What's the secret ingredient for more refreshing summer beverages? Salt

During the peak heat of Louisville summers, when the air is so muggy that the hot black pavement practically steams, lines would form outside of Safier, a Middle Eastern and Indian-influenced deli in the heart of downtown. Youness, the deli's head cook, would slide plastic cups of the tangy, golden-orange drink down the laminated counter with the ease of a veteran bartender in a legacy saloon. One theory is that hotel manager Daniel "Danny" Negrete created the drink in 1936 as a surprise for his girlfriend, Margarita, who found salted beverages to be refreshing after spending the day in the brutal Pueblo sun; another is that Rosarito bar owner Carlos "Danny" Herrera mixed up the first margarita for Ziegfeld showgirl and actress Marjorie King and used crushed salt to bejewel the glass. Extra dirty martinis — the kind where the gin is absolutely clouded by olive brine — are a perennial favorite, but in my search for other gently salted beverages, I came across a more seasonally celebratory variety: the tomato water martini. San Diego is a close second, so I can try Madison's Jumping Cholla — a potent combination of smoky mezcal, pineapple, jalapeño and a sprinkle of black lava salt.