Summer is here, the Jamaica Observer Food Awards is on the horizon, and we’ve got nine nominees up for the title ‘Coolest Watering Hole’. So whether you want to quench your thirst, meet up after work, hold a business meeting, or simply lyme with friends, here are some of the best ways to ensure you keep your ‘cool’.

Friends On The Deck

It started out as ‘Mystery Blue’, however one day with the Blue Curaçao out of stock, banana-flavoured liqueur was used as a substitute. Voila! The ‘Secret Admirer’ was borne.

‘Secret Admirer’

1oz Smirnoff Apple Vodka

1oz Appleton Special

4oz White Cranberry juice

1cap Crème de Banane

A splash of simple syrup

A splash of lime juice

Combine ingredients in a mixer and shake well; pour over ice and garnish with lime – For ‘sunset’ look add a little strawberry syrup.

Red Bones Jazz Café

The jazz and blues themed bar and restaurant specialises in intimate dining, jazz beats and weekly live music, all encompassed in timeless ambiance. Its signature ‘Red Bones Blues Lightning’ takes its name from famous country blues guitarist Lightnin’ Hopkins – a refreshing option fro those hot summer nights.

‘Redbones Blues Lightning’

1 1/2oz Smirnoff 21 vodka

Muddled limes (1 lime quartered)

Muddled mint (12 leaves)

Dash of Blue Curacao

2 spoons granulated sugar

Top up with club soda

Muddle limes and mint; add sugar, Blue Curacao and vodka. Add soda water and serve over ice. Garnish with lime mint and a cherry.

Carlos’ Café

You know the Appletini and Lychee martini, but Carlos from Carlos’ Café prefers to use local fruits to give his take on the popular martini drink. With flavours like june plum, mango, tamarind and sour-sop, you’re sure to be coming back for more! Next up on the menu is the ‘jam-appletini’, made from locally grown otaheite apples.

‘Tamarind Martini’

2oz vodka

1/2oz triple sec

2oz tamarind juice

1 freshly squeezed lime wedge

Splash of soda water

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice. Drop 2 tamarind balls in the bottom of a martini glass, then strain chilled drink, leaving ice behind.

Christopher’s Jazz Lounge

The summer is hot, so what better way to cool down than with a frozen blended drink? Last year’s winner’s Christopher’s offers up their personal take on the traditional Mudslide.

‘Christopher’s Mudslide’

3/4oz Bailey’s Irish Cream

3/4oz Tia Maria

1/2oz simple syrup

1oz Absolut vodka

1/2oz Carnation evaporated milk

Blend together with about 6oz of ice, until smooth; serve in a glass decorated on the inside with chocolate syrup. Top it off with whipped cream, a little chocolate syrup and a cherry.

TGIFridays

When Bar Supervisor Peta-Gaye Silvera used to tend bar at TGIFridays, her friend Richie Ras asked her to whip up something for him to drink. The only requirement, that it include rum. And so it was that the ‘Musgrave Madness’ came into being. The now popular drink has become a favourite of patrons, and as Silvera says, “if you drink too much, you’ll go crazy”.

‘Musgrave Madness’

1oz white rum (overproof)

1oz Appleton Special

1/2oz simple syrup

2oz sour mix

1/2oz Blue Curacao

1 1/2oz Sprite

Fill a hi-ball glass with ice. Pour in white rum, Appleton Special, simple syrup, sour mix and Blue Curacao. Top up with Sprite and garnish with a lime wedge.

The Terrace at Susie’s

Created by Bar Manager, Wynton, the Pomegranate Martini is very popular with patrons at The Terrace, and is especially a hit with the ladies.

‘Pomegranate Martini’

1/2oz Pama Pomegrante liqueur

2oz Smirnoff Citrus Vodka

Splash of lime juice

Splash of triple sec

1oz of cranberry juice

Shake with ice and pour into a frosted sugar-rimmed martini glass. Drop cherry in the bottom and garnish with a lime wedge.

Bin26

There’s only one place to go if your beverage of choice is ‘vino’. Enter Bin26, the chic wine bar located in the Devon House courtyard. With an extensive selection of only the best wines from across the world, it’s a wine enthusiast’s dream come true.

Rosé

Whispering Angel’s Rosé from Les Câves du Château D’Esclans

The French are famous for their wines, and this Rosé is dry, yet fruity, made from grenache, rolle, cinsault, syrah and mourvedre grapes, harvested by hand.

Red

E&E Black Pepper Shiraz

Australia’s E&E Black Pepper Shiraz is 100% Shiraz that exudes big and bold flavours of cherry blossom, dark chocolate, spice, coffee and blackberries.

White

Torres Milmanda is a dry, white wine from Barcelona. 100% Chardonnay with flavours of citrus, peach and vanilla, it has a beautiful golden yellow colour, and is fermented and aged in French oak barrels adding complexity and body.

Blue Beat Jazz Lounge

Happy Hour – check. Martini Bar – check. Live music and comedy nights, check check. The Hip Strip hasn’t been the same since the opening of Margaritaville’s Blue Beat. Never a dull moment, it’s the place to be for the elite and ‘who’s who’ of Montego Bay.

‘Brown Sugar’

1/2shot Godiva chocolate liqueur; white and dark

1/2shot Baileys Irish Cream

1 1/2shot Smirnoff Black

1 1/2 cream

Pour ingredients into a mixer with ice, shake and strain chilled beverage into a sugar-rimmed martini glass.

Scotchies Montego Bay

Scotchies is your go-to place in Montego Bay for some of the best jerk chicken and pork that Jamaica has to offer. It’s also a great place for friends to meet, to just sit, relax and take in the rustic yet homey environment.

‘Scotchies Daiquiri’

1oz lime juice

2oz Appleton V/X rum

3tbsp clear syrup

1/2cup chopped mango

Crushed ice

Scotchies sauce

Put all ingredients in blender and blend to smooth consistency. Pour into a glass and garnish with a whole scotch bonnett pepper.