Munich - Punch and light cocktails are as much a part of summer as sun, sand and sea. Just a few ingredients can be turned into artful, refreshing drinks for a garden party or a relaxing afternoon on the terrace. Including just one or two types of alcohol brings out the refinements of whatever spirit is used and helps avoid a high alcohol content, said Franz Brandl, former head bartender at Harry's New York Bar in Munich.
"Make sure you like all the ingredients of whatever drink you select," Brandl said. Champagne cocktails, for example, guarantee a tingly, fruity taste.
"Champagne goes with just about everything," said Brandl, naming two classic drinks made with the cold French wine, the Kir Royal, made with creme de cassis, and the Bellini, a drink made with white peach puree.
Equally as simple are drinks made with the increasingly popular Aperol. The bitter, fruity liqueur from Italy is made primarily from rhubarb, gentian, cinchona and bitter orange extracts. It has an alcohol content of 15 per cent by volume and when mixed with prosecco becomes an Aperol Spritz.
Brandl's version of the drink, a Twisting Aperol, includes kumquats that have been poked all over with a swizzle stick. They begin to dance, or twist, vigourously when the bubbly is poured over them.
"In warm weather everyone wants something fresh," said Uwe Neuhaus, vice president of the German bartender union and a bar owner himself. For the last two or three years, "cuisine style" has exerted influence over summer cocktails. Bartenders want to incorporate kitchen techniques into their drink mixing.
Wine author Andre Domine uses the description "spicy drinks" when talking about cocktail-like drinks that combine spirits and fruit with aromatic spices. A drink called the Green Cucumber starts with a bit of cucumber and chilli crushed with a pestle. Gin, melon liqueur, lime juice and raw sugar are added and it's all mixed together in a cocktail shaker.
Classic long drinks like the Cuba Libre still have their fans. The drink is a concoction of ice cubes, a squirt of lime juice, a slice of lime, cola and rum that creates a summer feeling.
"Everything that has to do with the rum-region, Hawaii and the Caribbean, is appropriate," Neuhaus said.
Berries also shouldn't be left out of any summer drinks list. Brandl recommends Port Cobbler, which is made with course ice and cognac, tawny port and maraschino. Top it off with seasonal fruit such as raspberries, blackberries and wild strawberries and a dusting of powdered sugar.
Cobbler is not far from punch. This drink requires the fruit to be soaked in wine for one day. It's then put into a large glass bowl and sparkling wine is poured over it. A classic punch is made with strawberries, Neuhaus said. Punches, however, don't keep well and thus are best when drunk immediately. They are rarely available in bars.
