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Kicking up the cocktail: 8 drinks to make at home

BY PETER M. GIANOTTI | peter.gianotti@newsday.com

July 3, 2009

(Photo by Jori Klein / July 3, 2009)

The summer cocktail goes from the classic to the curious: from the daiquiri and the mojito to the banana banshee and the strawberry smash. But they all do refresh.

Mixologists on Long Island definitely are shaking things up, with equal parts creative and quenching. Here are eight different cocktails with which to toast summer '09, some courtesy of local bars.

BLOOD-ORANGE MARGARITA

A sweet-tart spin on the popular cocktail, this drink adds a little complexity to the result.

3/4 ounce Solerno blood-orange liqueur

1 1/2 ounces Milagro or other 100 percent blue agave tequila

1/4 ounce agave nectar

1/2 ounce freshly squeezed orange juice

Squeeze of fresh lime

Salt

Blood orange segments

Shake first 5 ingredients with ice in a rocks glass. Serve with salted rim and blood-orange segments to garnish.

'THE CLUB' MARGARITA

The local contribution to mondo margarita is a summertime spin created at the Montauk Yacht Club by beverage manager Eric Buynum. Consider it spicy.

Habanero salt

1/2 fresh lime, muddled

3/4 ounce ginger-cilantro syrup

3 ounces Milagro Silver tequila

1 ounce Cointreau

Rim the glass with the seasoned salt and fill it with ice. Shake rest of ingredients and strain into glass. To make the syrup: boil water, sugar, fresh ginger and cilantro; cool and strain. For the habanero salt: add 1 or 2 habanero peppers to a pound of kosher salt and puree in food processor so pepper is distributed evenly.