Food And Drink: Summer Sips: Cocktails

Summer drinks evoke the tropics. Rum, the sailor's grog, is a fermented byproduct of sugar cane. Produced primarily in the Caribbean, rum is the key ingredient in famous juice-based cocktails like daiquiris, Mai Tais, and piña coladas. The colonial British drank gin and tonics: the juniper flavor of the gin overpowered the bitterness of quinine, which was added to tonic water to prevent malaria. Tequila, from the desert agave plant, is restorative when taken with salt and lime. Whatever spirit you choose, relax on the patio with friends with these favorite summer sippers.

Gin Drinks

The quintessential hot-weather drink
(Note: for Tom Collins, see Vodka Collins, but substitute gin. For Ramos Fizz, you can use simple syrup for the rock candy syrup, and powdered egg whites for food safety)