Recipe: Two Amalfi-Inspired Summer Cocktails

In the summertime, everyone wants to reach for a drink that’s simple, cold and fresh. So those were the guiding factors when Roosevelt venue manager Tani Williams devised a pair of summer-ready cocktails that have fewer than five ingredients each (including garnishes) and look downright gorgeous in the sun.

Williams is well across both classic cocktails and modern twists, so she started off with a fresh take on the gin and tonic called Marigold. Showcasing the Amalfi-inspired ruby-red Malfy Gin Con Arancia , which is distilled with Sicilian blood-orange peel, Williams adds French aperitif Lillet Blanc, a splash of orange juice and a hint of fresh lime to create a layered citrus highball that’s finished with tonic and garnished with fragrant sage leaves.

“It’s about building the cocktail around the gin,” says Williams. “So when you’ve got a gin that’s so rich in Sicilian blood orange and you’re adding in some juice on top of that, it’s nice to balance it out with something that’s not a citric element.”

Enter Lillet Blanc, which lends a delicate flavour and a slightly creamy roundedness to the drink. Meanwhile, the fresh lime complements the sage and other Italian citrus fruits in the Malfy Gin Con Arancia’s list of botanicals. Besides that rounded flavour and the lightness that comes from packing less than two standard drinks, the finished drink has a fetching colour grading scheme: it’s darker orange at the base and lighter orange on top from the tonic, with an added bit of green from the herb garnish.

Williams’s second creation, the Easy Entertaining Drink Salerno sunset, is built on Malfy Gin Rosa, which is distilled with Sicilian pink grapefruit peel, Italian lemons and hand-picked juniper berries. It’s then finished with maraschino liqueur, fresh lemon juice and a touch of rose water.

“The grapefruit [in the Malfy Gin Rosa] is very much at the forefront of your palate,” says Williams. “As it goes down, you keep that flavour, and then you get a little more of a herbaceous vibe in the back.”

The maraschino liqueur adds a sweetness to the grapefruit without overwhelming it. And the rosewater is there more for its scent than its flavour, both of which play well with the recommended floral garnish. This drink has plenty of eye appeal too, with a pale-pink hue designed to evoke the final hurrah of a sunset.

Both drinks can be made as a batch and kept for a few days in the fridge. That way, they’re on hand for planned guests, spontaneous visitors or simply an after-work cooldown.

Marigold

Makes 1 serving. Approx. 1.8 standard drinks.

Ingredients:
45ml Malfy Gin Con Arancia
20ml Lillet Blanc
60ml orange or breakfast juice
10ml fresh lime juice
splash of tonic water
2-3 Fresh sage leaves

Method:

Build the gin, Lillet Blanc and juice over ice in a highball glass.

Top with tonic and garnish with fresh sage leaves or other Italian herbs.

Salerno sunset

Makes 1 serving. Approx. 1.7 standard drinks.

Ingredients:
40ml Malfy Gin Rosa
15ml maraschino liqueur
15ml fresh lemon juice
5ml rose water
A sprinkle of edible flowers

Method:

Build the ingredients in a mixing glass, adding ice last. Stir down until cold.

Strain into a Nick and Nora glass. Garnish by adding edible flowers to the drink or regular flowers to the side.