Does the summer heat have you ready to lift off to another world? We found the perfect solution at a St. Louis restaurant whose owner is well known in the national culinary world. James Beard Award winner Gerard Craft’s Sardella has a mouthwatering menu of cocktails we couldn’t resist sharing. The large ice chunk that floats in “The Lift Off” drew us into the cool and refreshing taste of the perfect blends of dandelion, lemon and lilac.

Ingredients:

Diplomatico Rum, Contratto Aperitif, Dandelion liqueur, Lemon and Lilac

Sardella’s lead bartender, Phil Ingram says, “The Lion’s Tooth Dandelion liqueur has a really fragrant nose, but almost like a honey flavor to it. This is a super bright cocktail for summer. The Contratto Aperitif is an Italian bitter liqueur with a bright tangerine note to it. We top the cocktail with dried chrysanthemum flowers. The lilac comes from a lilac tincture from Dirty Girl Farm, which ups the floral notes without adding sweetness.”

As for the name, that came from General Manager Chris Kelling, who named all the cocktails after Kayne West songs. He states, “I just tried all the cocktails and listened to the music and tried to find a song the evoked what I got from the cocktail. For example, for this one, it’s an aperitif-style cocktail so it’s a good starter or ‘lift-off’ to the evening.”