It’s the heart of summer and thoughts turn to backyard barbecues, dining al fresco and hangin’ on the beach. Who wants to be stuck in a dark, windowless space at this time of year? So leaving the cocktail bar behind this season, it’s on to making our own libations for the summer and finding the best online resources to help you whip up a winner.
Diffordsguide.com is full of articles on bars (check out the Artesian in London), summer cocktail recipes, and a section where you input the liquid ingredients you have and the style of drink you want, and the site will suggest a recipe. It’s similar to the Spin the Wheel idea that hot spot Veneto offers.
This reminds me of the terrific Mixilator - Random Cocktail Generator website (cocktaildb.com/mixilator). Ted Haigh, better known as Dr. Cocktail, created a selector based not on a specific ingredient, but rather the style of drink, time of day that you are drinking and cocktail strength. Haigh’s suggestions are based on intensive research (I’d love to have been around for that) into the theories of mid-century modern bartender David Embury.
My final go-to site is the New York Times (nytimes.com) because it has lots of great articles on cocktails, including one from 2013 on Summer Drinks.
Around town
If you can’t bear to make your own cocktail then check out these great patios: The Snug at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel; Ten Acres; and Brentwood Bay Lodge.