Ready for Their Close-Up: Try 5 Glamorous Hamptons Cocktail Recipes

“Here’s to alcohol, the rose-colored glasses of life.”

We believe great American novelist and noted tippler F. Scott Fitzgerald was onto something there. It’s well-known that Zelda’s husband preferred gin to whiskey, but that didn’t stop him from indulging in either/or.

We also believe that if you’re going to settle in with a tipple (or two) to take the edge off and live your best life, a la Jay Gatsby, the artisanal cocktail is the most glamorous way to whisk you away to your happy place.

It’s safe to say we’ve tested the alchemy of some notable Hamptons mixologists this summer, many of whom are raising the bar of local cocktail culture by creating vibrant new additions, or reimagining the classics of the canon with creative concoctions that would probably have made quite the impression on the Lost Generation.

Here we present a few stunners that caught our attention.

HAMPTONS COCKTAIL RECIPES

The Tzatziki Margarita

Available at Greek-inspired Talya, this margarita remix blends Patrón Silver and Metaxa 7 Stars, a Greek brandy, with refreshing Vita Coco coconut water, cucumber, dill, mint, and lemon juice and is served frozen. While not as straightforward to make at home, it’s a standout margarita worth a try for the unique and light flavors!

Ingredients:

2 btl Patrón Silver
1 btl Metaxa 7 Stars
1 l Vita Coco Original
1 l cucumber puree
½ l lemon juice
½ l dill & mint syrup
100 ml agave nectar
20 g citric acid

Instructions:

Build, use big rock glass, served as slushee. Garnished with a rim of tzatziki salt, mint sprigs and a dehydrated lemon wheel.

Prep:

For 1 liter of dill & mint syrup, parboil fresh dill and mint and infuse in hot 50/50 simple syrup for 1 hour.

For tzatziki salt, use 200g of salt mixed with 100g of palm coconut sugar, 5g of dry dill, 5g of dry mint, 2 dehydrated lemons.

Grey Garden

Crafted as an homage to the captivating eccentricity of Big and Little Edie, the former residents of the iconic Grey Gardens house in East Hampton, this signature cocktail from Rosie’s in Amagansett embodies their whimsical spirit. A blend of pineapple, cilantro, basil, mint, jalapeño, and lime, it’s served elegantly served in a rock glass with a grey salt rim and vvailable either as a mocktail or a cocktail.

Ingredients:

2.5oz garden juice/verdita mix (green juice made of Pineapple Mint, Basil, Jalapeño)
1.5oz mezcal
.25oz green ancho reyes
.25oz Sagaponack Aquavit
.25oz simple syrup

Instructions:

Shake and strain

Grey salt half rim with rocks

Garnish with dry pineapple

Pina Coco Margarita 

Created for Rita Cantina by beverage director and head of operations Adam Miller and head bartender Diego Rivera, the coastal Mexican eatery in Springs offers a stunning array of cocktails inspired by tequila and mezcal.

Ingredients (makes: 1 pitcher)

250 grams sugar
270 grams lime juice
500 grams Lakewood/fresh pineapple
800 grams toasted coconut cazadores
1,000 grams Harmless Harvest coconut water
500 grams Goya unsweetened coconut milk

Method:

Combine all ingredients except coconut milk on stove, cook until sugar is incorporated

Put in pitcher and add coconut milk and stir

Let sit 2 hours

Pour over 200-micron superbag / cheesecloth until curd stabilizes and you are dripping clear

Let gravity do the rest

For the toasted coconut Cazadores.

Ingredients:

1,000 grams Cazadores Blanco
50 grams toasted coconut flake

Method

Toast coconut in pan or sheet tray until lightly brown

Combine in a large vacuum bag. Seal

Cook at 145°F for 2 hours

Put in ice bath

Filter through mesh strainer and put in freezer overnight

Strain again through mesh strainer

Ready to use

The Firebird

We wrote about Chelse bistro Loulou’s debut pop-up in the Hamptons earlier this summer. Indulge in the vibrant flavors of summer with a sensational Firebird cocktail from Loulou La Plage’s famed mixologists.

This tantalizing drink comes in bird-shaped glassware, and they’ve also added a touch of hibiscus to elevate the sophistication.

Ingredients:

Patron Silver tequila
the zesty kick of Cointreau
splash of tangy lime juice
hibiscus

The Lake Como 

A refreshing and flavorful drink perfect for a summer afternoon, Moby’s Lake Como gets inspiration from Italian grape orchards and the country’s famously light spritzes.

 Ingredients:

1 oz Lillet Rose
0.5 oz Saint Germain Elderflower liquor
0.5 oz grape juice
5 drops orange blossom water
2 oz prosseco

Garnish:

frozen grapes
lemon wheel

Instructions: 

Build directly in a glass. Highball recommended, but a wine glass can also work in a pinch. Put all the ingredients in a highball glass, top it up with ice. Garnish with the frozen grapes and lemon wheel.