Refreshing cocktails for summer nights 

The following cocktails range from tried-and-true favorites to a new classic.

Daiquiri
The daiquiri is often described by connoisseurs as one of the original classic cocktails. The drink first emerged in the 1890s and is named for a small village in Cuba. In the late twentieth century, the daiquiri became known as a frozen drink, but this recipe is faithful to the original.

2 ounces light rum
¾ ounce simple syrup
½ ounce lime juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

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Cable Car
This simple but sophisticated cocktail is guaranteed to keep you as cool as a San Francisco summer. The cable car emerged from the mind of bartender Tony Abou-Ganim at the famed Starlight Room and is what you might call a new classic cocktail. Any spice rum will work in this drink, but something from the upper shelves of your local liquor store is recommended. Grand Marnier can be substituted for the Curaçao.

In a cocktail shaker combine:

1 ½ ounces spiced rum
¾ ounce orange Curaçao or Grand Marnier
1 ounce lemon juice
½ ounce simple syrup

Shake with ice and then strain into a cocktail glass rimmed with cinnamon sugar.

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Southside
Actual gin became a rare luxury during the days of Prohibition. Much of what was produced fell under the heading of “bathtub gin,” which usually consisted of grain alcohol mixed with juniper oil and glycerin. The poor taste of this concoction necessitated that it be mixed in a cocktail. The Southside is thought to have emerged with the gangster set on Chicago’s Southside during the Roaring Twenties.

1½ ounces gin
¾ ounce lemon juice
½ ounce simple syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with mint sprigs.

– Compiled by Sean T. Posey

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