When it’s 10 p.m. and the grass is still steaming, you need something tropical and clean to revive you, without the hard work of a frozen froufrou drink. A straightforward grown-up cocktail is in order.
Infused vodkas are simple, require a minimum of planning, and far outshine the shelves of flavored vodkas available. Two of the best and most versatile are ginger-infused and grapefruit-infused.
For the ginger infusion, peel and slice a 2- to 3-inch piece of fresh ginger into chunks and submerge it in a 750-milliter bottle of your favorite vodka. Place in the refrigerator and let sit 4-5 days, shaking occasionally.
To infuse the grapefruit flavor, carefully peel the rind from an entire grapefruit with a vegetable peeler (impress your friends and family by doing so in one continuous piece — you’ll have to point this out to them frequently), and proceed as above.
How to drink it? Ice-cold and neat — that’s the best way. Or you can get fancy:
Lime-Ginger Martini (serves one)
2 ounces of ginger vodka
Juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon of simple sugar syrup
Shake ingredients with ice and strain into glass. Garnish with a lime twist.
Grapefruit and Blood-Orange Cocktail (serves one)
2 ounces of grapefruit vodka
Scant « ounce of Cointreau or triple sec
Splash of blood-orange juice
Splash of sparkling water
Shake vodka, Cointreau and juice together with ice and strain into glass. Top with a splash of sparkling (carbonated) water. Garnish with an orange slice.