Ina Garten - Go-To Dinners : A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

When someone new is coming to dinner, I pretty much always make the same getting to know you menu: the rack of lamb, orzo with roasted vegetables, and apple crostata from my second cookbook, Barefoot Contessa Parties. Its really delicious, Ive made it so many times that I can almost do it with my eyes closed, and it allows me to pay more attention to my new guests than to cooking the meal. But the thing that really makes the party sparkleespecially with people I dont know very wellis the cocktail I serve when they walk in the door.

Theres something about offering a guest a special drink that says, Were having a party! and Im happy to see you. Im not sure if its the clink of ice in the cocktail shaker or the martini glasses that makes everyone feel festive and glamorous but it really does the trick. Of course, the cocktail has to be delicious, too.

For years, I made real Whiskey Sours with good bourbon plus freshly squeezed lemon and lime juice. Theyre delicious and guests often tell me they remind them of a parent or grandparent. Lately Ive updated my getting to know you cocktail to something a little more modern: Watermelon Cosmopolitans () made with pured watermelon juice, freshly squeezed lime juice, Cointreau, and vodka served in ice-cold martini glasses with a big sprig of mint. Everyone loves them!

There are a few tricks to pulling off cocktails without stress. Most drink recipes make just one drink at a time but who wants to be in the kitchen making cocktails while friends are arriving for dinner? All of my drink recipes are made in a big pitcher so you can prepare them in batches ahead of time. And if you can find a really large cocktail shaker, its so much more efficient for chilling lots of drinks at once. I also put the martini glasses in the freezer for about 30 minutes so theyre frosty cold when I pour in the drinks. And to make sure the ice is fresh, I empty the ice maker every week or so and let it fill up overnight.

Now that Ive updated my getting to know you cocktail, Im thinking its time to update the dinner too. How does Rosemary Roasted Pork Tenderloins () for dessert sound? Just like the old menu, this one lets me get almost everything done in advance so I can spend my time getting to know new friends. Which is why we entertain in the first place, right?

EASY / make ahead

Jennifer Naylor is an extraordinary caterer in LA. When I saw that she had made Bourbon Arnold Palmers with lemonade, iced tea, and bourbon for a party, I thought they sounded fantastic. You can even make a virgin pitcher without the alcohol to drink all day, then add the bourbon at 5 p.m.!

2 tea bags, such as Earl Grey or English Breakfast

2 cups boiling water

cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)

cup simple syrup (see note)

1 cup good bourbon, such as Makers Mark

lemon, halved through the stem and cut in -inch-thick half-rounds

Serves 6

Place the tea bags in a 2-cup glass measuring cup and add the boiling water. Steep for 10 minutes, then discard the tea bags.

Meanwhile, combine the lemon juice, simple syrup, bourbon, and 2 cups water in a glass pitcher. Stir in the brewed tea and refrigerate until cold.

To serve, fill glasses half full with ice and pour in the drink mixture. Garnish with a lemon slice and serve ice cold.

To make simple syrup, bring 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan and cook until the sugar dissolves. Refrigerate until cold.

You can mix the drink early in the day and refrigerate it, but serve it the same day because fresh lemon juice changes flavor overnight.

MAKE AHEAD

My friends Rob Marshall and John DeLuca love creating new cocktails. Their delicious variation on a Cosmo has become my go-to summer drink because everyone loves this refreshing blend of watermelon pure spiked with a hit of fresh lime juice plus vodka. Yum! I serve it in frozen martini glasses.

4 cups (-inch) diced red watermelon (see note)

6 ounces good vodka, such as Grey Goose

3 ounces Cointreau or triple sec

2 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice (2 limes)

4 large mint sprigs, for garnish

Makes 4 drinks

Place four martini glasses in the freezer to chill for at least 30 minutes.

Place a food mill fitted with the largest disk over a bowl. Add the watermelon and pass it through the mill; you should end up with about 2 cups of watermelon juice. Pour into a pitcher and discard the seeds and pulp. Stir in the vodka, Cointreau, and lime juice.

Fill a cocktail shaker half full with ice, pour in the cocktail mixture, and shake for a full 30 seconds. Pour into the chilled martini glasses and garnish each glass with a sprig of mint. Serve ice cold.

If you make this with seedless watermelon (or carefully deseed regular watermelon), you can pure the watermelon in a blender and pour it through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the pulp.

EASY

Palomas are traditionally served in a glass with a salted rim, as margaritas are, but I always thought that made the drink too salty. I tried a sugar rim but that was too sweet. Finally, I mixed salt and sugar and voil! The perfect rim to complement a perfect summer cocktail.

cup kosher salt

2 tablespoons sugar

Grapefruit wedge, plus more for garnish

1 cup freshly squeezed pink or ruby grapefruit juice (1 to 2 grapefruits)

1 cup tequila blanco, such as Casamigos

cup freshly squeezed lime juice (2 limes)

2 tablespoons simple syrup (see note, )

serves 4

Combine the cup salt and the sugar on a small plate. Run a wedge of grapefruit around the rim of four (10-ounce) glasses to moisten. Lightly dip the rims in the sugar mixture and set aside to dry.

Meanwhile, combine the grapefruit juice, tequila, lime juice, simple syrup, and a pinch of salt in a pitcher and stir to blend. Fill a cocktail shaker half full with ice and pour in the cocktail mixture (you may have to do this in batches). Shake for a full 30 seconds to chill and slightly dilute the cocktail. Pour into two of the prepared glasses, add a few ice cubes and a wedge of grapefruit, and serve ice cold. Repeat with the remaining mixture and glasses.