There’s nothing exotic about a caipirinha to a Brazilian. And ordering a mojito in Havana is like calling for a Manhattan here. But to many of us living above the 30th parallel, all it takes is a bit of rum or tequila mixed with fruit juice to make us feel we’ve gone native. And why not? When the heat hits hard, you may as well sip as if you’re sitting under a palm tree.
Of course, going tropical drinkwise is nothing new. Bartender Jerry Thomas, who penned “The Bon Vivant’s Companion or How To Mix Drinks” in 1862, guided readers through concoctions calling for brandy, rum, lemon juice, orange slices and pineapple. The daiquiri and the Cuba libre have been around since at least 1900. The classic Bacardi cocktail (rum, lime juice and grenadine with a maraschino cherry garnish) dates from the 1930s. And who can forget the zombie: four kinds of rum, fruit brandy and pineapple and papaya juices?
“They are more than drinks, they are an attitude,” writes Jennifer Trainer Thompson in the introduction to her “Caribbean Cocktails” (Ten Speed Press, $15.95).
That attitude is easily expressed in the names, colors and flavors of the creative tropical drinks you’ll find around town this summer. It’s no sweat finding yourself a margarita or mai tai, but venture around the area and you’re bound to come across a cooler you haven’t had before.
Umbrellas sprouting up
Mar y Sol on West Randolph Street offers variations on the lime-based mojito, tweaking the recipe with mango, pineapple, lemon, strawberry or cranberry. This Cuban restaurant also pours the guyava — citrus vodka with guava and a splash of apricot liqueur — and the Cuban sunset: vanilla vodka, melon liqueur, creme de cassis, pineapple and cranberry juices.
Summertime selections at the sophisticated Chinese restaurant Opera on South Wabash include plum wine with citrus vodka and blue curacao; a rum and litchi combo; and vanilla vodka with melon liqueur and pineapple. Keefer’s on West Kinzie Street has just introduced its latest sorbetini made with vodka, tequila, lime juice, prickly pear juice and prickly pear sorbet.
It’s no surprise to see drinks sprouting umbrellas at casual patio restaurants, but even the estimable Ritz-Carlton Chicago is getting into the swim. Beverage manager Paul Saliba canvassed sister properties around the globe to devise his summer menu, served in The Greenhouse. Standouts include the “lava flow” from Hawaii (rum, fresh banana, pineapple juice, coconut cream and strawberry puree), the “spice market” from Bangkok (rum, Galliano, orange juice, lemon juice and grenadine) and from Nevis island in the Caribbean comes the wonderfully named “Nevisian smile” (rum, Irish cream liqueur, coffee-flavored liqueur, pine-apple juice, coconut cream and coconut milk).
Over at Wave, located in the W Chicago-Lakeshore Hotel, senior mixologist Jodi Lee Smith has created a whole new menu for the season. Her “coco copa” contains coconut rum, banana nectar, pineapple juice, white chocolate liqueur and grenadine.
“Another really good one is the ‘wave runner,’ ” Smith said. “It has vanilla rum, just a little bit of Midori — Midori has a pretty strong flavor — lime juice and some Licor 43, a vanilla liqueur. It’s fabulous stuff. A shot of that really smooths out the cocktail. And fresh lime juice is essential. And because this kind of drink can be really sweet and syrupy, I top it off with a little soda. It lightens the flavor a bit and makes it a much more refreshing drink.”
Of course, most men seem to share a fear of color and fruit in a glass and steer clear of tropical drinks because they can seem, well . . . girlie.
“But they’re coming around, they’re evolving,” Smith said with a laugh. “They’ll take a sip of their date’s drink. They’re actually ordering cosmopolitans all by themselves now.”
Visitors to La Vita’s rooftop garden on Taylor Street will find several new libations awaiting them, courtesy of bar manager Michele Mastrodomenico.
“I basically went through everything we had in stock that sits around if you didn’t make it into an amazing drink,” Mastrodomenico said. “For instance, we had bottles and bottles of mango schnapps, which to me sounds delicious, but no one knows what to mix it with. So I created a couple of drinks. One is called the ‘tropical ambrosia’ which is mango schnapps, pineapple schnapps, fresh peach nectar and pineapple juice with a maraschino cherry and served like a martini.”
Tropical at home
For the home bartender feeling tropical, Mastrodomenico suggests paying attention to the balance of ingredients.
“It is important to keep your alcohol proportionate with your mixers and maybe even use a little bit more mixer than alcohol,” she said.
Saliba of the Ritz-Carlton notes that with the exception of banana, most fruits don’t hold their flavor when crushed with ice. To keep their taste from disappearing altogether, he advises adding a touch of concentrate or a liqueur of the same flavor.
Smith, who loves to throw cocktail parties at home, recommends a couple test runs before the doorbell rings.
“If I’m making a specialty drink I get some preparation happening before everybody arrives so that when they get here I know what the drink is going to be about.
“I try to create an atmosphere. It’s kind of silly but people really dig it. I found these little mermaids that you can set on the side of your cocktail glass. It’s sort of creating a lounge atmosphere in your own home. If you’re going to do it, do it all the way.”
Nevisian smile
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Yield: 1 cocktail
– Beverage manager Paul Saliba of the Ritz-Carlton Chicago uses this recipe from the Four Seasons Resort, Nevis.
6 tablespoons pineapple juice
3 tablespoons each: coconut cream, coconut milk
2 tablespoons each: rum, Irish cream liqueur, coffee liqueur
1 fresh pineapple slice, optional
Crush two or three ice cubes in a blender. Combine all ingredients; blend until thick. Pour into a large snifter or hurricane glass; garnish with a slice of pineapple.
Nutrition information per cocktail:
442 calories, 20% of calories from fat, 10 g fat, 9 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 40 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, 56 mg sodium, 1 g fiber
