Drinks for a Summer Sunday

Tim Stover's version of the Orange Crush is very different than what you'll find on the Eastern Shore, but it's still refreshing on a hot summer day. (Fritz Hahn)

After yesterday's dramatic thunderstorms, some friends and I were happy to spend Sunday afternoon and evening outdoors, barhopping around Adams Morgan. Despite the low humidity, I was still looking forward to a summer cocktail or two, so it was nice to run into one-time Bartender of the Month Tim Stover at Cashion's. Tim's usually found slinging drinks in Indebleu's upscale Tantra Lounge, but he told me he enjoys the laidback, DJ- and dress-code-free atmosphere at Cashion's on Sundays. I can see why.

In the hopes of having something new, I told Tim to pick my drinks. He delivered these, which you can ask for the next time you find yourself at Indebleu or Cashion's. I recommend both, for different reasons.

The Orange Crush ($9)
Anyone who's been to the Eastern Shore beaches is familiar with the Orange Crush, which several places, including Ocean City's Harborside and Dewey Beach's Lighthouse, claim as their own. It's a cheery mix of vodka and triple sec topped with the juice of a fresh-squeezed orange and a shot of soda, usually Sprite. One sip always reminds me of sea and sand. This Orange Crush has little in common with the cocktail from the other side of the Chesapeake Bay, and it's even more simple: Hanger One's Mandarin Blossom vodka and Fanta orange soda, fresh out of the bar's soda gun. The Hanger One is made by infusing vodka with flowers from orange trees, and soft flavors add a really nice contrast to the syrupy Fanta. (If you're trying this at home, don't go overboard with the orange soda, because you want to taste the vodka.)

Mint Lemonade ($10)
Now that's Bacardi's turned "Do the Mojito" into a national advertising campaign, it's time to say the Cuban cocktail has joined the appletini and the cosmo in The Place Overhyped Cocktails Go to Die. (Don't get me wrong -- I love a well-made mojito. It's just most bartenders have no idea how to do it properly.) The new take, from Indebleu, keeps a similar mint/lime flavor profile, but ditches the rum in favor of Belvedere's Cytrus vodka, which is one of the most balanced lemon/lime vodkas I've tasted. With touches of Rose's Lime Juice and fresh rose water, Mint Lemonade tastes more like something you'd drink at a Southern garden party -- or heck, the Kentucky Derby -- than a Caribbean party cocktail. By the time Sunday afternoon rolls around, that's usually just what I'm looking for.

-- Fritz