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Ask the bartender: DC — The 5 hottest summer drinks, according to the hottest local bartenders

We asked in-the-know DC bartenders to share their recipes for making the summer’s hottest drinks at home with alcohol delivery through DoorDash.
doordash flaming youth old fashioned from top
Photograph by Eugene Lee
Written by Rachel Pelz for Time Out in partnership with DoorDash
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Maybe it’s been a long day at the office, or you’re ready to kick back by spending a Saturday night in the comfort of your own home. Whatever the occasion, DoorDash has you covered with alcohol delivery so you can treat yourself in as little as 40 minutes.* Thousands of stores around the country are on the DoorDash platform, including many of your local favorites, so you can treat yourself from a store near you.

So, with summer practically here, let’s get ready for the season’s hottest drinks. We asked five of DC’s coolest bartenders to share their recipes for what they predict will be the drink of the season. When you’re ready to recreate one (or all!) of these refreshing cocktail recipes at home, feel confident and get comfortable knowing that you can get all you need delivered with DoorDash in no time.

Want to get a taste of what you can enjoy at home? On May 30 and 31 from 5–9 pm, DoorDash is kicking off the start of summer with a pop-up event in partnership with Code Red, celebrating great drinks and better company. There’s something for everyone, with an exclusive experience for DashPass members. Make sure to stop in on your way home from work. You’ll be in for a delightful surprise… or two.

Bonus, you’ll find yourself heading off with some special cocktail essentials that will have you making drinks like a pro at your own home bar.

The drink: “Flaming Youth” Old Fashioned*

The drink: “Flaming Youth” Old Fashioned*
The drink: “Flaming Youth” Old Fashioned*
Photograph by Eugene Lee

The bartender: Natalia Alexander
The bar: Code Red, Washington, DC

*This is the featured drink at our May 30 pop-up at Code Red.

At this Prohibition era–inspired bar, historical accuracy is at the base of their cocktail program. “This cocktail is our modern summer twist on the classic and beloved Prohibition era Old Fashioned,” says Natalia, who, as an events manager eight years ago, jumped behind the bar to help out and fell in love with the craft. “A good summer drink hits you with a feeling of nostalgia,” she says. “It could be made with a seasonal fruit, or it immediately transports you back to a summer destination or adventure.” Made with añejo mezcal instead of the classic bourbon (both liquors are aged in oak barrels, giving them a similar richness and complexity), and paired with seasonal tamarind and a spicy chile liqueur, this drink gets lit on fire at Code Red, but you can save the pyrotechnics for the 4th of July when you make it at home.

Ingredients

  • 2 oz añejo mezcal
  • 0.5 oz chile liqueur
  • 0.25 oz fresh tamarind syrup
  • 2 dashes aromatic bitters
  • Large cubed ice
  • Glass: Single Old Fashioned glass (or rocks glass)

Instructions
This cocktail is built in a Single Old Fashioned (or rocks) glass. Add the following ingredients to the glass.

  • Add two dashes of bitters. (Angostura is readily available and should work.)
  • Next, add 2 oz of añejo (aged) mezcal. Alternatively, you can use a reposado or blanc mezcal, and if not available, use tequila.
  • Add .5 oz of chile liqueur. (Ancho Reyes is popular, but any chile liqueur will work.)
  • Add .25 oz of tamarind syrup. (Liquid Alchemist is a popular store-bought brand.) 
  • Add ice. (A big rock ice cube is preferable, but if you don't have it, your refrigerator ice will work just fine.)
  • Stir to properly chill and dilute your cocktail.
  • Lastly, finish with a dehydrated orange slice.

NOTE: If you don’t have access to a chile liqueur or tamarind syrup, you can make a chile/tamarind simple syrup. Simply boil equal parts water and sugar to combine, add some chili peppers and tamarind pods. Reduce to simmer for 20 minutes. Let it sit to cool. You can bottle and use .75 oz of this, and combine steps 3 and 4.

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The drink: Something Blue

The drink: Something Blue
The drink: Something Blue
Photograph by Eugene Lee

The bartender: Darlin Kulla
The bar: The Grill in Washington, DC

Darlin began her career behind the bar as a barback, where she fell in love with hospitality. At The Grill, “one of our core values is that hospitality flows in all directions,” she says, a value that comes to life as she continues to learn from vendors, colleagues and guests. She believes the summer drink should be “fun and eye-catching, since we eat with our eyes first,” but that a truly great drink always has a little complexity after that first refreshing sip. This margarita recipe, a blue-green summer fantasy, starts with blue agave tequila, which works well with the citrus notes in the cocktail. Curaçao and a nutty amaretto, whose cinnamon quality is an unexpected pairing that’s “really complementary to the tequila,” along with fresh-squeezed lime juice, results in a marg with a “great vibe—it doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it has a lot of complexity.”

Ingredients

  • 2 oz blanco tequila
  • 0.5 oz amaretto
  • 0.25 oz blue curaçao
  • 0.75 oz lime juice
  • 0.25 oz demerara sugar syrup
  • Black salt and fresh lime (for garnish)
  • Glass: Single Old Fashioned glass (or rocks glass)

Instructions
This cocktail is shaken. Add the following ingredients to your cocktail shaker.

  • Start by rubbing a lime wedge across the lip of your glass, and dip the rim into a plate of black salt (or salt).
  • Add 2 oz of blanco tequila. (If you have an aged or gold tequila or mezcal, this will work just fine.) 
  • Add .5 oz amaretto to your shaker. Any almond liqueur will work. If you do not have this ingredient, try simple syrup (a solution that is equal parts sugar and water).
  • Add .25 oz of blue curaçao. This is mainly for sweetness and color. If you don’t have any, you can use any other orange curaçao such as Cointreau, triple sec or Grand Marnier.
  • Add .75 oz of fresh lime juice to your shaker. Try your best to get limes and make your own lime juice. If you don’t have a lime available, try a lemon (just not a Meyer lemon).
  • Add .25 oz of demerara syrup. If you don’t have access to demerara sugar, another brown or turbinado sugar will work. In a pinch, plain cane sugar works just fine also.
  • Add ice and shake your ingredients for about 10 seconds.
  • Strain out the ingredients into a glass with fresh ice. (In a pinch, you can dump the ingredients into your rimmed glass.)
  • Garnish with a lime wedge.

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The drink: Piquirroja

The drink: Piquirroja
The drink: Piquirroja
Photograph by Eugene Lee

The bartender: Galvin Medrano
The bar: Toki Underground, Washington, DC

“A good summer drink should be refreshing and repeatable, something that can be enjoyed equally at the pool or a patio in the evening,” says Galvin, who has been a bartender for over seven years. This summer drink recipe was inspired by the refreshing, classic Paloma. “I wanted to find a way to bridge Mexican and Japanese flavors while maintaining the essence of the original cocktail,” he says. The grapefruit and yuzu cordial is paired with tequila and a Mexican amaro made from pomegranates, creating a drink reminiscent of the Paloma while being entirely its own. The Paloma “can be riffed on in so many ways,” says Galvin, “and home bartenders can find themselves inspired to create their own versions after seeing all the different approaches bars in the city take to this classic cocktail.”

Ingredients

  • 1.5 oz tequila blanco
  • 0.5 oz red bitter amaro
  • 1 oz grapefruit-yuzu-vanilla cordial
  • 0.25 oz lime juice
  • Club soda
  • Rosemary sprig
  • Glass: Tom Collins glass

Instructions
This cocktail is shaken. Add the following ingredients to your cocktail shaker.

  • Add 1.5 oz of blanco tequila to your shaker.
  • Add .5 oz of a red bitter amaro. (Popular brands are Campari, Bruto Americano, Martini Bitter.)
  • Add 1 oz grapefruit-yuzu-vanilla cordial. If you do not have this, you can use a simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar) and add a vanilla pod to simmer in mixture for at least 20 minutes.
  • Add .25 oz fresh lime juice to your shaker.
  • Whip/shake with a couple of ice cubes. (*Whipping is shaking your ingredients with a couple of ice cubes to combine, chill, but not over-dilute as you would with a large amount of ice.) You can also do a very short 2 second shake.
  • Pour ingredients into glass. 
  • Top with ice and club soda.
  • Finish with a rosemary sprig garnish.

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The drink: MF ZUCCA

The drink: MF ZUCCA
The drink: MF ZUCCA
Photograph by Eugene Lee

The bartender: Danny Gonzalez
The bar: Maketto, Washington, DC

“Bartending feels like creating art,” says Danny, who has been behind the bar at Maketto for 9 years. The art of a summer drink should “feel timeless, definitely icy cold and refreshing with a little twist,” making it a cool choice on a warm afternoon. This cocktail more than meets the mark, with sweet passionfruit and the refreshing bitterness of amaro coming together to create an easy-drinking summer cocktail. And of course, it’s ice cold, so it’s the perfect choice for a summer get-together or kicking back and relaxing after a long day at work. After all, says Danny, “nothing is better than crushed ice on a hot summer day!”

Ingredients

  • 2 oz spiced rum
  • 0.75 oz passion fruit syrup
  • 0.25 amaro
  • 0.25 lime
  • Crushed ice
  • Cloves (for garnish)
  • Orange (peel for garnish)
  • Glass: Single Old Fashioned glass (or rocks glass)

Instructions
This cocktail is whip/shaken. Add the following ingredients to your cocktail shaker.

  • Add 2 oz of spiced rum to your shaker. Alternatively, you can use what rum you have on hand.
  • Add .75 oz of a passionfruit syrup to your shaker tin. Popular brands include: Small Hands, Liquid Alchemist, Chinola or Monin.
  • Add .25 oz of amaro to your shaker. Amaro is an Italian, bitter liqueur digestivo fortified by many botanicals. Popular brands include: Averna, Montenegro, Ramazotti and Braulio. 
  • Add .25 oz of fresh lime juice.
  • Add a couple of cubes to the shaker and shake hard.
  • Dump into a standard rocks glass or your favorite tiki mug or cup, if you want to have some fun.
  • Top up with crushed ice.
  • Garnish with an orange peel with cloves poked through the skin. This adds a great aroma!

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The drink: Garden Julep

The drink: Garden Julep
The drink: Garden Julep
Photograph by Eugene Lee

The bartender: Jack Zarecky
The bar: St. Anselm, Washington, DC

“My favorite thing about making drinks is making something completely new,” says Jack, who brings his unique twist to summer cocktails with the herbaceous, floral Garden Julep that was inspired by the freshness of his own summer garden. It’s an easy but elevated drink for a home bartender who’s hosting a summer party: “You can whip up a few at a time,” says Jack, “and it’s ideal for those who don’t want to pull out the shakers and strainers.” The Garden Julep has become a staff favorite at St. Anselm, with the warm-weather vibe from the Earl Grey riesling syrup bringing a fresh new twist to a gin-based cocktail.

Ingredients

  • 1.5 oz gin
  • 1 oz of Earl Grey riesling syrup
  • 0.75 oz fresh lemon
  • 3 dashes celery bitters
  • 1 cup granulated sugar (for syrup)
  • Earl Grey tea sprinkle (for garnish)
  • Glass: Julep cup or rocks glass

Instructions
This cocktail is built in your julep cup or rocks glass. Add the following ingredients to your vessel.

  • Add 1.5 oz of gin.
  • Add 1 oz of Earl Grey riesling syrup.*
  • Add .75 oz of fresh lemon juice.
  • Add 3 dashes of celery bitters.
  • Add crushed ice to your vessel with ingredients.
  • Use a spoon to agitate and dilute the cocktail.
  • Add a straw.
  • Mound up crushed ice and sprinkle some Earl Grey on top.

Instructions for Earl Grey riesling syrup

  • Steep 2 bags of Earl Grey tea in 1 cup of riesling for 24 hours.
  • Discard tea bags.
  • Puree riesling in a blender with 1 cup of granulated sugar.

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Whether you’re mixing up a blue margarita made with nutty amaretto and rimmed with black salt; a modern, mezcal-based twist on an Old Fashioned from the Prohibition era; or a garden-inspired julep made with Earl Grey steeped in a glass of Riesling, DoorDash is your door to alcohol delivered fast so you can treat yourself to the summer’s hottest cocktails without leaving home. When ordering with DoorDash, know that alcohol delivery and alcohol sales are permitted in certain states and only to people 21+. And most importantly, please enjoy your summer drinks responsibly!

*Based on average delivery time. Delivery times may vary and are not guaranteed.
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