By GRACE BASTIDAS
Posted: 12:00 am
July 2, 2008
Summertime is synonymous with salt-rimmed margaritas, minty mojitos and other Latin cocktails. Not only are they refreshing and positively thirst quenching, but just one sip transports imbibers to azure beaches where the only thing you have to worry about is your tan. Here are a few spots, all themed around a different drink, to get that vacation fix while staying close to home:
1.) Michelada
After a serious night out, sidle up to Bonita early the next morning. The cute Fort Greene eatery concocts a well-seasoned Michelada ($6) that'll kick-start your day. Touted as the Mexican Bloody Mary, it has beer, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, salsa picante, black pepper and a salted rim. And at Bonita, you can add your cerveza of choice (Dos Equis, Tecate, Negra Modelo, Pacifico, Corona or Sol). Pair it with an order of saucy Huevos Rancheros ($7.50) and you'll feel ready to face the world in no time.
243 Dekalb Ave., between Clermont and Vanderbilt avenues, 718-622-5300.
2.) Daiquiri
Ernest Hemingway's favorite cocktail, the daiquiri, was perfected at El Floridita, an classic bar in Havana, Cuba where Papa had his own stool. In Manhattan, Bobo's whitewashed rooftop garden is the next-best setting for such a sophisticated drink. Owner Carlos Suarez, whose father is Cuban, has even christened their version "Hemingway Daiquiri" (Brugal rum, lime juice, maraschino liqueur and grapefruit juice; $13). It arrives at your table in a lovely glass garnished with a floating lime wheel.
181 W. 10th St., at West Fourth Street. (212) 488-2626.
3.) Mojito
Mexican mixologist Artemio Vasquez (formerly of Pegu Club) takes a lot of pride in the bar menu at Yerba Buena. The restaurant's signature Cuban mojito ($11) demonstrates his attention to even the tiniest of details. It is made with Bacardi 8, homemade demarara (sugar cane) syrup, natural lime juice and fresh mint. Before serving, he strains out the leaves to avoid that dreadful spinach-teeth look and gently plops whole ice cubes - instead of crushed ice - into a glass so that his creation doesn't get watered down quickly.
23 Ave. A, between First and Second avenues. (212) 529-2919.
4.) Mamajuana
Guys that need an extra boost in the love department may want to head to Washington Heights' Mamajuana Café, where the legendary Mamajuana "miracle potion" (rum, wine, honey, spices, herbs; $8) is considered an aphrodisiac and a natural form of Viagra by Dominicans. If that doesn't do the trick, surely the romantic atmosphere (wall of candles, exposed brick, Taino artifacts) has got to help.
247 Dyckman St., between Seaman and Payson. (212) 304-0140.
5.) Sangria
