4 new cocktails you'll see everywhere this summer
Trend forecasting the 'Drink of the Summer' with the beverage director of Nitehawk Cinema.
The sun is shining, the days are long, and it’s time to sip something refreshing. But what exactly will be the drink gracing terraces and rooftops all season long?
The Carajillo
I’ve seen reports that it will be a Carajillo. Journalists are writing headlines like: “Carajillo Summer is loading” and “We're Calling It: The Carajillo Tónico Is Going to Be the Drink of the Summer.”
So what exactly is a Carajillo? It’s a delicious, Mexican version of an Espresso Martini that uses only two ingredients: coffee and Licor 43. Many people are on a high horse about how it is superior to the espresso martini (and they’re not wrong). I’m a huge fan, but drink of the summer?
In my opinion, it’s missing a critical component. The drink of the summer must be able to be drunk at scale. I want one, maybe two Carajillos - not 5 over an 8 hour span in the hot sun.
I decided to get an expert opinion. Gus Steiner is currently the beverage director at Nitehawk Cinema, previously running the programs at Jupiter (rink side at the Rockefeller) and King. Before that, he was whipping us up drinks at Brooklyn favorites like Weather Up and Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club. “What is the drink of the summer?” I demanded over text. “Of this summer? sheesh,” he replied.
Santoni Spritz
Steiner says spritz’s are still very in vogue, with the last two summers featuring the Hugo Spritz. But there’s a new aperitif in town and he thinks it’s going to be big. It’s called Amaro Santoni. The internet will tell you that Amaro Santoni is a “top-quality liqueur made with 34 herbs, inspired in one of the most private and personal recipes of Gabriello Santoni, created in 1961.” But Steiner will be real with you and tell you that it’s a Rhubarb Amaro.
Though it makes a great spritz and that’s where you’ll most likely start noticing it popping up as you go out this summer, Steiner says that it can be subbed for an aperitif or an amaro.
I asked if it could be subbed in any cocktail that uses amaro, for example, a Paper Plane.
Santoni is more powerful than Amaro Nonino, which is traditionally used in a Paper Plane. Initially, Steiner felt that the Santoni and Aperol combo might overpower the drink, but it would certainly work in a Negroni.
After discussing in real-time, he changed his mind: “Actually I just talked out the paper plane scenario with one of my bar managers and we are going to try a riff with it,” he said. “So next time you’re at Nitehawk, you might try something you inspired.” Oh hell yeah.
Sotol Margarita
Steiner also says that a new-ish spirit called sotol is on the rise. Made in Mexico and Southern Texas, he describes it as “sort of in between tequila and mezcal, but made in a different region and from a different plant … it’s even more terroir driven.”
There are economic factors at play here too. As there are producers in Texas, sotol could potentially not be impacted by tariffs that will hit tequila and mezcal. “But the stuff made in Mexico is better,” concluded Steiner.
When it comes to summer time drinking, the obvious path is a Sotol Margarita.
But it’s a much more versatile spirit than that. Steiner and his team love a Sotol Martini with a touch of lemon and he says he made a Hotel Nacional (a classic 1930’s cocktail from Havana traditionally made with rum) and “it was really good.”
Campari Ting
If we want to keep the simplicity of a Carajillo where it’s simply just 2 ingredients my bet is on Campari Ting — a delightfully easy drink to make that Jamaica is going crazy for. It’s just Campari and Grapefruit soda (local brand is called Ting), creating a drinkable, low ABV concoction - key for drinking at scale.
But my favorite thing about it is that it really only exists because Campari sales in Jamaica were down and the marketing team got on it. Punch reports that, “there was a time when Campari was gathering dust on the backbar,” with rum obviously being the drink of choice.
But the Caribbean’s general loyalty to rum didn’t stop St. Lucia, just over 1,000 miles southeast of Jamaica, from having the highest per-capita consumption of Campari in the world.
In 2012, Gruppo Campari acquired the controlling stake in Lascelles deMercado & Co., the Jamaican parent company of popular rum brands such as Wray & Nephew, Appleton Estate and Coruba. Then, “based on the popularity of Wray & Ting, Campari called on the ubiquitous grapefruit soda, promoting Campari Grapefruit (commonly known as Campari Ting) to the local market. The brand rolled out a marketing campaign that focused on community bars around the country, introducing local bartenders to the signature serve.”
“Once the promotion started, we were running out of Campari stock in Jamaica,” says Debbian Spence-Minott, CEO at Jamaica’s Academy of Bartending, Spirits & Wines. “The success of the promotion caused supply issues that lasted for almost two years after the initial campaign. It was the first time in the country’s history that demand for the liqueur outstripped its supply, and the approachable Campari Ting played a major role in the spirit’s trendiness.”
Apparently, if you visit Jamaica, you will see Campari signs at local bars everywhere. Fascinating stuff.
The drink of the summer is:
Ultimately, the "Drink of the Summer" isn't just about what's trending or what the experts are pouring. But it is fun to try new things and get a glimpse into the things that are exciting the expert mixologists. If there’s a different drink you’re seeing catch momentum that we didn’t cover here I’d love to hear about it.
If you’re looking for other exciting drink ideas, I just covered some in my newsletter inspired by a private party featuring bartenders from Dubai, Miami, Hong Kong, and Limassol from LPM restaurants. You can read it here.
