Sunday Cocktailing | The Georgica Grapefruit Fizz

Feeling inspired after a trip to Georgica Beach in East Hampton this past Saturday, I came up with this drink after finding several ripe grapefruits in our kitchen. It's delicious and refreshing... just the thing for a lazy afternoon. You can use store bought grapefruit juice to save time, but be sure to use fresh juice and not Tropicana - it really does make a difference.

2 oz vodka
1 oz Alizé Wild Passion
Juice of 1/2 grapefruit (about 3/4 cup)
Sparkling lemonade (preferably San Pellegrino Limonata)

Pour ingredients over ice, top with sparkling lemonade. Garnish with lime. Enjoy.

BTW - the cups are Tervis Tumblers, great for poolside - they won't break and they keep your cold stuff cold. Get a set at my sister Dina's store, Monograms on Main. Tell her I sent you and you'll get 15% off.

The Lonely Islands

"WILLIAM MCNEIL:

First settler Chippewa Bay
emigrated to this area
from Vermont prior to 1812
His home was a cave and
he lived off the land."

My dad often reminds us of the proverbial "simpler times" as we pass this sign on our yearly trip to the Thousand Islands region in upstate New York. Indeed, things have changed a bit since Bill and his rocky domicile. Chippewa Bay now boasts a U.S. Post Office, a general store, and not much else. And that's exactly how we like it.

While it was settled way earlier (according to the helpful sign), the region became popular at the turn of the 20th century. In the days before air conditioning, wealthy vacationers fled Manhattan in droves and headed north to cooler climes. Daily train service brought illustrious families like the Pullmans and the Astors up to the St. Lawrence, the waterway that runs between New York from Canada and defines the region. In those glorious pre-income tax times, no expense was spared in the creation of castles for George Boldt, proprietor of the Waldorf-Astoria, and Frederick Bourne, of Singer Sewing Machine fame, replete with boathouses and ballrooms; secret passageways, seaplane hangars and squash courts. And speaking of secrets...Yale's Skull and Bones maintains a retreat on Deer Island.

Once the Golden Age ended, the area returned to its sleepier summer roots, the sort of quiet atmosphere that it cultivates today. (No one would confuse it with the Hamptons, that's for sure.) There's no real estate market to speak of; instead, houses just pass from generation to generation. Nor has there been much change to those homes--the remoteness makes construction difficult and expensive--so they stay the same from summer to summer, living time capsules filled with yellowing copies of Popular Mechanics and National Geographic and 1960s-era cooktops and fridges (from when power was brought over from the mainland).

The fresh water makes it a haven for antique boats and Jet-Skis alike (no salt, no corrosion, no problem), but the rocks and shoals make it a foe for both (we've got a first-gen Jet-Ski from '91 currently making a nice home for some fish on the bottom...).

Every once in a while, some attention is brought to the area--be it a Singer Castle cameo The Skulls (the horrible Paul Walker movie), or a nod as a preppy summer retreat by The Official Preppy Handbook--but for the most part, it's a well-kept secret.

Let's keep it that way.

The Discovery Channel

If you haven't already, make sure you download Discovery's LP, guaranteed to get you through the last few hours of work before the weekend begins. A collab between Vampire Weekend's Rostam Batmanglij and Ra Ra Riot's Wes Miles, the upbeat electronic sound is a definite crowd pleaser for your next fiesta or as a pump up album for the long car trip to the beach.

TGIF.

Nose Candy

With summer finally in full swing, I can finally focus on something other than the clouds and rain: three delicious scents, for the home and for you.

This classic fragrance, coveted by men and women alike, is perfect for a breezy summer night. Sicilian citrus fruits mellow out the stronger sandalwood and vetiver notes, making for a deliciously harmonious blend. The bottle alone is a studied minimalist masterpiece. One spritz of this and suddenly you're zooming up the autostrada through Tuscany in a vintage Benz.
Acqua di Parma Colonia, $73 for 50ml, available at Barneys

I'm a sucker for a good shaved fennel and arugula salad in the summer, made with fresh ingredients from the Amagansett Farmer's Market or Jim Pike's stand in Wainscott. Somehow this candle from Diptyque captures that essence. I know what you're thinking - I didn't think my house should smell like root vegetables, either. Until I lit this thing. It works, I promise. With notes of fennel, dill, and anise, it's great for a kitchen or a bathroom.
Diptyque Fenouil Sauvage Candle, $55, available at Barneys

This one, as my friend Julio says, is a "no-brainer." New this spring from Hermès, the fresh, bright essence of grapefruit and rose petals is bottled by perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena for the luxury goods house and is selling out everywhere. (I would know - I bought the last bottle.) It smells just as nice as men as on women, and is a good daytime scent for a season that usually doesn't need one.
Hermès Eau de Pamplemousse Rose, $165 for 6.5 fl oz, available (for now) at Hermès.com