Get out your muddlers, shakers, strainers, and ice makers....

June 16, 2015 11:44 AM

Love strawberries? Try these six tasty strawberry cocktails from Chicago bartenders. Looking for something a little less fruity with a little more history? How about five essential Southern cocktails?

Neither option appeal to you? Maybe you missed this previous summer cocktail post?
posted by Juliet Banana (17 comments total)

And I am already drunk!
posted by maxsparber at 11:47 AM on June 16, 2015 [1 favorite]

Having drunkenly read through these, I must give them credit. There was an unfortunate trend a few years ago toward exotic ingredients, which made for interesting but unreproducible cocktails. But these are mostly made with widely available ingredients, and aren't so busy that a home bartender won't be able to make it before all the ice melts.

The Strawberry-Ginger Margarita in particular seems brilliant. I'll have to make one soon.
posted by maxsparber at 11:54 AM on June 16, 2015 [1 favorite]

Not a fruity cocktail man, myself. But I will second the Ramos gin fizz. Don't be put off by the egg white and cream, it goes down much easier than you think.
posted by Cash4Lead at 12:08 PM on June 16, 2015

I'm hammered just from reading the recipes for the Chatham punch!
posted by rtha at 12:10 PM on June 16, 2015

Whoa, these look great! I would like to try them! I am also usually too lazy to make anything with more than three ingredients; if you're looking for something simple why not try a nice Chief of Protocol? It's just ginger ale, grenadine, and gin because that's what Shirley Temple became when she grew up* and it is easy to order and refreshing for all seasons! I didn't used to like gin but I started drinking these and now gin is my very favorite.

*Yes I did make up the name myself!
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 12:15 PM on June 16, 2015 [5 favorites]

There's a great strawberry cocktail at DC's Bar Pilar, the enticingly titled Everyone Else is Wrong. Rum, strawberry shrub, cardamaro. I like pretty much any drink that involves a shrub, though also, try the cheesy poofs.
posted by everybody had matching towels at 12:21 PM on June 16, 2015

*swoons* That Queen's Club Strawberry Smash is like the drink of my dreams. Aviation Gin, Campari, AND Cocchi Americano?! YES PLEASE.

I have a backyard overflowing with a variety of mints -- apple mint, orange mint, chocolate mint, peppermint, spearmint... and, uh, catmint -- if anyone needs julep, smash, or mojito fixings and also lending a hand to prevent my humble abode from being devoured by genus Mentha.

Thanks for the FPP, JB -- you've inspired me to sneak out of work as soon as I can find a way out from under this giant stack of paperwork so's I can go sit on a patio somewhere, sip a giant fruity cocktail (a paloma would be real nice right about now), and enjoy this ridiculously beautiful upper Midwestern pre-summer day. Cheers!
posted by divined by radio at 12:30 PM on June 16, 2015

Divined by Radio, you're welcome. If you're ever in Chicago, hit me up and I'll take you out for a drink at the bar it comes from; it's a tiki bar walking distance from my house with a menu that includes giant drinks that come served in huge conch shells or pirate ships. We will not be getting any of those because I am not 23 anymore.
posted by Juliet Banana at 12:45 PM on June 16, 2015 [1 favorite]

Strawberry cocktails are great, but why oh why does everywhere that wants to do a mint julep put strawberry in it. It's a nice change of pace, but I'd really like a nice normal mint julep without having to make one myself because I am not very good at making them.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 12:46 PM on June 16, 2015

it's a tiki bar walking distance from my house with a menu that includes giant drinks that come served in huge conch shells or pirate ships. We will not be getting any of those because I am not 23 anymore.

I'm thirty one; I am planning a trip to Chicago to acquire one of these as I type because I want nothing more than a giant drink served from a pirate ship. This is so cool! Please invite me to your bars.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 12:52 PM on June 16, 2015 [4 favorites]

The ginger-strawberry drink looks great.

But I have a problem with their recipe for the ginger-syrup.

"Large piece of fresh ginger"

What the heck does that mean? I use ginger all the time (in smoothies; put a tiny amount of juice with some cut up pieces of ginger, blend, then make the rest of the smoothie. Add more ginger each time you make a smoothie until you have something no one else can drink but you find delicous). The thing is, ginger can come in *very* large pieces.... "The size of two large strawberries" or something would help tell you how much ginger.

But yeah, that sounds good.
posted by el io at 1:09 PM on June 16, 2015

When I visited New Orleans last year, one restaurant served me strawberry whiskey oyster shooters. They were surprisingly tasty.
posted by jonmc at 2:20 PM on June 16, 2015

I... I can't imagine the carnage that would ensue if I served up that Chatham Punch thing to my already degenerate friends.
posted by colie at 2:35 PM on June 16, 2015 [2 favorites]

Did somebody call?
posted by Muddler at 3:43 PM on June 16, 2015 [3 favorites]

Coincidentally I bought a pound of strawberries just yesterday. They are wonderful. Try this: eat a glazed doughnut, then a strawberry. ooooooh....
posted by JHarris at 5:39 PM on June 16, 2015 [1 favorite]

If you're hung over from too many Sazerac-ac-ac-ac-acs you oughta know by now.
posted by sourwookie at 8:02 PM on June 16, 2015

What, no squashed strawberry alleycat?
posted by das_2099 at 9:59 PM on June 16, 2015