My Favorite Sips & Bites of Summer 2024
Gin Rickeys, Lobster Rolls, Covered Meatball Sandwiches, Utica Club Beer, Black Cherry Soft-Serve...
My Favorite Sips & Bites of Summer 2024
I know I said goodbye to summer with my pre-Labor Day dispatch, but with this roundup of some of my favorite things I ate and drank from Memorial Day through Labor Day, consider the window-unit air-conditioner officially in storage for the season as I’ll be fully embracing autumn.
In the meantime, read on for:
A Connecticut-style Lobster Roll in Red Hook.
An old-school, pint-sized Cape Codder at an upstate tavern.
One of the best burgers in Brooklyn.
A crisp, summery Martini variation from Phil Ward (one of many he has up his sleeve).
Red Sauce-Covered Hot Meatball Sandwich from a 90-year-old lakeside family-owned restaurant in Central New York.
Hamburger America’s Hot Ham Sandwich
And more!
Sips
Good Humor | Grand Army x Ci Siamo Pop-Up (Manhattan West Plaza)
This summer, Ci Siamo hosted a “Terrazza Aperitivo” series that featured five different bars popping-up on their rooftop terrace for an alfresco party with cocktails from Ci Siamo and special drinks from the featured bars, Italian street food, and a DJ. I stopped by on a muggy mid-August Friday when the team from Grand Army set up base camp, and I had to start off with the Good Humor, a now-retired drink from their 2023 “Summer Camp” menu. Made with Butter-Washed Espolòn Reposado Tequila, Cinzano Bianco, Campari, Aperol, and Day Trip Strawberry Amaro, it was the perfect accompaniment to the complimentary potato chips in an Aperol-orange paper bag handed to me when I checked in with the host.
Bright Eyes | The Long Island Bar (Cobble Hill, Brooklyn)
On one of my many regular visits to The Long Island Bar this summer, I was craving a Martini. When veteran bartender Phil Ward is behind the bar the pro move is to put things in his hands as he has a lot of original drinks up his sleeve as you’ll usually wind up with something unexpected. My only prompt was a Martini that leaned toward bright and refreshing and what soon appeared in front of me met that criteria and then some. This was a Phil Ward original he calls Bright Eyes, composed of 3 ounces of Hayman’s Gin (plus a “little bit” of Hayman’s Vibrant Citrus Gin), a 1/4 ounce Carpano Bianco vermouth, 5 dashes of orange bitters, and garnished with a grapefruit twist. Ask for one the next time you stop by L.I.B.