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This summer, think beyond wine spritzers and sweet concoctions. Instead, how about delving into the more sophisticated side of summer 2024 cocktail trends?
Adrian Lindsay, lead barman at Missy Lane’s Assembly Room in Durham, North Carolina, and owner of the Ideal Bartending Company, puts a unique spin on enjoying this season’s cocktail trends.
The bar consultant and private bartending business professional encourages us to consider three unexpected warm-weather sipping options: vermouth, tequila and whiskey.
Vermouth’s Impact On Summer 2024 Cocktail Trends
“Vermouth is a growing category…Especially with low alcohol [drinks] being a thing right now,” observes Lindsay. For some, this fortified wine’s bitterness may be an acquired taste, but it’s one definitely worth exploring.
“We’re getting into different flavor profiles with vermouth. We have some that have an orange flavor and you have some that are super bitter. You even have some that have a coffee profile,” lists the professional bartender. “There’s a lot of complexity in vermouth.”
A current favorite on his radar is Mancino Sakura Vermouth, described as a blend of 20 botanicals, including cherry blossoms from Japan and Italian viola flowers.
“It’s incredibly delicious by itself, on the rocks or with some citrus in it,” suggests Lindsay, a beloved Durham bartender, about how to enjoy the limited edition vermouth of which only 4000 bottles are produced each year.
For newcomers to sipping vermouth, Lindsay says it’s best to begin with the classic trio. “You can start with the basics: a sweet vermouth, which is generally red; a dry vermouth, which is generally white or clear, and a blanco, which is also clear but tends to be a little sweeter. They all will have a little bitter component,” he notes.
Beyond the well-known Martini & Rossi, Lindsay directs our attention to Puig Campana Vermouth and Atxa Vino Vermouth, two popular brands to try on your tasting journey.
To further broaden your sipping experience with vermouth, the career bartender suggests adding a few extras to your bar. “You’re going to need tonic, club soda and different types of citrus,” he says.
“Because the thing about vermouth is this: if I were to take a sweet vermouth and add club soda to it, it’s going to taste very different if I squeeze a lime in it versus if I squeeze a lemon or an orange in it. Citrus will bring out different aspects of your vermouth.”
Sip Tequila in Style
Among summer 2024 cocktail trends, Lindsay also hones in on the popularity of tequila. “I think tequila is a hot category in drinking,” he affirms, not only this summer but in the industry as a whole.
“The thing with tequila, in drinking agave, is you usually don’t get headaches. You don’t get hangovers—with a good tequila.” Now that’s a thought we can all get behind! According to this experienced bartender, the best way to enjoy tequila is to sip it, neat.
“The problem with tequila [is] a lot of them, even the higher-end brands, aren’t 100-percent agave,” cautions Lindsay. Does he have a suggestion for picking out an authentic tequila brand? He shares Corazon Blanco Tequila, a 100-percent agave tequila, is a great value at about $24 a bottle.
Also according to Lindsay, one way to enjoy sipping tequila is to become familiar with the three basic categories of the spirit: blanco (the purest form of tequila), reposado (ideal for sipping and mixing in cocktails) and añejo (offers a refined flavor best enjoyed neat).
“If you want to branch out with tequilas, try mezcal,” he says about taking your tequila enjoyment to the next level. “Technically, all tequila is mezcal. I think the best way to describe mezcal is its tequila’s ‘smoky cousin,’” offers the Greensboro resident.
The Allure Of Summer Whiskey
If you enjoy your whiskey, then know you’re right on the tip of summer 2024 cocktail trends. “Whiskey—that’s hot in the South right now,” affirms the bartending veteran about the distilled liquor’s popularity.
Connoisseurs who enjoy their whiskey neat, or “on the rocks,” are crafting whiskey-sipping bars says Lindsay about the trend. “You will need a bourbon, a rye and a Tennessee whiskey,” he coaches. “You can probably find something decent for all of those for about $20 or less.”
To further expand the whiskey-sipping experience, the pro bartender suggests adding Canadian, Irish or Japanese whiskeys to your bar stock.
If you prefer your whiskey blended in a cocktail, barman Lindsay’s got you. The Juneteenth-inspired cocktail menu he crafted for Missy Lane’s Assembly Room, a world-class jazz club, features two whiskey-based cocktails in line with summer 2024 cocktail trends.
“We combined sake, the traditional Japanese spirit, with Uncle Nearest 1884 for our riff on a whiskey sour,” details Lindsay about a cocktail he dubbed “Yasuke,” which appeared on his Juneteenth cocktail menu.
“Yasuke was the only African American and first non-Japanese samurai, and Uncle Nearest was a formerly enslaved pioneer in distilling Tennessee whiskey. The legacy of both men inspired this cocktail.”
Another whiskey cocktail lovers must try crafted by Lindsay is, “Our Tamarind Old Fashioned combines Durham’s Black-owned Old Hillside Whiskey with tamarind, a fruit native to Africa. The tropical fruit provides a subtle, sweet and sour twist to the traditional Old Fashioned.”
Lindsay’s six-item Juneteenth specialty cocktail menu for Missy Lane’s Assembly Room is available throughout June.
RELATED: Cameron George Leads Ardbeg’s Smoky Whisky Revolution in America
Getting Back to the Taste
“I think we went through this trend where people on the West Coast got into making crazy cocktails and everybody wanted to follow along. And in making those cocktails, people just became focused on the drink. The drink became the show instead of the interaction with the guests,” he observes about the relationship shift between the bartender and patrons regarding serving cocktails outfitted with all the bells and whistles.
With the emergence of vermouth, tequila and whiskey among summer 2024 cocktail trends, now may just be the time to get back to enjoying the nuances and complexities of drinks crafted to be sipped, savored and enjoyed straight, no chaser.
Follow Adrian Lindsay on Instagram and discover some of his creative cocktail recipes here on Cuisine Noir. Visit Missy Lane’s Assembly Room for more information about Adrian Lindsay’s Juneteenth-inspired cocktail menu.
