In our Drink of the Week segment, we’ll showcase one unique type of beer, wine, cocktail — you name it — to try at one of the countless breweries, bars and restaurants from around the basin.

Just when Mother Nature gives you a slight glimpse of what summer in Tahoe feels like, she yanks the rug back out from under you like Lucy swiping the football right before Charlie Brown can kick it, and lets us all fall on our backside looking up at the snow (again). 

So, regardless of the snowy vibes that have been kicking around, we’re going to keep the summer feeling going with this week’s feature. Maybe, just maybe, it will be enough to coax her into letting those warm temps return.

When I say summer drink, I’m not sure exactly where your mind wanders to, but it is probably some variation of a concoction that reminds you of beaches and sunshine. There might not be any other spirit that does this better than rum – Plantation pineapple rum to be exact. The drink rounds out with the addition of Cointreau, lemon juice, and simple syrup. 

Right off the bat, you get a slight creaminess on the nose and the rum and citrus notes kick in leaving you to wonder where you left your flip flops and beach towel. There is only an ever so slight sweetness to the drink (coming from the simple syrup), but the heavy lifting comes from the fruit notes in the rum and Cointreau. It’s essentially the tropics with faint hints of spice and smoke. The finish is smooth and silky, and once it leaves your palette its like Keyser Soze – it’s gone. 

Sitting at the restaurant in front of their big picture window it’s quite hard not to get caught up in the summer vibe. Add one of these and you may get the urge to walk outside, take your shoes off, and bury your feet in the sand. If it helps bring those warm temps back, I ready to join you. 

The Lone Eagle Grille is located at 111 Country Club Dr. in Incline Village. For hours of operation and menu information visit them online at loneeaglegrille.com or reach them by phone at 775-886-6899.