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2 oz. gin or silver tequila

2 oz. blackberry liqueur

1 oz. simple syrup

½ oz. fresh lemon juice Club soda, to taste

Makes 1 cocktail

Fill a highball glass with ice. Add the gin, liqueur, simple syrup, and lemon juice. Top the drink off with club soda. Gently stir to combine.

Drinks that Beat the Heat

We’ve always loved the spicy, stick-to-your-ribs cuisine of Texas, but it wasn’t until we devoted an entire issue to Texan foodways in the summer of 2009 that we came to understand the Lone Star State’s equally impressive way with drinks. There’s the elegant yet potent sangria (our favorite is a midcentury recipe from the ladies at the Junior League of Houston), the refreshing cucumber cooler (a signature drink at the bar of the Gage Hotel, in Marathon, Texas), and the still-popular Tex-Mex originals like the garnet-colored Chico (a cocktail born in cantinas along the Texas–Mexico border during World War II). Revitalizing savory cocktails like the tart-spicy beer-based Michelada (all the rage in Austin) and the longhorn bull shot (a nod to the state’s cattle industry) will knock the dust off your spurs. And, of course, there are the best margaritas on earth. A few of our favorites are pictured.

Six Regional Bloody Marys

Original Bloody Mary

This classic version has been the signature cocktail at the King Cole Bar at New York City’s St. Regis Hotel since 1934.

1 oz. vodka

2 oz. tomato juice

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice Worcestershire, to taste Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste Cayenne pepper, to taste Lemon wedge, for garnish

Makes 1 cocktail

Combine ingredients in a mixing glass, stir, and pour into an ice-filled Collins glass. Garnish with lemon.

Michelada Bloody Mary

SAVEUR contributing editor Rick Bayless suggested this variation, inspired by the Mexican beer cocktail michelada (see Six Texan Cocktails).

1 cup tomato juice

1 oz. fresh orange juice

1 oz. fresh grapefruit juice

1 oz. fresh lime juice, plus 1 lime wedge

½ oz. pomegranate juice (optional) Kosher salt, for garnish

4 oz. tequila blanco

1 12-oz. bottle Mexican beer Tabasco, to taste Worcestershire, to taste

4 pickled jalapeños, for garnish

Makes 4 cocktails

Combine juices in a pitcher; set aside. Spread salt on a plate. Rub the rim of 4 beer mugs with a lime wedge. Dip rims of mugs into salt. Fill mugs with ice and divide juice mixture between mugs. Add 1 oz. tequila and 3 oz. beer to each. Season with Tabasco and Worcestershire, stir, and add a jalapeño to each glass.

Cajun Bloody Mary

Pickled okra, beef broth, and a spoonful of tangy mustard make this substantial bloody mary, based on one served at the New Orleans restaurant Cochon, practically a course in itself.

4 oz. tomato juice

1 oz. beef broth

1 tsp. whole-grain mustard

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. fresh lime juice

1 tsp. red wine vinegar

1/8 tsp. garlic powder Tabasco, to taste Pickled okra juice, to taste Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1½ oz. vodka Pickled okra, pickled green beans, and caper berries, for garnish

Makes 1 cocktail

In a mixing glass, combine the tomato juice, broth, mustard, lemon juice, lime juice, vinegar, and garlic powder and season with Tabasco, okra juice, and black pepper; refrigerate mixture until chilled. To serve, fill a rocks glass with ice cubes, pour in vodka, and stir in tomato juice mixture. Garnish with okra, beans, and caper berries.

Old Bay Bloody Mary

Old Bay seasoning gives this drink, served at the Old Ebbitt Grill in Washington, D.C., a savory kick that works well with a garnish of boiled shrimp.

2 tbsp. Old Bay seasoning

1 lime wedge

1½ oz. vodka, preferably pepper flavored

1 oz. beef broth

3 oz. tomato juice

1¼ oz. fresh lemon juice

¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 large tail-on shrimp, peeled, boiled, and chilled

Makes 1 cocktail

Sprinkle Old Bay on a plate. Rub the rim of a small glass with the lime wedge and dip rim in Old Bay to coat. Add cracked ice to glass; set aside. In a mixing glass, combine