Refreshing Summer Cocktails From CBC Bar Director Josh Curtis
Summer is finally upon us. With it comes barbecues, boat days, and beautiful sunsets spent with loved ones. Of course, cocktails are a highlight of any summer get-together, and Carbon Beach Club bar director Josh Curtis has been perfecting a refreshing warm-weather cocktail to enjoy on your patio, the beach, or wherever you find yourself this season.
The Cocktail: Pray for Surf
His summer cocktail, Pray for Surf, encapsulates the very essence of Malibu and what CBC is known for: fresh, local ingredients and refreshing SoCal flavors.
“This cocktail… is inspired by the farmer’s market,” he says. “Fresh strawberries are my favorite during the summer months.”
Malibu is home to some of the most vibrant farmer’s markets in the state, which can be enjoyed during your stay at Malibu Beach Inn the next time you find yourself in this beautiful part of Southern California. One of the region’s most popular is the Malibu Farmer’s Market, open every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., which is a favorite among locals and out-of-towners alike. Fruit is a pinnacle of many local farmer’s markets here, so Curtis was inspired to incorporate these sweet ingredients in a delicious cocktail. And we’re glad he did.
“This cocktail is like biting into a fresh strawberry,” he says.
How to Mix it Up
Ingredients:
Absolut Vodka, 2 oz
Fresh juiced strawberries, .75 oz
Lemon juice, .75 oz
Simple syrup 1:1, .75 oz
Technique:
Build all in the small half of a shaker tin filled with ice. Shake it up five times. Hawthorne strain into a double rocks glass. Garnish with a dehydrated lemon wheel and dehydrated strawberry slices.
More Cocktails
Curtis has created several other delicious cocktails for CBC’s cocktail menu that are perfect for each season. In addition to the year-round cocktails on the menu — the CBC Margarita, London Lemonade, Negroni and Boulevardier — he isn’t afraid to get creative behind the bar.
A favorite among Malibu Beach Inn guests, and one of our top five refreshing summer cocktails, is his twist on the classic Algonquin cocktail. For his version, he swaps dry vermouth with fino sherry, and rye whiskey with mezcal, which offers the same tart taste but with complex flavors. Malibu Beach Inn also offers booze-free Seedlip cocktails. Seedlip is a distilled non-alcoholic spirit that offers the flavor profile of spirits without the alcohol. The brand’s elixirs are allergy friendly, sugar-free, and calorie-free. Designed to add to your favorite mocktail recipes, everyone can enjoy.
Even if you can’t make it to Malibu Beach Inn, Curtis has expert advice for making great cocktails at home. He approaches mixology as a chef would approach a dish. And he encourages creativity, balancing flavors, and making sure to stock your bar with crucial ingredients. This season, those ingredients include — you guessed it — juicy, ripe strawberries that echo the carefree, blissful spirit of a summer spent in Malibu.
