Summer Fun: Cocktails To Celebrate The Season

Summary

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All Of It – Summer Fun: Cocktails To Celebrate The Season

Host: Kerry Nolan (guest host for Alison Stewart)
Guest: Mary Frances Heck, former Senior Editor at Food & Wine Magazine
Date: July 5, 2024

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the art and enjoyment of summer cocktails—both classic and inventive—perfect for warm weather gatherings. Host Kerry Nolan is joined by food writer Mary Frances Heck, who shares expert advice on building a summer home bar, refreshing low- or no-alcohol drinks, and the simple pleasure of enjoying icy beverages alfresco with friends and family. The episode is peppered with listener questions, practical recipes, and tips to make the most of summer sipping, whether at a backyard BBQ, picnic, or rooftop soirée.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Essence of a Summer Cocktail

• Refreshing, Icy, and Relaxing
  • Mary Frances Heck [02:34]:
    “In the summer, I'm always looking for an icy cold beverage that is going to primarily refresh and then offer a little bit of relaxation and fun too.”
• Icy coldness is essential; a drink should cool you off first and add a bit of festivity.

Classic & Creative Flavor Combinations

• Arnold Palmer Riff
  • Classic Arnold Palmer: half iced tea, half lemonade.
  • For a cocktail: add vodka for a neutral finish, or bourbon for richness.
  • Mary Frances Heck [02:54]:
    “You can add to it vodka or even bourbon, which could be a great addition.”
• Vodka acts as a base for fruit-forward and bright mixers, while bolder spirits like bourbon or dark rum shine against strong flavors like tea or citrus.

Stocking a Summer Bar

• Ice is the Unsung Hero
  • Keep a variety—crushed, regular cubes, large slow-melting cubes.
  • Mary Frances Heck [04:11]:
    “One of the most important components of making drinks in the summer is ice.”
• Sparkling mixers, club soda, flavored sodas (e.g., San Pellegrino Limonata/Aranciata), and fresh juices help lengthen and lighten spirits for day drinking.
• Notably, less-sweet mixers let you enjoy more than one cocktail.

Twists on Classics & Lighter Alternatives

• White Port & Tonic
  • Lower ABV than most spirits; offers a wine-like drink with a botanical twist.
  • Mary Frances Heck [05:46]:
    “If you like gin and tonic, why not try a white port and tonic which offers a little bit lighter alcohol and a lighter, more open flavor?”
  • Mix: White port, tonic, ice, lemon or lime twist—refreshing and not as boozy as standard cocktails.
  • Details on white port’s ABV [06:35]: "White port is going to be a little bit stronger than wine ... typically around 17 or 18% alcohol. So adding a little tonic or club soda ... makes for a nice, generous 10 to 12 oz cocktail.”

When to Let the Professionals Mix

• Bar vs. Home
  • Professional cocktail bars often use freshly-squeezed juices and perfect their ratios.
  • Margarita or daiquiri, though simple, tastes elevated by expert technique.
  • Mary Frances Heck [07:39]:
    “When you go out and get a perfectly prepared margarita from a bartender who really knows what they're doing... there's nothing better.”

Pina Colada—Lighter, Non-Alcoholic Options

• Low-Cal, Alcohol-Free “Fresh Pina Colada”
  • Blend unsweetened coconut milk, fresh or frozen pineapple, a touch of brown sugar, lime juice, and vanilla extract. Optional: add rum.
  • Mary Frances Heck [08:46]: “It uses coconut milk, just like from the can that you might use for cooking, which is unsweetened, and then fresh or frozen pineapple ... with a little bit of light brown sugar, a little bit of lime juice and ... vanilla extract.”

Listener Q&A: Gin, Non-Alc Options, & Ice in Wine

• Gin Without “Christmas” Notes
  • Suggests lighter, less-juniper-forward gins (e.g., Hendrick’s).
  • Recommends Pimm’s Cup for summery botanical flavors, lower alcohol, fruit and cucumber garnishes.
  • Mary Frances Heck [10:04]: “I still love like a Hendrick gin, which is going to have a lighter botanical. And then I also would recommend trying something like a Pimm's cup ... cut with a lot of fruit and it's a little bit brighter.”
• Creative Non-Alc & Low-Alc Drinks
  • Add fino sherry to club soda and lime for an aromatic touch.
  • Use cordials (like El Guapo’s rose or lime) with ice and water or soda for festive, non-alcoholic sips.
  • Mary Frances Heck [12:16]: “If you're open to a very low alcohol cocktail, I recommend adding Fino sherry to the club soda and the squeeze of lime. ... Cordials ... are really flavorful ... with ice and cold water or club soda.”
• Ice in Sparkling Wine Cocktails?
  • Purists avoid ice in premium wine, but it’s welcome in spritzes and sangria-like drinks.
  • Mary Frances Heck [13:29]: “If you're using wine in a cocktail or sparkling wine in a cocktail, absolutely add ice. I think that's part of ... refreshing and enjoying your drink.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Ice is the most important bar ingredient for summer! Keep a big bag in the freezer, with a few shapes for flexibility.”
  —Mary Frances Heck [04:11]
• “Lengthen hard alcohol with club soda or flavored sodas—they’re less sweet and more refreshing.”
  —Mary Frances Heck [04:45]
• On the joy of bar-made classics:
  “There’s nothing better to me than a perfectly prepared margarita from a bartender who really knows what they’re doing.”
  —Mary Frances Heck [07:39]
• On fresh takes:
  “It’s like white wine with a twist.”
  —Mary Frances Heck, on white port and tonic [05:46]
• On low-cal or non-alc pina colada:
  “It's incredibly flavorful, really fun, and I promise you can have two.”
  —Mary Frances Heck [09:41]
• On summer gin:
  “I love sort of juniper forward gin when the weather's cold in certain drinks, but during the summer it can be a little overpowering.”
  —Mary Frances Heck [10:09]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:34 – What makes a great summer cocktail?
• 02:54 – Arnold Palmer cocktail riffs with vodka or bourbon
• 04:11 – The importance of different types of ice; home bar essentials
• 05:46 – White port and tonic as a lower-alcohol option
• 07:39 – On the magic of a well-made classic cocktail at a professional bar
• 08:46 – Healthier, alcohol-free pina colada recipe
• 10:04 – Gin recommendations for summer, Pimm’s Cup explained
• 12:16 – Non-alcoholic and low-alcohol alternatives for cocktail lovers
• 13:29 – Is it okay to put ice in sparkling wine cocktails?

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Summary Table: Summer Cocktail Suggestions

| Drink/Approach | Key Ingredients | Alcohol Content | Why It Works for Summer | |-------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------|----------------------|-------------------------------------| | Arnold Palmer Cocktail | Iced tea, lemonade, vodka/bourbon | Medium/Variable | Classic refreshment, easy twists | | White Port & Tonic | White port, tonic, citrus | Low | Light, wine-like, not too strong | | “Fresh” Pina Colada (non-alc option) | Coconut milk, pineapple, lime, vanilla | None or Rum | Lower sugar, dairy-free, customizable| | Gin/Pimm’s Cup | Pimm’s, gin (opt.), fruit, cucumber | Low | Botanical flavor without heavy juniper | | Fino Sherry Spritz | Fino sherry, club soda, lime| Very Low | Aromatic, festive, easy | | Club Soda + Cordials (zero-proof) | Cordials (e.g. rose/lime), club soda | None | “Cocktail feel”; flavor no alcohol | | Wine Spritz/Sparkling Sangria | Bubbles, triple sec, fruit | Variable | Crowd-pleaser, adaptable, refreshing|

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Closing Vibe

The episode’s spirit is all about accessibility and creativity—refreshing drinks that are easy to make, not too sweet or strong, and always perfect for sharing under the summer sun. Whether you’re a cocktail connoisseur or just looking for a festive non-alcoholic treat, the suggestions and recipes shared by Mary Frances Heck encourage listeners to experiment, enjoy, and raise a glass to the season.

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Transcript

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[Mary Frances Heck]

Welcome to McDonald's. Can I take your order?

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[Kerry Nolan]

You're listening to all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart and we are back with more conversations about how to make the most of summer. Now we'll hear about summer cocktails with Mary Frances Heck, the former senior editor at Food and Wine magazine. Guest host Kerry Nolan talked with her about what kinds of drinks are good for the warm season and celebrate the chance to enjoy ourselves and each other's company in the nice weather outside. Whether it's a picnic in the park or a cookout, or maybe you're grabbing drinks on a rooftop bar somewhere. And listeners, you will hear some people calling in on the phones. But because this is an all of it encore presentation, we won't be able to take you your calls today. So let's get into it. To kick us off, Carrie asked Mary Frances what she looks for in a summer cocktail.

[Mary Frances Heck]

Definitely temperature. In the summer. I'm always looking for an icy cold beverage that is going to primarily refresh and then offer a little bit of relaxation and fun too.

[Host (possibly Alison Stewart)]

Give us some classic flavor combinations that you particularly like.

[Mary Frances Heck]

One of my favorites is a riff on an Arnold Palmer. And to that you could add and Arnold Palmer, of course, is half iced tea and half lemonade. And you can add to it vodka or even bourbon, which could be a great addition to it.

[Host (possibly Alison Stewart)]

Bourbon sounds like an interesting twist on that, especially because vodka seems to be in just about everything because it has no flavor on its own.

[Mary Frances Heck]

Yeah, vodka can sort of be hiding behind other big flavors, and I think that's one of the reasons why we find it in so many summer cocktails. It's really great with fruit and it can showcase really other fresh other flavors, while something with a little bit richer flavor like bourbon or dark rum, you're always going to taste it. And so looking for those complementary flavors, such as sweet tea or lemon or lime goes really, really well.

[Host (possibly Alison Stewart)]

If we're stocking a bar for the summer season where you should probably have started already, but there's a lot of summer out in front of us, what are some basics that you would like to see on a well stocked bar?

[Mary Frances Heck]

Well, I think one of the most important components of making drinks in the summer is ice. And so I always love to keep a big bag of ice in my freezer, whether that's purchased or cubes that I've. And I like to have a couple of shapes too. So some crushed ice or ice cubes or some of those larger cubes that aren't going to take, that are not going to melt as quickly as standard sort of fridge cubes. I love adding a few of those to, you know, a goblet and then adding white wine and club soda for really refreshing drink before dinner. And that gets to bubbles too. So I think that having a handful of mixers on hand, juices, club soda, and even some of those wonderful San Pellegrino, Orontiata or Lemonada sodas can add a ton of flavor. Yeah. And they, and they kind of lengthen out hard alcohol into a longer, refreshing drink. And I think those are great to have during the summer.

[Host (possibly Alison Stewart)]

They're also not terribly sweet, which I think is a plus when you're having a cocktail or two. You don't want that high sugar content.

[Mary Frances Heck]

That's right. Yeah.

[Host (possibly Alison Stewart)]

Most people are familiar with classic cocktails like the margarita, the Mojito, the Aperol spritz that I mentioned before, that had its moment in the sun before we all got shut down. But it might be good to try something different and find a new favorite. So are there any new drinks that you've had recently or new approaches to classic cocktails that you can recommend.

[Mary Frances Heck]

You know, I love a classic cocktail, but I love when they sort of have a twist. And so for example, if you like gin and tonic, why not try a white port and tonic which offers a little bit lighter alcohol and a sort of lighter, more open flavor. So white port being a non aromatized wine and just having a lovely sort of, it's like white wine with a twist. And so it adds a really great depth to a cocktail without as much booze, which I think is something people are looking for in the summer as well.

[Host (possibly Alison Stewart)]

Absolutely. Now let's go back to white port for a minute. You just sort of intrigued me on this one. Is it a fortified wine like so go ahead.

[Mary Frances Heck]

Oh, go ahead. Let me recommend. So I love a wares white port. It's when you mix it with tonic and some ice cubes and like a twist of lemon or lime. What you have is a cocktail that's going to have about, about as much alcohol as a standard glass of wine. So yeah, white port is going to be a little bit stronger than wine which will clock in typically between 10 and 15%. So it's gonna be a little bit higher, I think typically around 17 or 18% alcohol. So adding a little bit of tonic or club soda to it will lengthen that out and not quite so alcoholic, which makes, makes for a nice sort of generous 10 to 12 ounce cocktail then.

[Host (possibly Alison Stewart)]

Now, Mary Frances, we've talked about making drinks, but now the bars and restaurants are open again. There are a lot of different spots to explore and try something new. What's an old reliable that you can't go wrong with ordering when you're out or you know, or are there, are there drinks that are best left to the professionals?

[Mary Frances Heck]

You know, I think that's a great question. I think one of the things you'll find at great quality cocktail bars and restaurants with great bars is that they're squeezing all of the juice fresh every day. And so when you go out and order something, something like a classic margarita or a daiquiri, you are going to get something that is prepared very freshly and by somebody who really knows what they're doing. And I think that while those drinks seem like simple ones that you can make at home, when you go out and get a perfectly prepared margarita from a bartender who really knows what they're doing, they take a lot of care with, you know, maybe adding salt to part of the rim and dialing in the ratio perfectly. There's nothing better to me we just.

[Host (possibly Alison Stewart)]

Got a message via Twitter. I love pina coladas, but they're like 4,000 calories. Is there a coconut, is there a coconut flavored drink that has that flavor profile but doesn't use Malibu? Because I'd like them alcohol free. And then the tweet ends with, is a low calorie virgin pina colada impossible?

[Mary Frances Heck]

Well, I don't have the calorie count in front of me, but I hear you. I think that oftentimes when we think about frozen cocktails, pina coladas and others, they can feel almost like a milkshake. Right. It's, it's quite rich and it might leave you feeling like, you know, you only want to have one when the party just started, so. And they're also really adaptable to not using alcohol for those who prefer to have a non alcoholic drink. And so I actually have a recipe that I created a little earlier this year that is a, I kind of think of it as like a fresh pina colada, a little bit fresher. So it uses coconut milk, just like from the can that you might use for cooking, which is unsweetened, and then fresh or frozen pineapple. And you blend those together with a little bit of light brown sugar, a little bit of lime juice and a little bit of vanilla extract actually. And you can then add, you can add rum to it or you can just serve it without any alcohol at all. And it's incredibly flavorful, really fun, and I promise you can have too.

[Host (possibly Alison Stewart)]

Let's go to Kate in Washington Heights. She's got a question about gin. Hi, Kate. Welcome to all of it.

[Mary Frances Heck]

Hi, thanks so much for taking my call. I wanted to say that I'm a big gin fan, but I find that sometimes juniper can be a little bit, tastes a little Christmassy and that I don't see a lot of gin on menus. So any, you know, I really, I'm a fan of a gimlet, so if there's any other drinks like that that you could recommend, I'd be really grateful than much. Yeah, absolutely. I'm with you there. I love, I love sort of juniper forward gin when the weather's cold in certain drinks, but during the summer it can be a little overpowering. And so I still love like a Hendrick gin, which is going to have a lighter botanical. And then I also would recommend trying something like a Pimm's cup where you're going to have a botanical flavor, but it's, it's cut with a lot of fruit and it's a little bit brighter. How do you make that? And if you like. Okay, so it's. Oh, you're putting me on the spot. Okay, so it's going to have a lot of the same like cucumber and berries that you might find in some gin drinks. And then it has Pimm's, which is a liqueur as the primary, as the primary liquid in it. And so it is a little bit lower alcohol, but it's also an English kind of like specialty liqueur that you find served throughout the summer.

[Host (possibly Alison Stewart)]

Well, Jonathan in Brooklyn would love a recipe for a non alcohol or low alcohol summer drink. Jonathan, welcome to the show.

[Caller]

Thank you. Nice to be here.

[Host (possibly Alison Stewart)]

Okay, what's your question?

[Caller]

Oh, well, my question is this summer I got a summer cold and I lost my taste for alcohol, wine or cocktails, which really shocked me. And I'm really sick of tonic lime and a little dash of bitters. And so I'm looking for, you know, something that could replace that that's easy, quick and, you know, feels like a cocktail but doesn't drink like a cocktail as far as alcohol goes.

[Mary Frances Heck]

Yeah, absolutely. If you're open to a very low alcohol cocktail, I recommend adding Fino sherry to the club soda and the squeeze of lime. I think that can add a huge burst of aroma that is very delicious. And I'm looking at my bar actually right now. I've got some wonderful cordials from a company called El Guapo down in New Orleans. They make a rose cordial and a lime cordial and they are really flavorful. Great. Added to lengthened with ice and cold water or club soda. And they can kind of make you feel like you're having a festive cocktail or before dinner drink without any of the alcohol at all.

[Host (possibly Alison Stewart)]

Thanks a lot for your call. Jonathan Gary in New Rochelle. Hi, welcome to the show.

[Caller]

Hi, good to. Thanks for taking the call. So my question is, is it sacrilegious to put ice in sparkling wine? Because I made this thing that's kind of like a kiroyle, kind of like a sangria. It's sparkling wine with triple sec, creme de cassis and lime juice and you can garnish it with some fruit. But I don't know, I don't know what to call it, but it just sort of happened earlier this summer.

[Host (possibly Alison Stewart)]

It sounds delicious.

[Mary Frances Heck]

Yeah, that sounds very delicious. Very refreshing. I am not a purist when it comes to putting ice in wine based cocktails. I might not put it in a really great glass of true champagne or from a napa you know, sparkling chardonnay. If I really want to look and taste the characteristics of the wine, sometimes I find that ice can kind of mute that by diluting it and also bringing the temperature down pretty low. However, if you're using wine in a cocktail or sparkling wine in a cocktail, absolutely add ice. I think that's part of the part of the program and part of refreshing and enjoying your drink.

[Kerry Nolan]

That was Kerry Nolan's conversation with Mary Frances Heck, the former senior editor at Food and Wine magazine. Coming up next hour, we'll look at some travel destinations in our area to satisfy your inner foodie, because what better time in the summer to take your taste buds on an adventure? Or maybe you're looking closer to home for some tasty summer eats. We'll talk about cooking during the hot season, from cold dishes like gazpacho to pies that pair the best with vanilla ice cream. That's after the news. Stay with us.

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[Mary Frances Heck]

Welcome to McDonald's. Can I take your order?

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Miss? I've been hitting up McDonald's for years. Now it's back. We need snack wraps. What's a snack wrap? It's the return of something great. Snack wrap is back.