Summer Drinks In The Industry

What's everybody drinking as temps heat up this year? We've got the scoop. 

*Top photo by Dave Greenbaum* 

Dave Greenbaum - Doctor Dave - Lawrence, KS

Summer is all about relaxing and having fun, so my drink choice this summer, hard root beer, reflects that.

I discovered hard root beer recently at the Screenland Crossroads Tapcade where I relive my Gen X childhood. Back then wine coolers were the thing.  I'll admit root beer is about as far away from real beer as wine coolers are from real wine.  That doesn't make them any less refreshing!  Even if Milli Vanilli was faking it, they still made some catchy tunes.

Much like Crystal Pepsi making a comeback, alcoholic root beer isn't new.  It was originally a little alcoholic due to fermentation (the same amount that shows up in kombucha).

Hard root beers replace the sugary sweetness with an alcohol bite. The closest "true" beer style is a lambic.  My preferred brand of hard root beer is Root Sellers but I'm open to any brand I can get in the area. I'm not going to start my meal with these.  They're just too easy to drink and I need to keep my (cough!) swimsuit figure.

This faux beer will be my after dinner drink this summer.  The fancy people might have a port wine, but I'm finishing off the meal with a sugary childhood drink that keeps my buzz going.  Or are those just the cicadas?  I can't tell.

- Dave

Steve Agocs - kccoffeegeek.com  - Kansas City, MO

Summer in Kansas City means hot temperatures and a lot of humidity. The big trend in coffee for the past year or two has definitely been cold brew, but a lot of us lack the patience and equipment necessary to do it right. Enter the cocktail shaker! This is a hybrid between the fast “Japanese” iced coffee pour over method and the classic Italian espresso-based “shakerato.” This works with pour over methods as well as AeroPress, but I haven’t tried it with standard drip coffee.  You need to start with good, fresh beans. I love using Ethiopian natural coffees for this because all those berry flavors really pop! 

Use your usual coffee recipe, but replace half of the weight of water with ice cubes in the container you brew into. Brew your pour over or AeroPress using half of the water you’d normally use. The hot coffee will drip directly onto the ice and cool immediately, which keeps the bitterness down. When you’re done, transfer all of this to a cocktail shaker and give it a good shake for at least 15 seconds. Pour this over a tall glass of ice and there you have it! If you have a sweet tooth you can add simple syrup before you shake (it’ll foam up and put a “head” on your drink), or a couple spoonfuls of condensed milk afterward. 

- Steve

Vanessa Waters - The Rieger & ImbibeKC.com - Kansas City, MO 

Let me preface with one fact: I am not a summer person. I don’t enjoy the heat and sunshine or the sounds of cicadas. I do, however, enjoy summer beverages. Light, crisp, refreshing – these are my tonic to a Midwest heat-wave. 

This summer, I’m drinking three things: iced tea, cold coffee, and cocktails.

I home brew iced tea using two bags each filled with four teaspoons of loose-leaf Black Currant black tea and let it sit in the sun for a few hours for easy DIY sun tea. It’s light, refreshing, and a tiny bit fruity. 

For coffee, I desperately crave the Nitrogenated Cold Brew from Second Best Coffee in Waldo, or a good old-fashioned toddy with some flavored syrup (think: house-made mint syrup from Kaldi’s). 

But nothing “beats the heat” like a great summer cocktail. I’m looking for fresh citrus, seasonal herbs, and maybe something bubbly for added refreshment. Probably gin based. Or I’m always a fan of whiskey. You just can’t lose. 

Cheers! - Vanessa 

Michelle Bui - Bui PR and The Spy FM.com - Oklahoma City, OK

With the summer heat creeping in, it's hard to say no to the Power House. The Power House lies in the middle of the historic Farmers Market in Oklahoma City. As the area continues to grow with new developments, such as this extremely comfortable bar with one of the best patios in the city, weekly movie screenings and a food truck park in the works, how could one possibly stay away from here? The owner is one of the sweetest and you feel like Norm from "Cheers" when you walk in because he seems to know everybody's name. 

My summer drink of choice from the Power House is the Cherokee 75. Yes, it is our own rendition of the French 75, and it also has some local flair in it. The ingredients are Prairie Wolf Organic Gin, made right in Guthrie, a neighboring city, lemon juice, sorghum sage syrup and champagne. When it gets hot and humid, you can easily regulate your temperature with one of these gorgeous drinks. When you're all cooled down, jump into the sun to play some corn hole or take some pics of the historic Farmers Market building. Honestly, the opportunities are endless with this cocktail because when it's cold outside, there's a fireplace and a fire pit outside to help warm you up. Don't let the weather stop you from appreciating this locally inspired drink.

- Michelle 

What are you drinking this summer? 

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