Coops Cocktails
Team IMAGE on their drink of the summer
A crisp rosé or a spicy margarita? An Aperol spritz or a Paloma? What, pray tell, is the drink of the summer for 2024? Team IMAGE weigh in.
Marlene Wessels, Art Director
A friend recently arrived to us for a BBQ with a bottle of Gérard Bertrand Papilou Petillant Naturel Rosé and it will be my go to drink for summer. It is light and crisp and pretty pink in colour with a lovely fizz to it. The label has a gorgeous design with an unusual metal bottle cap.
Ciara Cosgrove, Group Director of Events & Partnerships
Mine would have to be a pale blush rose, sitting outside The Bailey Bar while people watching the people of Dublin.
Hannah Stapleton, Marketing Intern
The minute the sun comes out, all I can think of is getting a crisp Aperol Spritz into my hand. Last summer a ‘Passion 4 Aperol’ was recommended to me in l’Gueuleton, and it changed my life!
Also, since I spend my summers in Ardmore, Co. Waterford, I love to make it to the Cliff House Hotel on a sunny evening. Last summer, I tried a Cliff Spicy Mojito, and I will be back for more this year!
Shayna Sappington, Branded Content Editor and Weddings Writer
No drink pairs with a sunny afternoon quite like a refreshing spritz. Of course, we’ve all had an Aperol but I recently discovered a tastier alternative – a tequila spritz. Now, I should preface this by saying Aldi have recently started stocking a fantastically priced tequila (just €18.99), which is where I got my inspiration. And, it’s imported directly from Mexico, which is always a good sign!
All you need is tequila, lemon juice, agave (I prefer this to simple syrup as its sugar content is much lower, also available at Aldi) and a splash of rosé. It’s light, crisp and delicious!
Emily O’Neill, Branded Partnerships, Marketing Account Executive
I love to have a cocktail every now and then and the Old Warehouse in Tullamore is my favourite spot for one! It is hard to choose just one but on a summer evening their ‘Sip By The Canal’ cocktail is just perfect. It consists of raspberry reserve, cold brew tea, honey, lemon juice and the star of the show which is Tullamore Dew XO Caribbean rum cask. If you haven’t visited the Old Warehouse yet you need to add it to your list!
Dominique McMullan, Editorial Director
I recently tried the Spicy Margarita from Coops Cocktails (founded by Joanna Cooper) and I am hooked. I wouldn’t normally be a fan of pre-mixed cocktails, but the premium ingredients used in Coops make a big difference to the taste. The spicy marg is fresh and tangy, and perfect poured over ice on a warm evening. I am planning a Mexican themed girl’s night in the coming weeks, and the margs will be the piece de resistance!
Lizzie Gore-Grimes, Editor-in-Chief
I’ll be ditching the rosé this summer in favour of a blush of another sort. Make mine a Paloma! Thanks to the influx of really high-end tequilas into the Irish market we are finally beginning to banish the Lillie’s Bordello-era memories of cheap shots and salt licks! In its place we have top-class Tequilas – such as Don Julio and Casamigos – with which to make our long drink Palomas (tequila, pink grapefruit, soda and lime) or mouth-watering short Picantes over ice (tequila, chilli, honey, lime and muddled fresh coriander).
Irish mixer brand Poachers makes a mean Grapefruit Soda with Irish Sea Salt, for everything you need to make your Palomas at home, while The Collins Club bar in The Leinster Hotel serves an excellent one if you’re out.
Sarah Gill, Staff Writer
I see your rosés and spicy margs, and I raise you: orange wine. Full disclosure, the first time I ordered it was entirely off a whim, and when Rúibín’s owner Richie explained that the wine gets orange because of skin contact, my mind immediately mustered up images of barrels of grapes being stamped on by burly French men. Of course, I said none of this aloud, opting instead to say things like ‘mm yes, I love that region’.
Naturally, he was talking about the skin on the actual grapes. For orange wines, they’re left on, giving the wine a different colour and flavour profile. I’m — clearly — no expert, but the orange wines I’ve tried have a fuller body, and pack more of a punch than your run of the mill house white. At The Universal, they’ve got Uivo Curtido, which is a bottle I would definitely bring along to a barbeque or picnic this summer — it’s got a note of honey in there that makes the sipping experience all the more pleasurable.
Holly O’Neill, Digital Editor and Beauty Editor
Team IMAGE have diligently done the research on Dublin’s best margaritas and our favourites remain – Row Wines and L’Gueleton and recent new entries, the all new Caribou on Stephen Street from the group that brought you Kodiak in Rathmines and Bonobos in Smithfield, and Cellar22 by St Stephen’s Green, where you’ll find us on the sunny terrace ordering all of the small plates.
This article was originally published in May 2024.
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