Cocktailing with friends: On Summertime Fine, batch cocktails and Malibu Beach
The hubbies took the wives and kids out to the beach to enjoy some sunshine and to sip mightily on a Summertime Fine cocktail.
I try hard to not take the fact that I live near the Pacific Ocean for granted.
When my wife (then girlfriend) and I moved to Los Angeles from Oakland back in 2017, it was one of the big selling points in the relocation. Yes, I was landing a job in the industry (sports media) I want to work in. And yes, I was able to live in a climate with warmer weather (for you non-Californians, the Bay Area can be hoodie/jacket weather for 6-8 months) throughout the year. However, living a 15-minute drive away from the sandy shores at Dockweiler, Manhattan Beach, Venice and Santa Monica?
“We’re going to the beach, like now,” my future fiancee proclaimed, as soon as we moved into our apartment.
These days, finding the time and energy to decompress from the week is a chore of its own. Having an infant in your life, plus both parents striving for success at the day gig means that making it to the end of the week is a victory in itself.
Paul, one of my best friends and someone I look to for nerdy inspiration and exploration when it comes to cocktails and spirits, is always looking for a reason to hang out. He has two sons, and I have one, so fatherhood is always an ongoing topic. So are the constant debates of who is better in UFC history, like Kamaru Usman or Georges St-Pierre. (It’ll eventually be Usman. Sorry GSP.) Most importantly, devising plans to keep our wives (who are friends) happy so our lives can sustainably be happy, is also an ongoing focus.
“We should all go to the beach, like now,” I proclaimed, after exhaustively debating the resume of the two best middleweights in UFC history.
Our beach options have changed a bit since moving to Los Angeles. Once residents in the core of L.A., we now reside in The Valley. Therefore, our destination was the Malibu coast and Leo Carrillo State Beach.
Bringing babies to the beach means bringing an absurd amount of equipment, toys and other things just in case shit happens. It’s like preparing for a doomsday scenario, carrying things in a wagon and on your back, all while walking around in flip-flops and being slathered or sprayed in sunscreen.
However, the most important thing I knew I’d need to bring was the libation. Something light and easy to prepare. Palatable for the wives and hubbies, all while walking the line between refreshing and substantive.
My choice was a riff on friend of the program Kurt Maitland’s Summer Citrus cocktail. The Summertime Fine is three parts bourbon to one part each of honey syrup, lemon juice and grapefruit juice. I made a batch cocktail to take to the beach, as I added all the ingredients into a 32-ounce thermos and brought along a protein shake shaker (with the little wire ball thing in it). Once at the beach, I poured the batch mixture into the shaker and added ice.
After some aggressive shaking, I filled up our beach cups with ice and poured accordingly.
The wives were pleased. The boys were calm (for just a few short minutes). The men continued to debate. All while the waves crashed behind us. Yep, lugging all that stuff to the beach was absolutely worth it.
Recipe: Summertime Fine
Serve: An old fashioned or rocks glass
Garnish: Lemon twist
Ingredients:
1.5 oz — Maker’s Mark 46 (or any bourbon you prefer for cocktails)
0.5 oz — honey syrup (two parts honey to one part water)
0.5 oz — lemon juice
0.5 oz — grapefruit juice
Two dashes of Angostura bitters
Make: Place all ingredients in a mixing glass filled with ice and shake. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with a lemon twist.
This cocktail was inspired by Kurt Maitland’s “Summer Citrus”, but with the ratios tweaked to elevate the grapefruit juice and choosing a higher proof bourbon to make this a more spirit-forward drink. Consider going to 1.25 ounces bourbon or a lighter proof bourbon to tone it down a bit.
On batching cocktails:
Unless you’re adding fresh ingredients (like mint, fruit, etc.) you can really have fun with batching large amounts of a cocktail
I made eight servings of this drink the morning of our trip: 12 ounces of bourbon, 4 ounces of honey syrup, 4 ounces of lemon juice, 4 ounces of grapefruit juice and 16 dashes of bitters.
We packed these drinks in a cooler, but I packed separate ice in a different container so it would hold up in a glass. It’s optional, but it can make a difference.
Oh, and if you think this is an egregious use of this platform to show off my beautiful wife, kid and friends…well, you’re damn right it is. Cheers.
ADDITIONAL READING: Cocktailing with friends — On the Gold Rush, Lake Tahoe and couples trips
LOVE IT! The family and the drink. That will be my next cocktail
Nice!