It's hot. It's damn hot. It's summer, so that means there's little to do in the off hours but sweat and long for air conditioning. It's hard to get into a mood for booze when there's so much heat outside. Never mind that alcohol actually drops one's core body temperature, just one nip will bring on a little too much mercury for these dog days. So, how can you get away with downing the fire water when it's blazing in the shade? Well, you can dip deep into the classic cocktail book or you can get creative.

Let's talk about the mint julep. This is the drink thirsty people in the American South invented to sip on their porches in those extra hot summer days prior to advent of central air. It utilizes the inherent sweetness of bourbon and one of the south's local crops, spearmint, to make a positively refreshing cocktail. Being one of the older mixed drinks in the books, there are a lot of different ways to make a julep and everyone gets a little pretentious about which way is right. I won't go that far, but I will provide some options.

Option 1: Glass or metal vessel. It's all part of the classic presentation to build and serve a mint julep in a tin or pewter cup, but there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to get the same flavor by building in a tall glass. Sure, the cold metal might add to the refreshing feel of the drink, but it's not mandatory.

Option 2: Crushed or bruised mint. The recipe for a julep is simple. Bourbon over ice with fresh mint muddled with sugar. There's a lot of debate about how thoroughly you ought to grind your mint for the drink. Some say the leaves ought to be merely bruised, while others demand them to be utterly pulverized. How much you crush your mint depends on how much mint flavor you want in your julep. The more you muddle the leaves, the more oils you'll release and thus the more mint flavor you'll impart to your julep. Which brings me to...

Option 3: Infused simple syrup. Just like another southern favorite, sweet tea, you could always give your julep the old simple syrup treatment. It's exceptionally easy to make. For mint syrup, just combine equal parts sugar, water and fresh (perhaps diced) mint leaves in a small stovetop vessel on medium heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Strain the mixture into a container and let it sit for at least a half hour before using. Voila, mint-flavored syrup. Hit a glass of bourbon on the rocks with the stuff and maybe a fresh sprig of mint for garnish and you have a science-ofied mint julep.

If bourbon's not your thing, you can make a very similar cocktail with brandy called the Brandy Smash. This cocktail is best augmented with a little bit of flavored bitters, though. Brandy doesn't have as much character as bourbon, so a dash of peach or orange bitters can make for a rather refreshing cocktail.

Of course, the hard stuff isn't the only way to cool down your cocktails. Take stout beer, for instance. For something that shares so many other qualities with coffee or chocolate, why not give it the ice cream treatment? With a bottle of your preferred dark beer, just add it slowly to a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream, waiting for the head to go down before adding more. Stir, blend, or otherwise mix the concoction to your preferred thickness. For some optional fanciness you can drizzle some chocolate syrup on the top, though it's not strictly necessary. The stout float is a grown-up version of a malt shop favorite.

Stay cool, all you summer lushes.