Even though it may seem like summer doesn't want to quite get here, inevitably it will, and we will turn our complaining from "It's too cold" to "It's too hot."

With the warm sunny days ahead, I went out on the town to see who was serving up some great summertime cocktails.

After surveying a number of restaurants and bars, I came up with a list of five great locations serving some terrific cocktails that are sure to help wile away the hot, sticky days ahead. I asked the people responsible for the cocktails which drink they thought was the ideal summer quaffer. Who better to tell you what to drink than the people who work hard to create and execute the following tasty libations?

Here is the list:

Branded at the Iron Horse Hotel
500 W. Florida St.
The "Apple Jacque"
A play off the old "Apple Jack" in all it various forms, this clever concoction marries the rustic with the modern. That is the intent, according to resident mixologist Dustin Drankiewicz (and yes that is his actual title). He told me in an interview that he designs all the cocktails at Branded around the look and feel of the hotel, but with a focus on seasonally fresh ingredients. The Apple Jacque is an original creation consisting of Granny Smith apple-infused Sazerac Rye, Canton Ginger Liqueur, lemon juice, Barrett's Ginger Beer and freshly muddled ginger root and basil. Shaken well and poured over ice, this is one well-crafted cocktail. You should definitely stop in to see him and beg him for the recipe. Dustin rolls out the new summer cocktail menu at Branded this weekend.

Bryant's
1579 S 9th St.
Moscow Mule/Mai Tai
John Dye bought Bryant's in the last year and carried on the torch of this Milwaukee fixture. He has brought a little new life to the famed establishment, but maintains the classic and timeless nature of the extraordinary cocktail list. They even feature a 5-9 happy hour with half-price Old Fashioneds and Depression-era drinks. With more than 450 cocktails to chose from, when I asked him to chose the ONE that he thought was the best summer time drink to have at Bryant's, he literally said, "Oh, God."

How to even begin to chose? Well, I will report his first choice -- "The Moscow Mule," which is a great classic featuring vodka (preferably Russian), lime juice and ginger beer. Sometimes, a dash of bitters is added, but you will have to visit Bryant's and ask John yourself. The reason that I mentioned his initial choice is that the cocktail he went with to best represent a summer drink at Bryant's was the Mai Tai. While he would not divulge the exact ingredients of Bryant's version, he indicated that they make the "traditional layered" version with dark/light/and 151 rums. This classic is "Tall, refreshing, but still a little heady," very in keeping with the bevy of hurricane-style drinks that dominate the Bryant's list.

John standing on the merits of the Mai Tai allowed that last bit of this column to turn into a little bit of a challenge. You see, the last establishment that I spoke with was none other than ...

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3 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review.

Recent Talkbacks ...

Posted by college_dave on June 6, 2009 at 12:35 p.m. (report)

Nice pic. of Evan.

Posted by more_cowbell on June 6, 2009 at 9:23 a.m. (report)

"Depression Era Drinks"? Correct me if I'm wrong, but Isn't wine a 6,000 BC era drink? And Whiskey a Middle age drink?

Posted by BigJ on June 5, 2009 at 2:08 p.m. (report)

Anything that D puts together at Branded is definitely worth trying. It's nice to have a place to get real cocktails somewhere in the city. As far as the Mai Tais go, it's gotta be Foundation by a landslide. Not to take away from Bryants and their excellent bartenders, but the traditional Mai Tai with fresh limes and quality rum is hard to beat. Good article, but we all do well to not have to read about another "-tini" with some lame flavored vodka. Cheers.