Close Out Summer’s Muggy Dog Days With a Revitalizing Frozen Cocktail: Once Over #2

When the American right wing assails the core concepts of climate change, they tend to do so by intentionally painting in broad strokes, or insisting that climate change is only supposed to play out in one way, so they can then point out instances of predicted patterns having failed in the quest to invalidate everything. Oh, they say: Isn’t it supposed to be hotter everywhere? Drier everywhere? Wetter everywhere? This one area hasn’t experienced that specific thing? I guess it must all be a sham then, right?!?

The reality, meanwhile, is of course right there in the name: The effects of climate change present to us as a change in the climate that we are accustomed to in any given area, and for Americans in exceedingly different regions of our giant-ass country, they experience it in ways that are incomparable to each other. For many in the West, this has meant arid conditions, threatening to turn their backyards into instantly combustible kindling just waiting for a spark. In the Midwest, they’ve had the opposite experience this summer: Constant, powerful storms and drenching rain, producing the kind of “1 in 1,000 years” floods that we now instead see every other year. There in Chicago, my parents watched as they ripped out the trees from their front yard planted decades ago after they were splintered by “once in a millennia” storms.

And where I live on the East Coast, so many of us have retreated to the interior of our homes thanks to the combination of choking wildfire smoke and sheer, unrelentingly muggy humidity that results in spiking Google searches for the phrase “wet bulb temperature.” Our experiences are all different, and yet united: We share the many facets of our ongoing environmental collapse, helped along, of course, by the federal government doing everything it possibly can to make it worse for everyone.

No matter what kind of chokingly muggy or unquenchably dry heat you may be experiencing this wicked summer, however, we have the ideal remedy: A really great frozen cocktail. I think it’s fair to say it’s what we all need right now. Frozen drinks can get a bad rap with cocktail geeks, so often seen as inelegant and uncultured, relegated purely to slushes with the word “daiquiri” in the name, unflavored ethanol for a backbone and enough sugar to hide the booze. In truth, they offer just as many opportunities for a spectacular drink as any other form of cocktail, provided you can find recipes that create a thoughtful balance between approachability and nuance. The Once Over #2 is one of those cocktails.

This isn’t a well-known drink, nor one you will find being described as a modern classic. I discovered it a while back via the syrup-makers at Liber & Co., who make many of the cocktail syrups (such as orgeat, used here and in classics like the mai tai) I stock up on once or twice a year. To their credit, they name the drink’s creator as bartender Ryan Gannon of a bar called Cure in New Orleans. But I’ll say this: It’s a genius combination of elements. It has the bright fruitiness and tartness of a margarita, the sunny disposition of an Aperol spritz, but also the richness inherent to many of the tiki classics I love, without being particularly potent or boozy. It’s also a good chance to get some agave spirits (BOTH tequila and mezcal) into this column, as I’m just now realizing that I’ve yet to feature them! Expect this to be rectified in the coming weeks.

Once Over #2 Cocktail Recipe

— 1.5 oz Aperol
— .5 oz tequila
— .25 oz mezcal
— .75 oz lime juice
— .75 oz almond orgeat syrup

Combine all ingredients in a blender, along with enough ice to fill your chosen glass. Blend until smooth, then pour into your glass of choice. Garnish with a fresh mint sprig, if you have it (mine were a bit on the shrimpy side). If desired, for extra smoky punch, you can float some additional mezcal over the top.

This really creates a lovely profile in the Once Over #2; a cocktail that is easygoing with its lovely, peach-pink hue, not too tart or sweet, and also not in-your-face with the ethanol. The lower-proof Aperol really forms its base, offering juicy orange and subtle, restrained bitterness, while the tequila and mezcal add flourishes of roasted agave and subtle smoke. You may want a bit more on the smoke front; if so then just add an extra splash of your mezcal. The orgeat provides the sweetness with underlying marzipan richness, while the lime ties it together and keeps things from being cloying. If you find it a touch sweet, you can always cut back the orgeat a bit as well.

This drink is a real wonder, of the beat-the-heat or poolside variety. It is absolutely crushable, easy to drink, but not lacking in assertiveness. Those little infusions of tequila and mezcal go a long way in that regard. And it’s not even particularly likely to put you on your ass! At a time when you need to keep your head on a swivel because any one of us could be swept away by a 1 in 1,000 year flood tomorrow, that’s an advantage that you really can’t downplay. Take your blender out of retirement and make a Once Over #2 today.