Summer sippers

COOL QUENCHERS | Your home garden holds the makings for some tasty seasonal drinks

July 23, 2008

BY JENNIFER OLVERA

Tending to peppers, cultivating tomatoes, pruning herbs to bushy perfection -- these are all idyllic experiences that define the early days of summer.

When the motherload finally hits, kitchen counters and refrigerator crispers are full to capacity. Blenders are caked with the pungent remnants of pesto. Trifles, concocted on the fly, swell with juicy berries. Knives work overtime to create bottomless bowls of gazpacho.

To foodies, after the lack of good, fresh produce in Midwestern winters, this is bliss. It also means culinary duties increase tenfold because these sublime, seasonal eats are highly perishable.

Instead of reaching for the same old recipes, it's a good time to shake things up -- literally. Culinary cocktails crafted from market-fresh ingredients are the rage at restaurants. With a little know-how, you can create your own at home. What's especially appealing is these drinks allow you to use what's ripe (before it becomes rotten) while refreshing your oh-so-parched palate.

"Whether you're a home gardener or make regular trips to the farmers market, it's easy to build a cocktail around a single ingredient that's in season," said Adam Seger, manager, sommelier and mixologist at Nacional 27. "I start by considering flavors that work in classic dishes. If ingredients and flavors complement each other in the kitchen, chances are they will in a glass, too."

A perfect potion, whether or not it's bolstered by booze, should balance sweetness and acidity; the latter often comes from citrus. Bitters -- a flavor-booster often prepped from herbs or citrus -- can lend complexity to a drink.

Of course, thinking outside the box can really pay off. Among Seger's recent -- and wildly popular -- concoctions is a strawberry-rhubarb-basil mojito that's tinged with balsamic vinegar.

"Basil is in the mint family, so strawberries and basil together really aren't weird," Seger assured. "And both strawberries and rhubarb and, in Italy, strawberries and balsamic are classic pairings."

One of the things to keep in mind when constructing a liquor-based summer drink is it should be light, somewhat sweet -- but not cloyingly so -- and relatively alcohol-light.

"When it's hot out, people react to differently to liquor," said Rashed Islam, sommelier at Viet Bistro in the city's Edgewater neighborhood where creative cocktails are downright restorative. "You have to be careful so you don't get too wasted."

Seger agreed, noting that his summer cocktails have no more than 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor, whether they're served up or muddled on the rocks.

"That's comparable to a glass of wine," he said. "You want to be able to savor the flavor and freshness rather than need a nap."

When crafting a drink from fresh fruit, Islam doesn't add sugar but instead prefers to include fruit juices or purees for sweetness. He even goes as far as to seasonally switch the types of mangos and lychee juices he uses.

"Juice already is infused with sugar, so you don't have to worry about separation that would lead to a disjointed drink," he said. "However, you do need to use a light, not-too-pulpy juice when it's warm out. Creamy fruits work better in the winter."

But whatever you do, Kirk Estopinal -- beverage consultant for Spring, Green Zebra and Custom House restaurants and a bartender at the Violet Hour -- said achieving "arctic cold" is the goal.

"Swizzles, fizzes and juleps are perfect right now," he divulged, adding that he leans toward white liquors for lightness and pineapple juice for brightness.

Savory herbs, too, are a popular component in his potables.

"But you have to be very guarded when using them because herbs can muck up a drink," cautioned Estopinal, whose well-known liquor-based and booze-free sips include both the classic and newfangled. "Herbs should never be over-muddled or shaken to pieces. Mint and cilantro, for example, can end up tasting like grass clippings."

Instead, Estopinal said, herbs should be handled "like a baby's soft spot."

"Muddle the herbs gently with citrus or sugar syrup," he suggested. "Then, let the mixture sit a moment before adding ice and building the drink on top."

So, the next time you're flush with fruits, heavy on herbs or veggie-laden, remember to relish the garden's greatest gifts, gulp by gulp.

Jennifer Olvera is a local free-lance writer.