Roger Dagorn is Master Sommelier/beverage director for One Five Hospitality, which includes the New York restaurants Tocqueville, 15 East, The Fourth, SingL and Botequim.
My favorite cocktail of the moment is the Marconi at SingL, because it’s light, refreshing and the perfect cocktail for warm weather. The drink is reminiscent of an Aperol Spritz, but an interesting take on the classic.
Marconi
1 oz. Aperol
1 oz. Bombay Sapphire
Cima Prosecco
¼ oz. Fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Lemon peel
In a special rocks glass. pour Aperol, gin and lemon juice. Float prosecco to top of glass and rim glass with lemon peel. Peel then goes into drink as a twist.
Erin Ward is beverage director of Alicart Restaurant Group, which operates Virgil’s Real Barbecue; Virgil’s has locations in New York as well as at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas and the Mohegan Sun Resort in Connecticut.
Clinging on to the last days of summer, I do love Virgil’s Fresh Watermelon Margarita. It’s perfect for those last few BBQs or harvest dinners.
Virgil’s Fresh Watermelon Margarita
1 1/2 oz. tequila
1 oz. lime juice
1 slice watermelon
Orange juice
Cointreau
Muddle watermelon with tequila and lime juice. Add a splash of orange juice and a splash of Cointreau, stir to finish.
Tim Harris is owner of Southern Cross Hospitality which includes Burke & Wills, a new modern Australian bistro on New York’s Upper West Side.
The Five O’clock Collins from Burke & Wills is a great, tall summer drink. It’s refreshing with the hint of sparkle from the soda and bitter note on the end from the grapefruit and makes for a perfect way to wind down after a hard day at work.
The cocktail is named after the famous Australian painting Collins St, 5pm by John Brack, which depicts office workers leaving work on Collins St. in Melbourne. The painting is considered a companion piece to the artist’s earlier work The Bar, which is where I think all the people in the painting are heading to.
The Five O’clock Collins
2 oz. Spring 44 gin
¾ oz. Fresh lemon juice
¾ oz. Light agave syrup
2 dashes Fee Brothers Grapefruit Bitters
Shake all ingredients vigorously and strain into a Collins glass. Top with a splash of club soda and garnish with a lemon slice and Luxardo cherry.