Chill Out With Icy Drinks at Local Bars

While we had a brief break last week, we’re now back into August sunshine and warmer temperatures. And while all that sun can be awfully nice (and good to remember once November rolls around), it also increases the need for a super cold mixed drink. If you’re feeling the heat, check out the below icy numbers – their extra-cold natures are sure to help you beat the heat.

The Monolith, Rob Roy: It may seem odd, but a little spice and hot temps always feel like a good match to me, which is why this is one of my summer faves this year. It combines dreamy ancho chili liqueur Ancho Reyes (which has a rich, but not bite-y, spiciness) with lemon and pineapple juices and Angostura bitters, and then cools things down with a heaping helping of crushed ice, topping it all with Myrrh oil and mint and pineapple.

The Monolith at Rob Roy; photo: AJ Rathbun

Dark and Stormy Float, Rachel’s Ginger Beer: The new 12th Avenue Rachel’s Ginger Beer outpost actually boasts a fair amount of drinks that’ll take the heat off, including the wide range of the signature ginger beers, cocktails on tap, and slushy numbers dispensed from large slushy-making machines. But if you really want to put on the freeze, go straight for the Dark & Stormy Float, an adult treat with Rachel’s original, dark rum and soft serve ice cream.

The Missionary’s Downfall, Hotel Albatross: It’s no big surprise that a tiki haven like the Albatross features some drinks designed for tropical climes, where things get heated. But the surprise is that one of those drinks is a blended beaut, as many blended drinks end up syrupy and flavorless. The Missionary’s Downfall, though, bursts with a minty goodness (thanks to the fresh mint in it), underlined by rum, peach brandy and pineapple flavors.

Painkiller, Bait Shop: If all the rising mercury and sunshine is really causing you to ache, well, relieve the pain with this frozen delight up on Capitol Hill, a drink dispensed cold from a slushy machine. But the rich taste is better than any convenience store mix, with rum, pineapple, coconut, orange, nutmeg and cinnamon all mingling into a beachy treat. Lucky, though, you get to have it out of the sun inside this shady spot.