Photo courtesy Joia Soda

One of two new flavors from the local, natural soda makers

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Summer cool.

See also:
Ginger beet gin & tonic
Homemade aquavit

Trying to stay as cool as a cucumber this summer? How about an icy cold cocktail with the power to revive even on the most sweltering days. The farmers markets are filled with crisp cucumbers and fresh mint right now. Put these inexpensive ingredients to use with this simple recipe. An alcohol-free variation is also a fine way to go--simply leave out the gin and top with club soda.

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Fresh as a summer day, hot as the sun.

See also:
Raspberry basil rum fizz
Ginger beet gin & tonic

This week's cocktail is a nifty play on the sweet 'n' spicy dynamic, with the freshest watermelon pureed and strained to extract its essence. Thai chili pepper gives this drink a swift kick. Add more or less chili peppers to your taste.

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Michelle Leon

A sweet sip for the Fourth.

See Also: Ginger beet gin & tonic Rhubarb vodka smash

Right now, the Twin Cities has that sultry tropical vibe, so we thought you would appreciate a rum cocktail to complement the heat. This one is a variation on the Mojito, with basil playing the role of the mint while adding a more complicated spice note. Topping this drink with Prosecco brings a lemony lightness and fizz. Let this fine sip be the red in your red, white, and blue for the Fourth of July.

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Summer sipping made farm-fresh

We'll spare you the "beet the heat" and "you can't beet this" references while sharing this recipe, but this ginger beet gin and tonic, made with the freshest of seasonal ingredients, is earthy, fresh, and clean. A fine spin on the traditional gin & tonic, the beet-infused gin, mint, and ginger liqueur add complexity and a modern twist to a summertime classic. 

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Chad Larson

Mojito at Bradstreet Craftshouse

The Mojito is a classic summer cocktail. Its origins lie in Cuba, but the specifics (like many cocktails) are debated. Some believe that African slaves working in the sugar cane fields created an early version of the drink in the late 1800s as a way to beat the island heat. Others contend that the drink has its roots in an earlier drink created by a pirate by the name of Sir Richard Drake in the 1500s. His drink, called "El Draque," was a combination of lime, sugar, mint, and aguardiente (an early version of rum). Whoever invented it, the modern version of the cocktail famously found its way into Ernest Hemmingway's hands at La Bodeguita del Medio in Havana, and he helped bring it to the rest of the world through his writing.

The drink's specific recipe is also the subject of some debate. In the Twin Cities I have had some of the best- and worst-tasting cocktails that were all called Mojito. Here is the original recipe, some classic mistakes bartenders make, and one of my own twists on the classic.

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chekhter/flickr

Irish Coffee from the Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco

​The fourth week in January is also known by another, more proper name: National Irish Coffee Week. To celebrate, we wanted to share a recipe from the place thought to serve the best Irish coffee in the states, the Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco, where the recipe was perfected back in 1952.

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The Harvey Wallbanger. Warning: walls may be closer than they appear.

​No drink screams 1970s shag-carpeted, orange-swag-lamped, Holidome cocktail lounge quite as loudly as the Harvey Wallbanger. Invented in the 1950s, the Harvey Wallbanger is kin to other era cocktail marvels such as the White Russian and Rusty Nail. The drink is basically a Screwdriver with Galliano (a liqueur of yellowish hue and sugared herbal notes). The drink was supposedly named after a California surfer--Harvey--who liked this concoction so much that he had way too many and ran into a few walls. That's what they say.

Today, November 8, is National Harvey Wallbanger Day. Celebrate by digging that dusty bottle of Galliano out of the liquor cabinet, mixing up this recipe, and toasting to a drunken surfer.

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The Jack Rose, and the Rose

It's Halloween weekend, and many a cauldron will be smoking with witches' brew. While most Halloween cocktail recipes are quite grotesque in a not-good way (think Bailey's Irish Cream with strawberry schnapps floating on top), we have an entirely different set of spirits in mind, with vintage cocktails that are blood red, balanced in flavor, and strong enough to scare away the ghoulies.

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