As Washington prepares for another summer scorcher, some of the city’s restaurants have created refreshing summer cocktails to help beat the heat. 

• First up is nopa Kitchen + Bar, Ashok Bajaj’s new American brasserie located at 800 F Street, NW, 20004.  Mixologists Milton Hernandez and Katie Ravelette has crafted a variety of seasonal cocktails including the Chinatown Shake, Tito’s vodka, lemongrass, fresh lime, ginger, soda, muddled strawberries, and fresh basil; French 75 with G-Vine Gin, sparkling water and lemon; Derby, made with bourbon, grapefruit juice, and honey simple syrup; and the 800 F & Tonic with Plymouth Gin, and house-made tonic infused with lavender, chervil, and citrus zest.
• 701 Restaurant, situated in the heart of Penn Quarter at 701 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, 20004, boasts an array of wines by the glass, beers, and artisanal cocktails for patrons to enjoy this summer.  New handcrafted cocktails have also been added to the menu with standouts such as Pink Elephant, Hangar One mandarin, Domain Canton, and G Joy sake; Lavender Lemon Drop, Meyer lemon & lavender infused vodka and lavender simple syrup; Cucumber Collins, ethereal, cucumber water, simple syrup, soda, and lemon; The Blonde, The Botanist, St. Germain, grapefruit juice and candied zent; Loretto Lemonade, Makers Mark, local strawberry puree, thyme simple syrup and lemon; Old Pennsylvania, Koval American Oat White whiskey, Cardamaro Amaro and cardamom bitters, and the Seadog Margarita with spiced rum, Patron Citronage, sour mix, and salt .
• On the corner of 9th and H Streets at 801 9th Street, NW, Ste A, 20001, Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar, Washington’s premier Cuban restaurant, will offer refreshing seasonal cocktails to combat the heat.  Beverage and Nightlife Manager Vance Henderson has created a variety of cocktails that capture the tropical taste of summer.  Standouts include the Grilled Pineapple Mojito, Cuba Libre white rum, grilled pineapple puree, hierba buena, guarapo, fresh lime juice, and a splash of lemon-lime soda; Sunburn, Brinley’s Gold Shipwreck spiced rum, Brinley’s Gold Shipwreck coconut rum, crème de banana, pineapple juice, and grenadine; Caiprioska, Three Olives Vodka, guarapo, fresh lime juice, sugar, and muddled limes and the newest addition, the Summer-Thyme Starfruit Infusion, star fruit-thyme infused Cachaça, fresh lime juice, guarapo, sugar, and garnished with thyme.
• Located at 701 9th Street, NW, 20001, the Mediterranean favorite Zaytinya welcomes the arrival of summer with new handcrafted cocktails created by ThinkFoodGroup Cocktail Innovator Juan Coronado.  Cocktails include Nesrin Daiquiri, white rum, pamplemousse liqueur, maraschino liqueur, lime juice, and rose water; Athena's Punch, vodka, cucumber, dill syrup, lemon juice, and cava; Turkish Storm, aged rum, lime juice, cardamom syrup, house-made ginger beer; 3PM in Istanbul, Belvedere lemon tea vodka, rhubarb liqueur, vanilla syrup, lime juice, and grapefruit juice; Harissa Fizz, silver tequila, house-made harissa, ginger liqueur, and house-made lemon soda; Zaytinya Martini, olive oil infused vodka, blanc vermouth, maraschino liqueur; Beirutopia, vodka, blood orange, lemon juice, vanilla bean syrup; Lawrence of Arabia, blended scotch, blood orange, cardamom syrup, lime juice, rose buds, and lemon bitters; Greek Gin and Tonic, gin, black tonic, kaffir lime leaf, barberries, licorice stick; Hera, pisco, crème Yvette, cream, lime, mahlab syrup, as well as the Pom Fili, white wine, vodka, pomegranate.
• Right around the corner is Richard Sandoval’s Chinatown hotspot Zengo, located at 781 7th Street, NW, 20001.  Diners can cleanse their palate with three refreshing house-made lemonades, available with or without alcohol.  Flavors include Strawberry Lemonade with fresh muddled strawberries, sour mix, and simple syrup; Lemongrass-Ginger Limeade with lemongrass, lime, ginger, sour mix, grenadine, and Sprite, as well as Lemon Balm Iced Tea, made with Lemon Balm, lime, simple syrup, sour mix, and iced tea.  Spirited options include Limonada de Fresca with Absolut Citron, strawberries, and citrus; Lemongrass Gin Gin, made with gin, lemongrass, ginger, sour mix, grenadine and Sprite, as well as Absolute Lemon Balm Tea, made with Absolute Vodka, Lemon Balm, lime, simple syrup, sour mix, and iced tea.