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 Sizzling
Summer Cocktails
Cool Drinks That Earn Cold Cash
As
surely as the cold March winds blow in April showers to grow May
flowers –– to be carried by June brides –– July and August will be
ushering in the long, hot summer before you know it. So, be ready to
satisfy your customers’ thirst for something cold to drink by adding
some new and exciting cocktails to your summer drink menu.
The Renaissance of Relaxing Libations 
Dine Restaurant & Martini Bar in Chicago, a
1940’s style American eatery, offers late-night cocktails and food
until 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until midnight on Fridays and
Saturdays. General Manager Scott Harney says the 78-seat Martini bar is
meant to be the climax of evenings of dining and drinking at Dine.
The three top-selling cocktails at Dine are: the
Violetta, made with Frïs Vodka, a splash of DeKuyper Blue Curacao, a
splash of cranberry juice and garnished with an orange twist; the
Chicago River, a mixture of gin, vodka and Green Chartreuse; and the
Izze Clementine, made with Chopin Vodka mixed with Izze Clementine,
served in a sugar-rimmed glass and garnished with a cherry.
“All these drinks are presented in nine-ounce
traditional Martini glasses,” Harney says. “Our focus is on American
food with an upscale twist. Our cocktail and wine list represents a
back-to-the-future attitude. The cocktails use some old-style liquors,
such as Green Chartreuse and Peychauds Bitters. Some of the ‘new’
liquors, such as the Junipero Gin, use the old pot still style of
producing liquors.
”Harney says Dine’s garnishes are a little different
since they use preserved fruit for some drinks. “Our homemade Bloody
Mary mix contains no hot sauce or Worstcheshire. It is made with fresh
whole tomatoes, grated carrots, grated horseradish, toasted fennel
seeds, toasted red pepper flakes, blanched garlic, veal stock and a few
finishing spices — very good for you. We garnish it with a cube of
Pepper Jack cheese wrapped in salami and speared to a blue
cheese-stuffed olive. It’s like brunch from a bottle,” he says.
The Chicago neighborhood around Dine is full of
up-and-coming, hard-working people who want to relax before dinner, and
Harney says the bar’s cocktails definitely achieve that.
“One of our most unique cocktails is the Chicago
River,” he says. “The name is catchy, and it is a unique drink. Unlike
most Martinis, it is savory. Chartreuse is unusual for most drinks now.
It lends a certain cool, savory flavor to the crisp gin. The color also
attracts quite a bit of attention. Definitely the most asked- about
drink on our menu.”
 California Dreamin’
At California Café located in King of Prussia Plaza
in Philadelphia, Pa., General Manager Frank Campbell says customers
clamor for the café’s Liquid Therapy menu that features fresh fruit
juices from fruits in season throughout the year.
Among its offerings: for less than $10, customers
can get lost in Paradise Found –– a house-infused fresh pineapple and
Skyy Vodka Martini –– or share a Coconut Dream Mojito, a blend of rum,
fresh mint and shaved coconut that takes patrons on an island adventure
without them leaving their chair. And what could spell summer for
guests more than a soothing, refreshing Key Lime Martini made with
Absolut Vanilla Vodka, Dekuyper Apple Pucker and fresh pineapple juice
for $9.50? The Bikinitini, made with freshly pureed watermelon and
Absolut Vodka, also is another refreshing, summer-style creation.
Two really peachy keen customer favorites at
California Café are the Old Fashioned Peach cocktail, a combination of
peach-infused Knob Creek Bourbon, maraschino cherries and a splash of
ginger ale for $10.75; and the White Hot Peach Sangria made of
chardonnay, Absolut Peach Vodka and a touch of cinnamon packed with
seasonal fruit from the farmer’s market for $6.50 by the glass or $12
for a pitcher.
But the all-time top-seller without a doubt,
Campbell says, is the Mango Mojito, made from a blend of mangos, Malibu
mango rum and lots of mint and selling for $9.75.
“Every season, we change the cocktails on our menu,
but the Mango Mojito, we have not been able to take off. We tried it
once and it didn’t work. The customers wanted it back. So, we keep it
on the menu year-round,” he says. NCB
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