There is a reason the months of July and August seem so warm: they really are. These are the hottest months of the year for New Orleans, with both the highest average daily daytime and nighttime temperatures. Your air conditioning electric bill doesn’t lie.
In that spirit (pun intended), last month’s Tales of the Cocktail festival unleashed a string of refreshing stirred, shaken, frothed, frozen, blended, neat and muddled beverages, not the least of which was the winning recipe for this year’s New Cocktail of the Year in the Daiquiri category: The Desert Lily.
The drink was created with New Orleans summer in mind by Spencer Warren, who practices his craft at Butcher and the Rye located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. That is the first thing to notice. The next item of note is that he used Cana Brava Rum, a Cuban-style Carta Blanca Rum, and that was the rum that first inspired the daiquiri. And nothing is better to relieve the sting of a summer sunburn than Aloe Vera; in this case apply it inside your body.
Finally, please observe that Warren, in an obvious homage to our city, suggests the use of a Collins glass or the classic go-cup, a large red Solo. Such are the details of a champion’s thought process.
Desert Lily
2 ounces Cana Brava Rum
1 ounce aloe vera juice
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
3/4 ounce simple syrup
1/2 ounce Perfect Purée: Prickly Pear
1/4 ounce fresh Lemon Juice
2-3 drops Fee’s Lavender Flower Water
Add all ingredients into a blender with ice and blend until frozen with a slushy consistency. Pour into a large solo cup or other Collins glass. Garnish with a Amarena Fabbri Cherry
As created for Tales of the Cocktail by Spencer Warren
Special thanks to Nick Detrich, Cane & Table, 1331 Decatur Street, who made the Desert Lily for photography.
