Arlington, Virginia – June 30: Three Easy Summer Cocktails – The Golden Daiquiri photographed by Voraciously … [+]
Summer brings with it a host of traditional drinks that are staples of the hot weather, from spritzes and margaritas to slushies and daiquiris. And much like seasonal trends, our tastes change over time—or rather, our preferences evolve with the latest trends.
To prepare your palate for sunshine and seasonal menus, we spoke to some of America’s top mixologists to get an early look at the hottest summer cocktail trends for 2024 (and maybe beyond). Some offer twists on trendy classics, while others will bring entirely new flavors to your local bar.
Crazy about chili peppers
HANDAN, CHINA – OCTOBER 17: A villager shows off his freshly harvested red chili peppers on October 17, 2022. … [+]
Spicy flavors are nothing new in the cocktail world — think jalapeño in a spicy margarita — but you’ll likely see a wider variety of chili peppers appear on menus in the future.
“I saw someone make a pepperoncini sauce recently and immediately thought, why not use pepperoncini in a cocktail?” says Marshall Minaya, beverage director at Lolita, Madame George, and Valerie in New York City.[It’s] “Pepper onions are often used primarily as a garnish for Bloody Marys, but when combined with the right ingredients, we think they can be a fun new way to spice up a cocktail.”
Minaya isn’t the only one who’d like to see cocktail masters experiment with a wider variety of chilies, and not just because of their capsaicin content, but because different pepper varieties have different heat levels and flavors.
“The variety of chillies used is very limited compared to what’s available today, and I think in the near future we’ll see more obscure varieties being used in drinks, which offer more flavour as well as kick,” says Chris Moore, bar manager at The Ned Nomad.
Expanding low alcohol options
I’ve been an advocate for adding more low- and no-alcohol options to drink menus, and while not all bars are investing in these products, lighter drinks are slowly becoming more common.
“Low alcohol content is here to stay, at least for the time being,” Minaya says. “Bartenders around the world are turning to refreshing, low-ABV drinks like twisted blanc vermouth sodas and ice-cold sherry sodas.”
The key to this particular trend is leaning towards lower alcohol (not just non-alcoholic) options, especially spins on timeless summertime classic drinks.
“While lower-ABV cocktails aren’t dead yet, I think people are nostalgic for the old-fashioned classics,” says Betty Woodward, director of food and beverage at Hotel Heron in Virginia. “We’ll continue to see more aperitifs and Prosecco-infused variations on Old Fashioneds and Negronis. Bartenders are always finding ways to reinvent classics to keep up with the times.”
Fruit (and Blend) Infusions
Close-up of a man’s hand pouring a speciality copita margarita into a salt-rimmed glass … [+]
Summer is a time when fresh ingredients are abundant, and for Ophelia’s Amir Babayov, putting a modern spin on fruit-forward drinks means pairing them with not only produce, but spices as well.
“Mango and saffron, strawberry and beet, pineapple and pandan,” Babayov says. “The trend incorporating all of these will push the boundaries of fruit clarification to apply forced carbonation, milk punch, homemade distillates and fermentation of discarded fruit peels.”
For Moore, the emphasis on seasonal fruits and vegetables could mean a revival of the oft-maligned yet underrated bar tool.
“Personally, I’d love to see the blender make a comeback. Electric blenders were introduced during the Golden Age of the Cocktail and were considered a crucial innovation when the biggest names in American society flocked to Cuba to enjoy frozen daiquiris.”
“While slush machines have taken over that position to some extent, blenders hold a special place for me because using a blender during service is just as much skill as shaking, stirring and tossing.”
Garnish Arms Race
In recent years, numerous bars, from upscale establishments to lakeside dive bars, have made waves by serving up flashy garnishes that sometimes feel more like a full meal than an appetizer.
Social media is loaded with possibilities, but the race to the top (or bottom) comes at a cost.
“I’m torn between Dave Arnold’s teaching that garnishes are there to enhance the flavor of the cocktail and nothing else, and what’s being sold on social media,” Minaya says. “I’m all about traditional garnishes or nothing, but on social media I see garnishes everywhere that take days to prepare. [That’s] “The concern is that bars that are so focused on hospitality and consistent cocktails are now also adding overly complicated garnishes.”
Like it or not, fancy garnishes can generate as much, if not more, viral foot traffic as a well-balanced menu. So before you head to the newest bar to skewer your cheeseburger on a swizzle stick, consider whether you’re really after a drink, some Instagram content, or both.
