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A beginner’s guide to the city’s best heat-beating drinks

Summer cocktails

By CASSANDRA LANDRY | June 8, 2012

Lavender Moon at Park

There are only two things that make us feel better when our legs stick to the seats on the T, or when a five-minute walk down the street leaves us drenched with sweat in the most embarrassing places. First, that initial blast of sweet, sweet air conditioning when you enter a building. Second, a frosty summer cocktail.

We have no shortage of killer bartenders in this city, all armed with polished and high-caliber menus for you to choose from. No clue where to begin? Here's a modest starter kit. Pick your poison, wipe off your brow, and find your way to any one of these watering holes for the best heat-wave relief money can buy.

Gin

During the winter months, we all crave something packed with spice and warmth. For the city's bartending Jedis, that means infusing everything with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, or clove. Call us fickle, but the second it's too warm to keep our jackets on past noon, all we want is fresh plant life in our glass. Call it vicarious photosynthesis, if you will. One of the best new examples of this is the LAVENDER MOON ($10) from Harvard Square's latest lounge-y addition, Park. As any gin aficionado will tell you, Greylock gin, St. Germain elderflower liqueur, and lemon are already pretty solid playmates. New to the playground is lavender rose honey syrup, which swoops in and elevates the floral notes to fresh-cut-stems-at-the-farmer's-market status.

HONORABLE MENTION It's hard to choose just one must-have drink from the list at Eastern Standard, but the BLUEBERRY THRILL ($10) is a tell- everyone-you-know kind of cocktail. Blueberry gin and lemon are natural bedfellows, but a dose of cardamom simple syrup launches it into heavenly territory. Careful, it goes down like a juice box if you're not paying attention.

PARK | 59 JFK St, Cambridge | 617.491.9851 | parkcambridge.com

EASTERN STANDARD | 528 Comm Ave, Boston | 617.532.9100 | easternstandardboston.com

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