If you’re looking for a cocktail experience in Montauk this summer, then you’ll want to bring a group of friends with you for a special tea time at Swallow East Restaurant.
The Midsummer Solstice G & Tea Party is not just a cocktail. It’s an interactive experience. And it’s a nod to it’s creator’s grandma.
“Growing up, I spent a lot of time with my grandmother,” says Mariah Finkelman, bar manager at the waterside eatery nearby Gosman’s Dock. “Any time I would go over to her house, we would make a giant mess of the kitchen, cooking bread and pasta while we sipped tea at the kitchen table and had tea parties. I have a large mismatched teacup collection back home because of her. I always thought it would be fun to have a cocktail ‘tea service,’ and I was lucky to partner with Hendrick’s Gin to bring that to life. This cocktail is my homage to my favorite person, my grandmother.”
For Midsummer Solstice g & tea party, she uses Hendrick’s Midsummer Solstice, raspberry-infused violet liqueur, fresh squeezed lemon juice, simple syrup, and four dashes of orange bitters for balance.
“It’s more than just a cocktail, it’s a whole experience,” she says. “I wanted to make this drink fun and interactive. It’s definitely a conversation starter. The drink really captures the essence of summer with its fresh flavors and beautiful shade of violet.”
She begins by infusing the violet liqueur with fresh raspberries for a few hours.
“Once the raspberries have been infused long enough and all the flavor is drawn out, I strain and begin batching each teapot,” she says. “I shake all the ingredients together with ice, fill our teapots, and serve it in teacups with a fresh raspberry garnish for each.”
This cocktail serves four to six guests who want “something light, refreshing and fun,” Finkelman says.
“The feedback has been great,” she says. “People are so surprised and excited to be drinking a cocktail served out of a teapot with teacups.”
Swallow East Restaurant is located at 474 West Lake Dr. in Montauk. It can be reached at 631-668-8344 or swalloweastrestaurant.com
