The Social

Given that all great art is theft, this does not seem such a bad thing. The following is a drink adapted from a drink invented at The Social, a truly fine and underrated restaurant in Atlanta. In actuality, the drink was introduced to me by a fellow east pointer, who adapted it from a drink invented by a bartender at The Social. Derivative drinking at its finest.

muddle sugar and strawberry in a Collins glass. Add basil and muddle. Then quarter a lemon and muddle it as well. Add rum--silver or gold depending on preference. Top with pineapple juice and ice, then a splash of soda.

This is a drink that will layer its flavors. The strawberry pulp and pineapple juice give it a fruit forward sweetness, while the herbal tinge refreshes. All is balanced by the buzz on the tongue, and the rum can really be brought forward by this.

The muddled fruit and herbs last several refills of rum and soda. We tried both a gold and a silver (Mount Gay Barbados Rum).

This is a drink for the garden on a languorus summer evening. As it happens, we mixed these on an unseasonably cool May evening, with temperatures in the fifties and on their way down to the thirties, thanks to a massive storm front that whipped through town last night. If I had a fully stocked bar, I might have fired up a scotch or bourbon drink for such a night, but that would have disappointed our very fine guest who popped by specifically to introduce us to this cocktail. And we are all better for it.