7 cool drinks to help you get through this hot Charlotte summer
Have you ever sat down and truly relished a drink? Made a plan to go try a specific one, plunked onto a seat with it, utterly alone, sipped it and considered it? I just did that for the first time at BLT Steak uptown and it was kind of weird — but also excellent.
I had been told they were experimenting with kombucha cocktails and I needed to see what the fuss was about. I liked that there was still some mystery to it in my mind — it hadn’t yet flooded my Instagram feed like those Prosecco popsicle drinks from the new City Lights rooftop bar. (I get it, people, I get it.)
Anyway, I got cozy on a barstool after work at BLT at the Ritz-Carlton and watched one of the kombucha creations designed by head bartender Greg Moore materialize before me. All general manager Scott Daniel said to me about the drink before he left me in peace to sip on it was: “It’s very palate-cleansing on the finish.” And ends on savory notes.
To me, it was a zing of lime on my tongue, a gentle fizz of bubbles and a smooth sweep of citrus backed by gin.
That drink, plus six other cool (and not all alcoholic) beverages that will help you get through the heat of the summer:
(1) 1.21 Ginawatts at BLT Steak
Muddled strawberry, basil, Death Door Gin, St. Germaine, simple syrup, Lenny Boy Lost Rose Kombucha. $16 at BLT Steak, 110 N College St.
(2) Iced White Mocha at Mugs Coffee
Ghirardelli White Chocolate Syrup, espresso, whole milk (I subbed in soy) and ice. Tastes like a creamy, melted cookies-and-cream bar. $3.19 for a small at Mugs Coffee, 5126 Park Road, Ste 1D.
(3) Watermelon soda at Hart’s Soda Shop
Made from fresh watermelon pieces blended together and mixed with fresh lime juice and Cloister Honey to sweeten. I taste-tested this at the Charlotte Food Fight. $3.50 for 16 oz from Hart’s Soda Shop bus. Track them down here.
Don’t worry, this is merely a sample size.
(4) Signature Sangria at Hot Taco
Red wine blend, peach schnapps, cranberry, OJ and a splash of soda. Because something sweet is crucial with salty chips. And the ingredients are simple enough that I feel I could be inspired to try this at home without ruining it. $7 at Hot Taco, 200 E. Bland St.
(5) Lemonade at Living Kitchen
A simple glass of sweetness made with fresh lemons and agave, good with something spicy. My coworker Theoden Janes said it tastes like lemon meringue pie. $5 at Living Kitchen, 2000 S. Blvd.
(6) Watermelon Limeade Mimosa at The Common Market
Simonet Sparkling Wine splashed with Rykoff Sexton Watermelon Limeade. (Or, if you’re lucky, the limited-supply Honeyspark Blueberry Juice from Charleston at the South End location.) $5 at The Common Market, 1515 S. Tryon St. or 2007 Commonwealth Ave.
(7) Kombucha/juice suicide at The Common Market
I inadvertently stumbled upon this option while at The Common Market as well — and had to include it. Request a suicide mix of kombucha and juice (the house-made Neat Beet or Supreme Green) plus Lenny Boy Kombucha at the South End spot or Buchi Kombucha at Plaza Midwood. Mine was made with Dry Hops Lenny Boy Kombucha, Watermelon Limeade, Neat Beet and Supreme Green. It had a sweet, earthy finish. $4 for a small (just the price of the juice you choose) at The Common Market, 1515 S. Tryon St. or 2007 Commonwealth Ave.
Go out and get a cool drink, cool down. No matter what you order, don’t forget to sit down with it, sip in the experience of it.
What else should I try? Tweet me @katietoussaint.
Photos: Katie Toussaint
This story was originally published July 6, 2016 at 1:00 AM with the headline "7 cool drinks to help you get through this hot Charlotte summer."