut
• nutmeg

How to prepare

Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until chilled and strain into a snifter glass over crushed ice. Garnish with grated nutmeg and pineapple wedge.