To Beat Heat, Go 'Swizzled,' Not Stirred

West Indies drinks hit it big in New York
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 24, 2009 2:15 PM CDT
To Beat Heat, Go 'Swizzled,' Not Stirred
A real swizzle stick is an actual stick, snapped off a tree native to the Caribbean, the New York Times reports.   (©cuttlefish)

Shaken, stirred—or swizzled? This summer, many bartenders are urging patrons to choose the last. An authentic “Swizzle”—as the trendy drinks are called—doesn’t use a plastic stick; rather, a real stick from a Caribbean tree, with prongs that make it nature’s own Mixmaster, reports the New York Times. The result? The drinks come out “almost like an adult snow cone,” says one bartender.

Many swizzled drinks have the same ingredients as their stirred counterparts—like a Queens Park Swizzle, similar to a mojito. So what’s the difference? First of all, bartender theatrics: “It takes a little showmanship,” one rum connoisseur says. Secondly, the result: “A nice frost on the outside of the glass,” says the bartender, making the Swizzle an ideal summer drink. (More Jay-ZTV stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X