At Greenfield Village’s Eagle Tavern restaurant, not only are we changing our dining menu to highlight the local bounty of the season, we’re also changing our beverage menu to raise a glass to the good ol’ summertime.

We’ve added some historically-based, locally-sourced cocktails to the brand-new Eagle Tavern summer 2011 menu that will be sure to help you cool your heels and bring you gently on down to the graceful pace of Greenfield Village on a warm summer day.

In the 1850’s, which is the time period you experience while dining at Eagle Tavern, people enjoyed a refreshing ‘cock-tail’ to beat the summer heat as much as we do today. We’ve done our research and will be serving three outstanding cocktail recipes from the Jerry Thomas Bar Book, an early collection of drink recipes dating to back 1862, for your tippling pleasure.

For the first round, we feature the ‘Claret Cup’ – a sturdy glass of curacao, blackberry brandy, lime syrup and red table wine, known as ‘claret’ in the time period. Already an early hit, this popular cocktail can be thought of as sangria’s older American cousin!

Second round comes by with a cocktail as pretty as a July sunset – a ‘Knickerbocker’ cocktail that combines Holland (Michigan’s own New Holland Distillery’s White Rum) with curacao, lemonade and strawberry syrup. A dash of local and a splash of sweet makes this drink look good in anyone’s hand.

The parting glass is no less appealing than the first two – ‘A Gin Fix’ is a zesty, citrus concoction that really shines from New Holland Distillery’s bold and unique Knickerbocker Gin. Adding a touch of curacao and a ‘float’ of orange syrup, our bartenders create an authentic tipple that tastes unlike anything you’ve tried before.

At Eagle Tavern, we’d be happy to be your pick-me-up purveyors between the dining hours of 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. every day. Be sure to stop in soon, as these summer cocktails will only be around while the days are long and the breezes are warm. Make Eagle Tavern a must-do on your visit to Greenfield Village this summer and enjoy them while you can!

What are some of your other favorite summertime cocktails?

Greg Harris is manager of food service at The Henry Ford.