Sharon Vanorny
Merchant's Hugh Laseter is made with watermelon.
Merchant’s inspiration for these late summer hits range from football to Game of Thrones.
The refreshing Hugh Laseter is named after one of the brothers who grew the largest watermelon ever, for a competition in 1925 (it was 136 pounds). A creation of bartender Lucas Endres, the drink sports a watermelon syrup combined with a cilantro tincture to amazing garden-y effect. The base is tequila with a touch of smoky mezcal, making for a cocktail that goes down fast while offering a lot of flavor. There may be no better thirst quencher.
The Lion’s Tooth by bar manager Thor Messer is a study in subtlety. The cocktail is gin, Luxardo bitter liqueur (similar to Campari), honey and grapefruit juice. But the drink also mixes in a dandelion-infused white whiskey as well as a honeydew syrup. Would you notice these elements if you didn’t know they were there? Maybe not, except the concoction nails the slightly herbaceous and astringent dandelion aftertaste, giving the drink an extraordinary finish. It’s a cocktail you need to sip repeatedly to figure out what is going on — a glorious ode to summer, in a glass.
