Last sips of summertime
I was introduced to this concoction by my friend and client, Rainbow – excellent cook, generous hostess, avid cocktail fan, and self-described hippie.
We sipped a few dozen of these on her front porch recently, and I decided to alter the ingredients a bit. The original recipe, called the Sophia, includes club soda, but to my taste that dilutes the other flavors too much. So I'm eliminating the soda and calling it the Rainbow.
This is a lovely little drink for the dog days as we slide into the softer weather of early fall. Gin, always the best cocktail base, combines with Aperol (slightly bitter) and St. Germain (rather sweet) for a soft and soothing sip. A splash of lemon adds balance and tops it off.
Rainbow
- 1 ounce gin
- 1½ ounce Aperol
- ½ ounce St. Germain
- ½ ounce fresh lemon juice
Combine all the ingredients and shake ‘til it’s good and cold. You can serve it straight up, the way I like it, or over ice in a highball glass, the way Rainbow does. Once you taste it, you're going to want at least one more round, so you can try it both ways!
Mix up a Rainbow and bid a sweet farewell to sticky summer weather.