Warmer months are here in Northern Michigan, and with that you might find yourself enjoying a cocktail or drink on the patio, boat or beach.
Palette Bistro’s lead bartender, Amber Wilke, recently shared a cocktail recipe and drink trends with us, aiming to help readers to get the most out of their summer drinks.
Wilke recently took part in a cocktail challenge hosted at the Inn at Bay Harbor and competed against other local bartenders with a drink she calls “Thyme for Lavender.”
Thyme for Lavender
— 2 ounces of High Five Spirits Petoskey Stone Gin or a different lavender-infused gin
— 1/2 ounce of chambord
— 1/2 ounce of lemon juice
— 1/2 ounce of thyme simple syrup
Other tips, trends and drink ideas
— “For summer I would really suggest something savory or sweet. Tomato gin for example is actually getting quite popular. Some people think that is weird but you get a somewhat sweet flavor with it.”
— “Pre-prohibition drinks are pretty popular, trendy and always good too. Something like the typical old fashioned or gin rickey is always a good choice.”
— “Visit your local farm market for ideas. When you think of summer and want something different, the farm market will have a lot of different ingredients like fresh herbs, vegetables and fruit you can experiment with.”
— “I’d suggest something savory or sweet if you don’t know what you want and are clueless. A savory drink could be something like rye vodka, some strawberry, tomato, lemon juice and basil. That gives you a savory herb note but is still sweet enough to enjoy.”
— “A tip I’d also mention is following the kind of three component and ‘3, 2, 1’ rule. Have 3 parts spirit, 2 parts of a bitter and 1 part sweet. Experiment with that and see what you can come up with.”