We’ve got drinks for all the best summer holidays. That’s right, we’re talking cocktails for Independence Day (ours and Italy’s). We’re talking white wine for Junk Food Day and spritzes for heatwaves and beer for, well, International Beer Day. Now let’s get to the summer sips!
Negronis for Festa della Repubblica, June 2
To ring in Italian independence with an all-Italian Negroni, mix equal parts Campari, Elena Gin ($38) and Elena’s Vermouth Di Torino Superiore Rosso RAV 18 ($59). Elena’s small-batch spirits are full of Italian flavors — the gin is in the London dry style with juniper picked in the Italian Alps; the vermouth is packed with mountain herbs and citrus. Together they make a Negroni that feels both classic and extra orangey, recognizable with an exotic floral twist.
More Negronis for Independence Day, July 4
Now ring in America’s birthday with stateside booze by combining your favorite vermouth with Four Corners American Gin ($44) and Boston’s Bully Boy distillery’s Amaro Rosso ($27). Four Corners American Gin comes from, well, the four corners (Washington wild juniper, Florida cherry bark, California yerba santa, Maine cranberries…) and it tastes like nothing else — earthy, smooth, a hint of sweetness and pine. Bully Boy gets European-style bitters so it’s no surprise their twist on a Campari-style spirit is so wonderful — so bitter, so fragrant, so fruity, and again, so so bitter (look for it in bars or buy it at the 44 Cedric St. location) Four Corners and Amaro Rosso are a top notch tag team in an herbaceous-to-the-max Negroni.
Sauvignon Blanc and chips for Junk Food Day, July 21
Nothing goes better with Sauvignon Blanc than potato chips. Not oysters, not Brie, not Pad Thai. While hot new potato chip company Nantucket Crisps isn’t junk food on the Pringles level, they pair wonderfully with a crisp Savvy B. Try a bag of Nantucket’s Steps Beach Salt & Vinegar with William Hill Estate’s 2022 California Sauvignon Blanc ($15) — the bright, fruity, and just-sweet-enough white goes great with the briny chip. Or go with Cisco Beach BBQ and Bonterra Estate Collection Sauvignon Blanc ($20) to combine a tangy bite with the wine’s citrus and healthy body. For a delicious splurge, Beaulieu Vineyard’s 2023 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc ($40) is the platonic ideal of Sauv Blanc — bright, bold, balanced — and works perfectly with Madaket Sweet Onion chips.
Beer for International Beer Day, Aug. 2
Night Shift wants you to drink more fruit. Thankfully the Massachusetts brewer has been smart enough to sneak that fruit into beer. Night Shift just launched their Pool Party Goodie Box ($20) — 12 cans of four different summer flavors. Whirlpool is a juicy, hazy blond. Wild Blue smashes the yum of Wyman’s wild blueberries into a beer. Mangoverse is a marriage of mango and a striking IPA. Shandy Beach is an ultimate, well, beach shandy.
Spritzes for the midpoint of summer, Aug. 6
Scientists have proven that bubbles cool you down. Wait, was that scientists or the folks at Almare Spritz? Either way, heat equals spritz season. I dig bitters (can you tell?) so I went right for the Almare Spritz Classico, a ready-to-drink, just-add-ice-and-orange-twist bottle that captures all the flavors of a bubbly Italian creation. But Almare has Rosa (grapefruit) and Hugo (lemon and mint) versions (all $15). If you want to go all in on lemons, the choice is obvious: New Hampshire-based Fabrizia’s Limoncello Spritz ($25). This bottle has just three ingredients — Italian sparkling wine, soda water, and Fabrizia Limoncello (crafted with the most fragrant Sicilian lemons in the world).