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A beginner’s guide to the city’s best heat-beating drinks

Summer cocktails
By CASSANDRA LANDRY  |  June 8, 2012

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Test Pilot at Storyville

Rum

Come hither, cabana boy! Since rum is where we turn when we actually feel like embracing the spiking temperatures, we usually wind up drinking a lot of slushy piña coladas and tired mojitos. This year, things shall be different. Storyville gets what we're after, which must be why they threw the TEST PILOT ($12) on their menu. No blenders, no awkward fruit garnishes you're not sure it's safe to eat, and no mini umbrellas (although we do kind of like those). The combination of house-blended rums, citrus, and the coup de grace — absinthe — is something we would have never thought of, and now wish we had. The pared-down list of ingredients lets the leafy licorice taste of absinthe light up the rum uninterrupted, with the citrus providing a tangy mist over the proceedings.

HONORABLE MENTION We had to throw this one in the ring, simply because it's such a steal. The MAI TAI DRAGON ($7.50) at Highland Kitchen in Somerville is another awesome take on a rum cocktail with another mystery ingredient: almond syrup. Not the first thing that pops into your head when you think summer, but when it bounces off of the rum, orange curacao, and lime juice, it makes perfect sense.

STORYVILLE | 90 Exeter St, Boston | 617.236.1134 | storyvilleboston.com

HIGHLAND KITCHEN | 150 Highland Ave, Somerville | 617.625.1131 | highlandkitchen.com

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