By Sean Alday

One drink stood above the rest this summer. It wasn’t Mint Juleps during the Kentucky Derby nor was it one of the twelve Long Island Ice Teas on the solstice.

The best cocktail I had this summer was Alaska’s Bourbon Milkshake. This was a special occasion drink to go along with a DJ set of doo-wop and sixties music shortly after they opened. The drink inspired Brooklyn Magazine to come through for a taste and eventually write an article on the best adult beverages with a wink to childhood mixed in.

My mind always tells me to calmly enjoy a drink. “Why shoot it when you can savor it?” But I found myself pulling on a straw and wishing that the bottom didn’t have to come so fast. As it went down the head rush was powerful, but my tongue was singing with vanilla delight.

I’m calling the Bourbon Milkshake the best cocktail of the summer because it was the coldest drink, the tastiest drink, and the one with the most punch at the end.

Best of Summer is our mini series running this week to provide a sweet look back into the summer awesomeness and to honor some stuff, which by its coolness exceeds any our expectations far beyond everydayness.