Cool Summer Drinks

Jason and Joy share their favorite hot-weather sips

Restaurant recommendations from MnMo food critics Jason DeRusha and Joy Summers.


Jason’s Picks

Most of summer, I’m drinking rosé and Indeed Shenanigans, but as the red-hot weather winds down, I find myself savoring cocktails that help me hang on to the season, one sip at a time.

Paradisi at Tattersall: I drink a lot of gin and there’s no better version than the one made by the uber-popular Minneapolis distillery Tattersall. Theirs is cucumber-infused with a grapefruit–pink peppercorn tonic. (Northeast Minneapolis)

Cobra Kai at Strip Club Meat & Fish: Rum is having a moment, as they say. And the Cobra Kai is one of my all-time favorite cocktails: Its blend of spiced rum, habanero bitters, and lemon/lime housemade sour creates perfection. (Dayton’s Bluff, St. Paul)

summer cocktails, best bets, tattersall, paradisi
Tattersall’s Paradisi

Photo by TJ Turner


Joy’s Picks

Is there anything as sexy as an ice-filled, clouded glass, slowly sweating in the summer heat? There is no better way to beat the hottest days.

Horchata at Sandcastle: I didn’t know how much I loved horchata until just a couple of years ago. Now I count the days until Lake Nokomis’s seasonal cafe concession starts pouring this creamy, cold rice-milk drink with just a hint of cinnamon. I love to spike it with a little Peace Coffee. (Lake Nokomis)

Gimlet at Nightingale: This sweet Lyndale eatery has been consistently pouring some of my favorite cocktails since opening their doors nearly four years ago. August is the perfect time to dive into a tall glass of Old Tom gin laced with sweet, tart lemongrass-ginger syrup. It tastes like a cool summer breeze. (Lyn-Lake)