5 Refreshing Summer Cocktails from the World’s Top Mixologists

The Sunken Lounge’s Mile High Spritz. Photo: Courtesy of Gerber Group

1. Mile High Spritz | TWA Hotel, New York

Much fanfare has been made about the impending TWA Hotel, with its retro-chic rooftop pool, observation deck, TWA Museum, and six restaurants and eight bars. What is sure to be the hot spot’s buzziest gathering place is the historic Sunken Lounge, an Eero Saarinen–designed cocktail bar now operated by the Gerber Group. Enjoy a first-class view of the hotel’s 1958 “Connie” airplane and toast a night of summer fun with the bar’s Mile High Spritz, a refreshing blend of 1½ ounces of Grey Goose vodka, ¾ ounce of St-Germain elderflower liqueur, and ½ ounce of fresh lime juice, topped with 3 ounces of prosecco and a soda float. Garnished with a sprig of mint, this cocktail lives up to the airline’s onetime promise: “You’re going to like us.” 

The Fab combines Ketel One vodka, elderflower syrup, and lemon juice, topped with Prosecco and lavender foam. Photo: Courtesy of D&D London

2. Fab | Queensyard, New York

Visitors from around the globe have been flocking to the art spaces at New York’s new Hudson Yards, but the property’s food and drink offerings are equally deserving of praise. Queensyard, for instance, is a U.K. import from restaurant group D&D London that serves classic British staples. “[This drink] is inspired by the lingo of my favorite Lady Londoners, ‘Fab!’ being one of their favorite words, used interchangeably in response to a multitude of situations,” says bar manager Rosario Toscano. “Although we are gin heavy here, we try to have something for everyone, so vodka was the spirit of choice in this cocktail. However, it is a take on a classic gin cocktail, The French 75.” 

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The Clover Club is a classic tipple that celebrates the renaissance of gin in Ireland. Photo: Courtesy of The Doyle Collection

3. Clover Club | The River Lee, Cork, Ireland

A luxury hotel in Cork, Ireland, The River Lee recently reopened following a massive refurbishment, including a redesign of the lobby and 182 bedrooms by Graham O’Donnell and Ann-Marie O’Neill. Adding to the hotel’s cosmopolitan flair is The River Club bar, featuring wood beams sourced from a whiskey distillery and stunning Art Deco chandelier. Grab a seat at The Cocktail Bar, which serves some of Cork’s rare whiskeys in Irish crystal-cut glassware, and sip this refreshing summer tipple—a mix of Mór Irish Gin, raspberry, lemon, dry vermouth, and egg white.

The Maiko at Hudson Yards restaurant Wild Ink. Photo: Courtesy of Rhubarb

4. The Maiko | Wild Ink, New York

The group behind such esteemed London locations as Sky Garden and Royal Albert Hall, Rhubarb opened its first New York restaurant, Wild Ink, at 20 Hudson Yards in March. The Robert Angell–designed eatery, helmed by Executive Chef Peter Jin, serves up delectable dishes with an Asian flair. (Think curried lamb momo dim sum and Japanese risotto featuring shiitake mushroom dashi and yuzu.) Acclaimed mixologist Johnny Sweet masterminded the bar menu, introducing such perfect seasonal cocktails as the Maiko, a blend of muddled pink peppercorns, saki, strawberry puree, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Top it with a splash of Prosecco, and garnish with strawberry pearls.

5. Il Negroni di Egnazia | Borgo Egnazia, Puglia, Italy

Summer wouldn’t be complete without the popular negroni, and no one makes it better than the team behind Borgo Egnazia, a breathtaking property in Puglia, Italy, set among thousand-year-old olive trees. The resort recently launched a new vermouth made with local Apulian wine. Just mix with Tanqueray No. 10 gin and Campari, add a few drops of essential oil of lemon, and garnish with a lemon peel and sprig of rosemary. Saluti! 

A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2019 Summer issue in the section The Artful Life. Subscribe to the magazine.