THERE IS JUST ONE WORD to describe summer time drinking: refreshment. Certainly, a cold pilsner works, as does a glass of chilled Riesling, but you needn’t drink the same old gin and tonic you drank last summer. Hit the farmers’ markets for inspiration or try new takes on old favorites—there’s no shortage of new local cider, beer, wine, spirits or mixers out there. Local mixologists, too, are developing variations on classic cocktails and finding new combinations. Here’s a small sampling of refreshments to enjoy this summer while you kick back and watch the boats sail by.

OLD DRINK, NEW INGREDIENTS

The quintessential drink of summer—the gin and tonic—takes a new turn when the mixings are local. Harvest Spirits (Valatie) has just released its Core Gin, produced entirely from apples with just three botanicals—juniper, coriander and lemongrass—imbuing the gin with a unique and focused flavor profile. Often overlooked but most influential to the flavor of the drink, though, is the tonic. Many commercial tonics contain high-fructose corn syrup, but Jason Schuler and his team at More Good, a specialty syrup producer in Beacon, recently introduced Spring Tonic, made using raw organic cane sugar and organic herbs—no artificial colors or flavorings. In place of the quinine (extracted from cinchona bark) used to flavor traditional tonic, More Good’s tonic uses gentian root (the main bittering agent in cocktail bitters), which Schuler likes for its “deep, bold, lingering earthy bitterness.” Schuler is now working with Common Ground Farm, in Wappingers Falls, experimenting with anise, hyssop, mountain mint, wild bergamot and marjoram for his forthcoming summer tonic. Combine these with Core Gin and you take this classic refresher in an entirely new direction.

CAFFEINE BREEZE

While cold brew may be the latest beverage of choice for hot summer days, the complex flavors of coffee are making it a cocktail favorite, too. Millerton-based Irving Farm Coffee Roasters is set to release a new cold-brew coffee this summer. (Different from iced coffee, cold brew is “brewed” cold and never heated.) Irving Farm rep Jake Griffin chooses Napoleon Barragan (a single-origin coffee from the village of Monserrate, Colombia, known for its bright berry flavors with subtle hints of chocolate) to mix with blueberries and white rum for a summer cocktail recipe that spotlights the distinct and delicate flavors the roast offers.

FRESH AND MINTY

At Heritage Food + Drink, Wappingers Falls’ newest farm-to-table restaurant, beverage director Jessica Gonzalez follows the theme of the restaurant and works with local farms to source ingredients for her cocktail creations. Mint Condition, for example, features chocolate mint from Tongore Brook Farm (Stone Ridge) for a variation on a mojito that is at once fresh yet familiar.

COOL AS A CUCUMBER

Looking for another twist on gin? Steven Aigner, head mixologist at Liberty Street Bistro in Newburgh, shakes it up with muddled cucumber, ginger and lemon juice for an earthy summer cocktail with just a hint of citrus. If the fresh cucumber flavors don’t relax you, the gin and chartreuse surely will. “The key ingredient in this drink is the green chartreuse,” Aigner says. “It has strong hints of herbal flavor that blend extremely well with the muddled cucumber and ginger.”

SUMMER FUN

The (new) gin with (new) tonic is not the only (new) drink on the block. Keegan Ales recently released a new beer, appropriately called FUN. “We wanted an IPA that could be enjoyed year-round,” says Lisa Hantes, bar manager at the Kingston brewery’s restaurant. Though enjoyable on its own, the new beer also sparkles in Summer FUNshine, a cocktail that uses vodka and grapefruit to highlight the citra hops used in FUN. “It’s fresh and easy and can be enjoyed at any time,” Hantes adds.

DRINK DESSERT

Cathryn Fadde, of Perch (Marlboro), combines two summer favorites for a memorable after-dinner offering. She floats Kingston-based Jane’s vanilla ice cream in a glass of Beak & Skiff 1911 Cinnamon hard cider (LaFayette, Onondaga County) for a summertime riff on the classic Italian affogato. Fadde says that one guest best described it as a “Fireball without the guilt,” referring to the cinnamon whiskey currently in vogue.